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The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:
The Office of The Ombudsman held a seminar on electronic road pricing today (June 21) to look at the Government's policy and measures for alleviating traffic congestion as well as details of the proposed electronic road pricing scheme. More than 60 Justices of the Peace (JPs) and Advisers of the Office attended the seminar and exchanged views with guest speakers from the Transport Department (TD) on the subject.
In her welcoming speech, The Ombudsman, Ms Connie Lau, said, "Traffic congestion is a big problem in many metropolitan cities, and Hong Kong is no exception. If the problem continues to worsen, it would not only cause inconvenience to the public and generate complaints, but also have an adverse impact on the economy and air quality of Hong Kong."
The Transport and Housing Bureau and the TD have conducted public consultation on the electronic road pricing pilot scheme in the Central district and its adjacent areas. Under the proposed scheme, motorists would be required to pay charges when using the roads in the charging areas during the specified times, thereby reducing vehicular flows and alleviating the congestion problem in those areas.
Ms Lau said she hoped that the opinions and suggestions aired in the seminar would help the Government to formulate more appropriate transport policies and measures.
Each year, the Office of The Ombudsman organises seminars on various topics for its Advisers and members of the JPs Assistance Scheme. These seminars aim to enhance their understanding of the Office's work and the responsibilities of different government departments and provide them with a platform to express their views so that they can help to promote the work of the Office through their daily contact with the public, thereby contributing to improvement in public administration and services.
Ends/Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:00
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