Minutes of the Sixth Meeting of
Traffic and Transport Committee (2012-13)
Central and Western District Council
Date
:
8 November 2012
Time
:
2:30 p.m.
Venue
:
Conference Room
14/F., Harbour Building
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong
Present: Chairman
Ms CHENG Lai-king*
Vice Chairman
Mr HUI Chi-fung*
Members
Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP*
Mr CHAN Choi-hi
Mr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph
Mr CHAN Hok-fung
Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan
Mr CHEUNG Yick-hung, Jackie
Mr IP Kwok-him, GBS, JP
Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH*
Dr Malcolm LAM
Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney*
Miss LO Yee-hang
Miss SIU Ka-yi*
Mr MAN Chi-wah, MH
Mr NG Siu-keung, Thomas, MH*
Mr WONG Kin-shing*
Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP*
Co-opted Members
Mr CHAN Chi-shing
Mr LEUNG King-yue, Alex
Mr LI Wang-fung*
Mr LUI Hung-pan
Ms WONG Mi-hing, Shirley*
Remarks:
*
( )
(2:30 p.m. – 5:43 p.m.)
(3:44 p.m. – 5:31 p.m.)
(2:30 p.m. – 5:09 p.m.)
(2:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.)
(4:16 p.m. – end of the meeting)
(2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
(2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.)
(2:30 p.m. – 4:47 p.m.)
(3:22 p.m. – end of the meeting)
(2:42 p.m. – end of the meeting)
(2:32 p.m. – end of the meeting)
(2:35 p.m. – end of the meeting)
Members that attended the whole meeting
The time of attendance of the Member
1
Guests
Item 4
Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu
Mr YU Hing-wai
Mr WONG Tsan-kwong
Item 5
Mr LEUNG Yan-kit
Ms LEE Mei-po, Bridget
Mr CHAN Kwong-ming
Item 6
Ms TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne
Mr LI Kin-lok
Item 7
Mr CHEUNG Chi-yeung, Fabian
Ms LEUNG Cheuk-lam, Shirley
Item 8
Mr LEE Hoo-tin, Stephen
Mr LEUNG Wai-yin
Mr LAU Wing-fu
Mr LEUNG Wing-yin
Item 9
Ms LEUNG Cheuk-lam, Shirley
Senior Engineer 2/Central Wanchai Bypass,
Highways Department
Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia
Company Limited
Project Manager, Leighton Contractors (Asia)
Limited
Assistant District Commander (Central
District), Hong Kong Police Force
Officer in Charge Licensing (Central District),
Hong Kong Police Force
Officer in Charge District Traffic Team
(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force
Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Assistant Corporate Communication Manager,
CityBus Limited & New World First Bus
Services Limited
Senior Transport Officer/Transport Facilities
Management, Transport Department
Engineer/Central & Western 3, Transport
Department
Engineer/Special
Duties,
Transport
Department
Acting Chief Inspector/Western District
Operations, Hong Kong Police Force
Officer in Charge District Traffic Team
(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force
District Traffic Team (Western District), Hong
Kong Police Force
Engineer/Central & Western 3, Transport
Department
2
Item 10
Ms LEUNG Cheuk-lam, Shirley
Mr LEUNG Wai-yin
Mr LAU Wing-fu
Mr LEUNG Wing-yin
Engineer/Central & Western 3, Transport
Department
Acting Chief Inspector/Western District
Operations, Hong Kong Police Force
Officer in Charge District Traffic Team
(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force
District Traffic Team (Western District), Hong
Kong Police Force
Item 11
Mr WAI Hon-kwok
Ms TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne
Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern
& Peak, Transport Department
Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Item 12
Ms LEE Yim-fong, Stella
Ms TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne
Ms YEUNG Lee-wah
Chief Transport Officer/Bus &
Railway/Special Duties, Transport
Department
Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Public Relations Officer-External Affairs,
Mass Transit Railway Corporation
Item 13
Mr HUNG Wai-keung
Item 14
Ms TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne
Mr Patrick TANG
Mr CHEUNG Chor-hei, Ernest
In Attendance:
Ms CHOW Ho-kiu, Cheryl, JP
Ms WONG Ming-wai, Cynthia
Ms YEUNG Lai-ching, Regent
Senior Health Inspector (Cleansing/Pest
Control), Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department
Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Director of Campus Life, Centre of
Development and Resources for Students, The
University of Hong Kong
Vice-President (Internal), The Hong Kong
University Students’ Union
District Officer (Central & Western)
Senior Executive Officer (District Council),
Central and Western District Office
Senior Executive Officer (District Management),
Central and Western District Office
3
Ms TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne
Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Ms(sic) LEUNG Cheuk-lam,
