The transportation sector in south China's Guangdong Province will soon step out of the shadow cast by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), said Chen Zichang, deputy head of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Communications.

Guangdong has been one of the worst hit areas by SARS, but thanks to the implementation of a host of effective prevention measures, no cases have been found to be transmitted via the medium of transportation and no incidents of traffic blockade have taken place because of SARS, said Chen.

On April 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an advisory against travel in Guangdong but lifted the advisory on May 23.

According to Chen, local transportation companies are encouraged to explore new sources of income and reduce expenditure, including lowering the cost of transportation and exploring the passenger market in the rural areas.

Chen pledged that they would make greater efforts to speed up highway construction. In the first four months of the year, 4.54 billion yuan (about US$547 million) was spent in constructing infrastructure for transportation in the province, up17 percent from the same period last year.

In the meantime, efforts will also be made to rectify and reduce highway toll stations in a bid to reduce the burden on transportation companies and motor vehicle owners, said Chen.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2003)