***********************************************
The Government will conduct a survey of passengers and drivers travelling between the Mainland and Hong Kong at nine immigration control points from Monday (November 20) to December 3, the Planning Department says.
A spokesman for the department said today (November 17) the Cross-boundary Travel Survey 2006 would collect information about the characteristics of cross-boundary trips as well as the socio-economic profiles and travelling behaviour of the trip-makers, including local residents, foreign visitors and Mainland visitors.
"Through this survey, we will obtain valuable information about trip purpose, origin, destination, and travelling frequency and some personal particulars such as age, sex, marital status and place of residence," he said.
"In addition, by examining the commuting characteristics and loading conditions of different types of cross-boundary vehicles, we can gauge with greater accuracy the cross-boundary traffic movement patterns."
It will be the fourth survey of cross-boundary travel by the Government. The previous three surveys were conducted in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
The information collected will provide essential data for cross-boundary infrastructure and land-use planning when formulating long-term development options for Hong Kong.
The nine immigration control points where the survey will take place are Hong Kong International Airport, Lo Wu Terminus, Hung Hom Station, China Ferry Terminal, Macau Ferry Terminal, Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, Lok Ma Chau Control Point, Man Kam To Control Point and Sha Tau Kok Control Point.
About 56,000 respondents, including 12,000 drivers, will be selected at random for the survey. They will be invited to complete a questionnaire, which will take about five minutes.
The spokesman urged passengers and drivers to co-operate with ACNielsen (China) Limited, the company hired to conduct the survey. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential.
The results of the survey will be available by mid-2007.
Ends/Friday, November 17, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:30
NNNN