Shirley
Mr LEE Hoo-tin, Stephen
Mr WAI Hon-kwok
Engineer/Central & Western 3,
Transport Department
Engineer/Special Duties, Transport Department
Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/
Southern & Peak, Transport Department
Senior District Engineer/HNW,
Highways Department
Engineer 23 (HK Island Div 1), Civil
Engineering and Development Department
Officer in Charge District Traffic Team
(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force
Officer in Charge District Traffic Team
(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force
Mr WONG Chun-hung
Mr HO Chi-tat, Chris
Mr CHAN Kwong-ming
Mr LAU Wing-fu
Secretary
Ms CHUNG Yeuk-hung
Absent with Apologies:
Mr LI Po-ming
Ms KEI Lai-ting, Grace
Mr Paul EDMISTON
Ms Melinda FONG
Mr FU Chi-yet, Sunny
Mr LOK Chun-chung, Francis
Mr LAM Shu-kee, Philip
Executive Officer (District Council) 2,
Central and Western District Office
Co-opted Member
Assistant District Officer (Central & Western)
District Operations Officer (Central District),
Hong Kong Police Force
District Operations Officer (Western),
Hong Kong Police Force
Senior Engineer/Central & Western,
Transport Department
Engineer/Central & Western 1,
Transport Department
Engineer/Central & Western 2,
Transport Department
Welcome Remarks
The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives from government departments to
the 6th meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (2012-13) (“TTC”). She also
welcomed Ms Yvonne TSUI, Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western of the Transport
Department (“TD”), who succeeded Mr YU Tai-ho, Haiko and attended the meeting for the first
time.
Item 1: Adoption of the agenda
2.
Members had no comment on the agenda and the agenda was adopted.
Item 2: Confirmation of the minutes of the fifth TTC meeting on 6 September 2012
3. The Chairman said that she had not received any comment on the minutes from Members
before the meeting.
4
4.
The Committee confirmed the minutes of the 5th meeting of the TTC.
Item 3: Chairman’s report
5. In regard to the major Minor Traffic Improvement Projects and Works Schedules (as of
October 2012), the Secretariat distributed the report to Members for their perusal before the
meeting and passed the views of Members to the TD and Highways Department (“HyD”) for
follow-up action. The written replies of the departments had also been passed on to Members
on 1 November for their perusal.
6. The Secretariat had arranged two site visits on 21 and 27 September 2012 to assess whether
the existing traffic arrangements could meet the needs of students and staff of The University of
Hong Kong (“HKU”) when they went to school or work during morning peak hours. The
relevant report had been distributed to Members for their perusal on 24 October of the same
year.
Item 4: Standing item: Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor
Link – Report on the progress of the Central Interchange project
(C&W TTC Paper No. 51/2012)
(2:32 p.m. – 2:44 p.m.)
7. Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu, Senior Engineer 2/Central Wanchai Bypass of the HyD reported on
the works progress of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link - Central
Interchange Project. The temporary carriageway shown in the paper was opened on 30 July of
this year in order to support the opening of Road P1 on the same day under the works of the
Central Reclamation Phase III. On the other hand, the works of the tunnel feeder road
proceeded smoothly; construction of the diaphragm wall and square pile were completed in
August, and excavation and structural works would continue.
8. Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu indicated that construction works of the tunnel and feeder road would
continue over the coming six months. Moreover, a foundation for a flyover at the tunnel
entrance would be built and the flyover at Man Po Street would be widened. In order to build
the temporary support structures required for the widening of the flyover, Pier Road and Man Po
Street might need to be closed temporarily during early hours and resumed normal in the
morning, so he believed that this would have minor impact on the traffic nearby. He said that
the temporary traffic diversion measures in place were operating well, and the department would
continue to monitor the usage of roads. It was anticipated that no major traffic diversion
measure would be added within the coming year. As the works proceeded, temporary traffic
diversions being implemented would end gradually from late 2013 to 2014 and the original
traffic arrangements would be resumed. The relevant arrangements were still under design
stage and would be submitted to the Traffic Management Liaison Group (“TMLG”) for
consideration in due course.
9. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
follows:
Views and questions of Members were as
(a) Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that on the day of the meeting, a large tree was found lying
horizontally in the vicinity of the project area, so he asked the department to follow up.
In addition, he asked the department to provide works schedules at the next meeting so
that Members could know if the project was on schedule.
5
(b) The Chairman asked about the number of traffic lanes that would be provided at the
widened section of the flyover.
(c) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that there was a lack of traffic lights at the location where the
Central Airport Express station was connected to the Rumsey Street Flyover, he asked
the department to improve the traffic arrangement of having two traffic lanes merging
into one traffic lane.
10. In response to the question raised by the Chairman, Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu pointed out that
two traffic lanes would be made available at the widened section of the flyover on Man Po
Street. He undertook to provide Members with works schedules at the next meeting for their
perusal and indicated that the Central Interchange Project was progressing smoothly. It was
anticipated that the bypass would be open to traffic in 2017. He would also deploy personnel to
follow up on the horizontally-laid tree.
11. Mr Stephen LEE, Engineer/Special Duties of the TD said that he would contact the
colleagues concerned to follow up on the case mentioned by Mr CHAN Chit-kwai.
12. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 5: Provision of a taxi stand with specified operating hours at night in Wellington
Street, Central; extension of the specified operating hours of the pedestrian zone
at Lan Kwai Fong; closure of the passing bay in Wyndham Street during
specified periods at night; and additional provision of railings for a small section
of the pavement in Wellington Street
(C&W TTC Paper No. 52/2012)
(2:44 p.m. – 3:38 p.m.)
13. Mr LEUNG Yan-kit, Assistant District Commander (Central District) of the Hong Kong
Police Force (“HKPF”) said that the paper aimed to introduce to Members the traffic and
transport improvement plan for Lan Kwai Fong and its vicinity. The plan had been tried eight
times over last four weeks and the Police had conducted site visit at Lan Kwai Fong with
Members earlier.
14. Mr CHAN Kwong-ming, Officer in Charge District Traffic Team (Central District) of the
HKPF pointed out that a pedestrian scheme was currently implemented in Lan Kwai Fong from
7 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next morning on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The
relevant measure had been in place since 2002. Under the scheme, D’Aguilar Street, Wo On
Lane and Wing Wah Lane were designated as pedestrian zones, while traffic directions on other
roads were unaffected. However, the Police found traffic congestion at some streets in the
vicinity, such as Hollywood Road eastbound, Wyndham Street, Arbuthnot Road southbound and
northbound, Wellington Street, D’Aguilar Street, Queen’s Road Central westbound and Pedder
Street northbound. He said that a night-time cross-harbour taxi stand had been set up at
Queen’s Road Central near Pottinger Street to service the public and tourists from 10 p.m. to 7
a.m. the next morning, while the taxi stand located next to The Landmark on Pedder Street
provided full-day service to the public and tourists. However, utilisation rate of both taxi
stands were low as they were located relatively far away from Lan Kwai Fong.
15. Mr LEUNG Yan-kit said that the Police had applied to the TD for implementation of
temporary traffic arrangements at a section of Wellington Street between Wyndham Street and
D’Aguilar Street from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning on Fridays and Saturdays during
October this year. Such arrangement prohibited all vehicles, except taxis, from entering the
6
section, while a temporary taxi pick-up point was set up at Wellington Street close to D’Aguilar
Street. He said that the temporary taxi stand was particularly popular after 1 a.m. and serviced
around 2 000 members of the public and tourists each night. In addition, as sunrise took place
later in winter time, many visitors going to Lan Kwai Fong for fun stayed there till 4 a.m. or
later. Therefore, in order to prevent vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, it was recommended to
extend the operating hours of pedestrian zones to 5 a.m.
For more effective
vehicular/pedestrian control and maintaining smooth traffic flow, the Police also recommended
that railings should be installed at a small section of the pavement in the south side of
Wellington Street near D’Aguilar Street, and that the passing bay at No. 60 Wyndham Street
should be closed.
16. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
follows:
Questions and views of Members were as
(a) The Vice Chairman welcomed the improvement plan proposed by the Police as he
considered that obvious improvement were shown in traffic conditions during the night
they conducted the site visit, however he believed that it would be difficult for the
Police to deploy a large number of police officers to perform duty at Lan Kwai Fong on
a long term basis and was worried that motorists would relapse to their previous driving
patterns once the police presence was reduced. He asked the Police to provide actual
data showing the effectiveness of the plan for Members’ reference. In addition, he said
that the upper and lower section of Wyndham Street were seriously affected by vehicle
honking during the small hours. Although the plan proposed by the Police was
expected to improve the situation, he still hoped that the Police and the TD would
consider erecting signs for “restricted use of horn” at Glenealy Road near Wyndham
Street, so as to ensure quiet community environment.
(b) Mr CHAN Hok-fung agreed that the traffic was smooth and in good order during the
night of their site visit, and that the installation of the railings at the junction of
D’Aguilar Street and Wellington Street had resulted in fewer illegal road-crossing
activities by pedestrians. He pointed out that the new temporary taxi stand would
increase the traffic flow at Hollywood Road, so he asked the Police to consider placing
the new taxi stand at Queen’s Road Central and make appropriate coordination of traffic
arrangements during major festivals such as Christmas and Halloween.
(c) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that the traffic conditions during the night of their site visit
were good, but he stressed that the Police could not keep deploying a large number of
officers to maintain order there. He urged the Police to set up signs and road signs at
Lan Kwai Fong as soon as possible to guide taxis and the public to queue up
automatically at the new temporary taxi stand. He also agreed with the setting up of a
taxi stand at Queen’s Road Central, diverting the public or tourists who wished to leave
Lan Kwai Fong, in order to avoid people gathering at the temporary taxi stand at
Wellington Street near D’Aguilar Street for getting a taxi.
(d) Mr KAM Nai-wai said that residents of the Central District supported the improvement
plan carried out by the Police, but he considered that the Police should commit the
relevant improvement measures earlier and flexibly manage the newly-added temporary
taxi stand. He also questioned whether the Police had put on a show by
pre-arranging a large number of police officers at the scene for law enforcement before
inviting Members for a site visit. He believed that without the presence of such a large
number of police officers, the problems mentioned in the discussion paper – such as
selecting passengers by displaying a red plate showing the words “out of service”,
overcharging fares or refusing hire – would still exist. He asked the Police to provide
prosecution figures in respect of the above three issues over the last year.
7
(e) Mr Sidney LEE considered that the plan was effective to a certain extent, but passengers
got on board a taxi slowly at the temporary taxi stand, so he recommended that the
Police should allow two to three taxis to pick up passengers at the same time at the
temporary taxi stand in order to speed up taxi departure. He also believed that the
Police should implement special arrangements and controls at Queen’s Road Central to
prevent too many taxis from waiting there.
(f) Dr Malcolm LAM agreed that the plan helped to improve traffic within the district, but
it could still be improved further. He supported adding a taxi stand at Queen’s Road
Central to disperse the crowd, and recommended that the Police and TD should erect at
the entrance of Yung Kee Restaurant a sign that read “passengers drop-off only, no
pick-up”.
(g) Miss SIU Ka-yi worried that the plan would increase the burden on Hollywood Road, so
she was in favour of adding a taxi stand at Queen’s Road Central to divert the flow of
people, and asked the Police to provide traffic flow figures for Hollywood Road before
and after the implementation of those measures. In addition, she also requested the
Police to provide the proportion of tourists using the temporary taxi stand.
(h) Mr Alex LEUNG recommended the Police to divide the temporary taxi stand at
Wellington Street into two by separating cross-harbour taxis from non-cross-harbour
taxis, and also prohibit cross-harbour taxis from turning into Pedder Street to prevent
the middle and right lanes from being occupied by taxis. He also recommended that
the Police should relocate the kerbside motorcycle parking spaces on Wyndham Street
to the passing bay located at No. 60 of the same street, which would indirectly widen
the road and make traffic smoother at Wyndham Street.
(i) Mr YIP Wing-shing supported the improvement plan of the Police and recommended
the Police to try replacing police officers with traffic wardens at the location to reduce
the employment of police force. He was also in favour of adding a taxi stand at
another location such as the Queen’s Road Central so as to diverge taxi flow within the
district.
