ENG-2009 — Page 314

246 Transport

examined at the four government vehicle examination centres. In addition, 3 500 spot checks were carried out on franchised buses to confirm their safety, roadworthiness and service standards. Private cars over six years old and light goods. vehicles not exceeding 1.9 tonnes are inspected annually at 22 designated car testing centres run by the private sector. These centres carried out 234 000 vehicle examinations.

Two chassis dynamometers have been installed in the Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre to carry out random checks on smoke emissions from diesel vehicles.

All vehicles imported into Hong Kong must be examined to make sure they meet statutory requirements before they can be registered and licensed. In 2009, of 436 vehicle types approved, 426 went through a simplified procedure that involved examining sample vehicles of the same model.

Electronic payment facilities are now available at all vehicle examination centres, providing additional convenience for users. Vehicle Appointment Status Display Systems have been installed at the New Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre, the Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre and the To Kwa Wan Vehicle Examination Centre, informing people of available booking dates. The booking information is also available on the Internet.

Intelligent Transport Systems

Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are installed at heavy traffic spots to monitor conditions at these places so that drivers can avoid them if possible. There are 217 cameras installed in the urban areas and the new towns and 185 cameras operating on major highways. More CCTV cameras are being installed to further enhance traffic surveillance and information dissemination. The project started in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.

Images captured by CCTV cameras at 120 strategic locations were shown to the public on the Internet and their mobile phones. Site installation to increase the number of the strategic locations is under way.

Mobile CCTV cameras were deployed to transmit real-time traffic images to Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre during major planned events and emergency incidents to facilitate prompt response to relieve traffic congestion.

A Computerised Area Traffic Control (ATC) system is connected to the traffic signalling system in a district, enabling better control of changing conditions on the road. ATC systems are now in operation in the urban areas and in the new towns at Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Sha Tin, Ma On Shan, Tai Po, North District, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long and will be expanded to Tseung Kwan O by end 2011.

At year-end, 1 763 traffic signals at road junctions were in operation, 1 627 of which were linked to ATC systems.

Conventional traffic signals are being replaced by light emitting diode traffic signals for environmental reasons and cost savings. The replacement works on Hong