(j) Mr Thomas NG recommended changing the traffic direction of a section of Wellington
Street between D’Aguilar Street and Wyndham Street to prevent taxis from gathering
and queuing at Ice House Street.
(k) Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan supported the improvement plan of the Police but was
worried that there would be a large number of taxis waiting for passengers at the
newly-added temporary taxi stand at earlier hours, thus making the traffic even more
congested at Wyndham Street.
17. Mr LEUNG Yan-kit said that since November last year, the Central police station had
conducted special operations, namely OMEGA and MOCKPLAYER, against issues such as
security, pedestrian and traffic control at Lan Kwai Fong, and prudently allocated police officers
to dealt with cases that happened within the Lan Kwai Fong area while keeping sufficient police
force for maintenance of law and order in other areas of the Central District. He pointed out
that other than police officers, traffic wardens would also be deployed to assist in directing
traffic. The Police would arrange facilities such as road signs, columns and metal railings, etc.,
with a view to make the temporary taxi stand to operate on its own within three to six months.
By then, he believed that the demand for police force would be significantly reduced. He
pointed out that after eight nights of trial run, some of the visitors who went to Lan Kwai Fong
for fun, including local residents and overseas tourists, had become accustomed to the new
8
arrangements of the Police and headed to the new temporary taxi stand to queue up for taxi on
their own. The peak use of the taxi stand took place between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. and the average
waiting time was three to five minutes. He reiterated that as people taking taxi at Lan Kwai
Fong at night might have already got drunk or mentally excited, it might take longer time for
them to get on board a taxi. Also, passengers might not be able to tell their destination right
after getting on a taxi, this could increase the queuing time of other passengers. On the other
hand, police officers would also question any suspicious accompanying parties to ensure
personal safety of the drunk person and protection of his/her property, he hoped that Members
would understand that the flow at the said taxi stand would be slower than other taxi stands.
He pointed out that the Police would consider Members’ suggestion of setting up an additional
taxi stand at Queen’s Road Central, and stressed that there was a taxi stand providing night-time
cross-harbour service for the public and tourists at Queen’s Road Central near Pottinger Street,
but the utilisation rate of it was low. He said that regulatory and other administrative issues
must be resolved prior to the setting up of another cross-harbour taxi stand at Lan Kwai Fong
and support of the relevant departments and practitioners must be solicited. He reiterated that
the Police had always been concerned about the problem of selecting passengers by displaying a
red plate showing the words “out of service”, overcharging fares or refusing hire, and had sent
uniformed or plainclothes officers from time to time for law enforcement and “snaking”
operations. He said that special traffic arrangements would be made in evenings of Fridays,
Saturdays or major festivals, other commands for large-scale activity would be enforced on
major holidays for increasing the scope of people and traffic flow control measures. He said
that the Police would actively consider the proposal of erecting signs for “restricted use of horn”
in silent zones and would discuss the feasibility of such proposal with the TD and HyD.
18. Ms Bridget LEE, Officer in Charge Licensing (Central District) of the HKPF said that in
addition to the operation named MOCKPLAYER, police officers would also be deployed to
conduct “snaking” operations. Between April and October, the Police had successfully
prosecuted 13 taxi drivers who had refused hire and six taxi drivers who had selected passengers
by displaying a red plate showing the words “out of service”.
19. The Chairman announced that the Committee endorsed the following four proposals put
forward by the HKPF:
(a)
Provision of a taxi stand in Wellington Street near D’Aguilar Street with specified
operating hours at night from midnight to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
(b)
Extension of the specified operating hours of the pedestrian zone at Lan Kwai Fong
to 5 a.m. (i.e. from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays).
(c)
Closure of the passing bay at No. 60 Wyndham Street from midnight to 5 a.m. on
Fridays and Saturdays.
(d)
Additional provision of railings for a small section of the pavement in the south side
of Wellington Street near the junction at D’Aguilar Street.
20. Mr CHAN Hok-fung added that there was a report of a suspected case of indecent assault
happened on a taxi involving a drunk woman. He asked the Police about how to enhance
protection of drunk persons. He suggested that the Police should install video recording
equipment at taxi stands.
21. Mr KAM Nai-wai opposed the installation of video recording equipment at taxi stands as
he considered this as an invasion of personal privacy and it would undermine the reputation of
9
Hong Kong as an international city.
22. Mr LEUNG Yan-kit said that the Police was extremely concerned about the safety of drunk
persons, and that the Police would try its best to protect their personal safety and property
regardless of their gender or nationality. From January to October this year, there were 723
cases involving drunk persons. The Police called ambulances to send 189 drunk and
unconscious persons to the accident and emergency departments of hospitals, in which 15 drunk
persons were required to be accompanied by the Police as they were alone. Another 320 drunk
persons refused to be sent to the accident and emergency departments of hospitals by ambulance.
23. The Chairman concluded the discussion by asking the Police to implement the four
proposals listed in the paper and to inform the Committee as soon as possible if changes were
made. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 6: Strong request for additional provision of an overnight bus route travelling
from the Western District to north Hong Kong Island
(C&W TTC Paper No. 53/2012)
(3:38 p.m. – 3:48 p.m.)
24. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
follows:
Questions and views of Members were as
(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that there were no overnight bus services in the Western
District other than those special departures for festivals. It was a great inconvenience
to residents of the Western District who needed to return home or go out for work in
early hours. He believed that adding overnight bus services would reduce the
public’s demand for taxi and thus indirectly help improve traffic flows at Lan Kwai
Fong in the small hours. If an additional overnight route could not be added, he still
urged the TD to seriously consider extending the service scope of the route No. N8X to
cover the Western District.
(b) Mr WONG Kin-shing said that although the Sunbeam Theatre at North Point had
re-opened, residents of the Western District, especially the elderly, rarely went there to
enjoy Cantonese opera and other shows due to the lack of direct transport between
North Point and Western District at late hours. He said that many of the elderly did not
know how or were unwilling to have interchange when returning home at night, and
considered that the TD had indirectly deprived them of entertainment opportunities by
not providing them with direct transport. He asked the TD to extend service scope of
route No. 5B to North Point after the departure of the last bus of route No. 10.
(c) Mr Alex LEUNG believed that the extension of route No. N8X would be viable, but
passengers might not be willing to wait for a bus that came every 30 minutes. He
pointed out that bus route Nos. N619, N691 and N680 were overnight cross-harbour
routes which covered most regions of northern Hong Kong Island. Bus companies
could consider extending these routes to cover the Western District.
25. Ms Yvonne TSUI, Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western of the TD said that there was
smaller passenger demand for public transport in the small hours, so based on considerations of
resources and operations, franchised buses might not be able to directly provide point-to-point
public transport services during the small hours for each district and estate. At present, during
the late night period, the last buses of the CityBus No. 5B from Kennedy Town and Causeway
10
Bay were departed at 2 a.m. and 2:40 a.m. respectively, with average patronage of less than 20
passengers, which reflected a limited demand. As for the CityBus No. N8X, the total time
required for the journey was about 50 minutes and its average daily patronage was
approximately 800 passengers. If the route was extended to the Western District as proposed,
then the distance travelled would increase, thus resulting in an increase of travel time by about
10 minutes and as such frequency of the route would be affected as well. She also added that at
present, passengers could choose to take overnight minibuses running between Shau Kei
Wan/North Point and Kennedy Town during the small hours.
26. Mr LI Kin-lok, Assistant Corporate Communication Manager of the CityBus Limited &
New World First Bus Services Limited supplemented that the journey time would increase by
approximately 10 minutes if the route No. N8X was extended to the Western District as
proposed, which meant that the bus company would have to deploy additional buses to maintain
its current schedule or reduce frequency as a result of the additional journey time required.
However, as both options would affect the overall operational efficiency, the current operational
arrangements would remain unchanged. In regard to the service that was provided by CityBus
No. 5B between Kennedy Town and Causeway Bay, the last bus carried less than 20 passengers
on average, which reflected that the current night-time service between the Western District and
Central District was sufficient to meet passenger demand. However, the bus company would
continue to pay close attention to the bus services provided to the district and conduct further
review if necessary.
27. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 7: Request for solving the problem of inadequate parking place for private cars
in the Western District
(C&W TTC Paper No. 54/2012)
(3:48 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.)
28. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
follows:
Questions and views of Members were as
(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung reiterated that the monthly parking space tickets were sold at 7:30
a.m. on the 23rd day of each month. Members of the public began to queue up with
small plastic stools from 6:00 p.m. of the 22nd day, but the TD only inspected the
situation on the 23rd day, as such it was not able to find people queuing up outside the
car park. He said that the TD should consult users of the car park for their preferences
on the allocation of monthly parking spaces, i.e. whether on a first-come-first-served
basis or by ballot. If members of the public supported the continuation of the
first-come-first-served basis, then improvements on the queuing arrangements should be
made, so that the public could queue up inside the Kennedy Town Community Complex,
in order to stamp out the practice of queuing up with small plastic stools.
(b) Mr IP Kwok-him said that it was difficult for ticketing officers to keep the public in
order, and stressed that the possibility of verbal arguments and the use of force could not
be ruled out if someone did not behave himself and jumped the queue ahead of others.
He asked the Police to examine and assist in the abovementioned public order issue.
(c) Mr KAM Nai-wai said that the Kennedy Town Car Park only provided 45 hourly
parking spaces and believed that there were insufficient monthly and hourly parking
spaces in the Western District. He said that since 2007, the said car park had always
sold its tickets for monthly parking spaces on a first-come-first-served basis. He was
11
concerned that if the mechanism was replaced with a ballot, there would be no guarantee
that those who were willing to queue up would be able to get monthly parking spaces.
He agreed to opening up the lobby of the Kennedy Town Community Complex for
queuing, but had reservations about changing the existing mechanism.
(d) Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan requested the department to consult the stakeholders for their
views first. Even if the majority of the public accepted the sale of tickets on a
first-come-first-served basis, in order to prevent unfairness, the ticketing officers should
not admit the practice of queuing by small plastic stools.
(e) Mr WONG Kin-shing said that the item had been discussed by the previous District
Council (“DC”). At that time, it was requested that the lobby of the Kennedy Town
Community Complex should be opened up for members of the public to queue up
inside, however the relevant recommendation was ever realised. He said that at the last
TTC meeting in September, the TD had promised to conduct site visit with Members to
explore possible locations for additional parking spaces within the district, but the visit
had yet to be conducted.
(f) Ms Shirley WONG said that she had seen people of different ethnicities queuing up for
the purchase of monthly parking space tickets and the situation was worsening. She
hoped that the department would include a proposal to add more private vehicle parking
spaces in the Western District outline development plan. She believed that the public
might not wish to replace the current first-come-first-served basis with a ballot system.
(g) Mr Sidney LEE said that the crux of the problem was the severe shortage of parking
spaces in the Western District, and that he expected the TD to develop long-term plans to
ease the shortage. He suggested that the department could start by constructing
parking lots on vacant government sites and consider discussing with the Urban
Renewal Authority (“URA”) about setting aside some spaces for parking in the
redevelopment of industrial buildings.
29. In response to Mr WONG Kin-shing, the Chairman pointed out that the Secretariat had
already passed on Members’ comments about additional parking spaces to the TD for initial
screening. Site visits would be conducted later at viable locations considered by the TD.
30. Mr Fabian CHEUNG, Senior Transport Officer/Transport Facilities Management of the
TD said that the department had also deployed officers for site inspection at the night of the
22nd day of the previous month, but up till 11:30 p.m., no members of the public were seen
queuing up at the location or waiting overnight outside the car park. It was until around 6 a.m.
on the 23rd day, members of the public arrived gradually at the Kennedy Town Community
Complex to queue up. He said that it was not impossible to change the mechanism, but most of
the members of the public were accustomed to the purchase of ticket on a first-come-first-served
basis. Moreover, a ballot system offered equal chances to all participants, when compared with
the purchase by queuing up, members of the public would not be able to increase their chance of
getting a ticket by queuing up. He also pointed out that notices had already been posted at the
car park to advise those who had brought their stools for resting purpose to stay at their queuing
position and avoid leaving their position for too long while. He stressed that the department
would improve the queuing arrangement and would discuss with the Central and Western
District Office about the feasibility of opening up the Kennedy Town Community Complex to
allow the public to queue up inside.
31. Ms Shirley LEUNG, Engineer/Central & Western 3 of the TD said that the department
always concerned about the supply and demand of parking spaces in the Western District. To
12
the extent permitted by traffic management and traffic safety, the department would consider
adding parking spaces at locations proposed by Members and the public. In accordance with
the guidelines set out in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines issued by the
Planning Department (“PlanD”), the department would also request suitable private buildings to
provide greater number of private vehicle parking spaces. The TD also encouraged the public
to use public transport. The West Island Line (“WIL”) of the Mass Transit Railway
Corporation (“MTRC”) would be opened for use in 2014 so it was believed that the demand for
private vehicle parking spaces would be eased at that time.
32. Ms Cheryl CHOW, District Officer (Central & Western) expressed her understanding of
Members’ concern and shared the experience the District Office (“DO”) had in making
arrangements for the public to queue up inside the lift lobby of the Kennedy Town Community
Complex when holding large-scale events there. She said that the DO would fully support
measures for improving queuing arrangement proposed by the TD.
33. Mr LAU Wing-fu, Officer in Charge District Traffic Team (Western District) of the HKPF
said that no relevant complaint figure could be provided for the Committee’s reference at this
point of time, but agreed that the current arrangement might lead to law and order issues. The
Police expressed concern about the queuing up situation, and would remind police officers to
take note of the above situation and offer assistance when necessary.
34. Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that the TD might encourage the public to take public
transport, but it must still address the issue of insufficient private vehicle parking spaces.
Moreover, the TD needed to discuss lease terms with the PlanD to resolve the issue of limited
parking spaces offered by buildings for public use. He stressed that the TD must consult the
public about ticket sales mechanism and address the issue of queuing up by small plastic stools
as soon as possible to curb speculation. Finally, he urged the department to consider leasing
out parking spaces on quarterly basis so that the public would have to queue up less frequently.
35. Mr IP Kwok-him asked the department to open up the Kennedy Town Community
Complex so that the public could queue up indoor, and requested the Police to help prevent
members of the public from engaging in speculative sales of monthly parking tickets. He
questioned the accuracy of the written reply by the TD and pointed out that there must have been
more than 20 private vehicles involving in illegal parking at night in the Western District.
36. Mr Joseph CHAN said that his request to add parking spaces at Tregunter Path was made
before the beginning of the year and all the relevant inspection and consultation had been
completed. He hoped that the department would not delay the original progress because of the
inspection work this time.
37. Miss LO Yee-hang said that the MTRC WIL would be put into service in 2014 and it was
expected to ease the traffic loading of the district, but there were still two years ahead, so she
hoped that the TD would seriously resolve the current shortage of parking spaces, rather than
simply encouraged the public to take public transport. She did not rule out the possibility that
some members of the public sought to make profits by engaging in ticket-scalping activities, and
believed that the department should conduct an overall review on the existing ticket sales
arrangement.
38. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that the problem stemmed from the severe shortage of parking
spaces in the Western District, and he pointed out that there were more than 20 private vehicles
parked illegally at night in the Western District by just counting cases identified on Forbes
Street. He considered that the number of parking spaces in the Western District was unable to
support the pace of development of the district. He remarked that instead of studying the
13
feasibility of locations suggested by DC Members, the TD should actively identify suitable
locations for additional parking spaces. He believed that the Committee should write to the
Transport and Housing Bureau to express Members’ great concern about the problem.
39. The Chairman asked the TD to consult the public about their views on the existing ticketing
mechanism as soon as possible. She asked the Secretariat to write to the Secretary for
Transport and Housing in the name of the Committee to request the TD to provide a blueprint for
adding private vehicle parking spaces in the Western District and their recommendations on
improving the existing ticket sales arrangement.
40. Mr Fabian CHEUNG said that the TD hoped to allocate the limited parking spaces to
members of the public who are in need of those spaces. If consensus about the ticket sales
arrangement could be reached by the public, the department would fully respect and make every
effort to support. He said that although no details of the improvement plan could be provided
at this stage, he undertook that the department would contact the relevant departments to discuss
improvement plans.
41. Ms Cheryl CHOW asked the TD to refer to ticket sales arrangements of similar car parks
and submit a plan for improvement to Members at the next TTC meeting.
42. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
discussion on the following agenda items.
The Vice Chairman chaired the
Item 8:
Request for solving the problem of vehicle-pedestrian conflict on the driveway at
the bus stop in Queen Street
(C&W TTC Paper No. 55/2012)
(4:25 p.m. – 4:49 p.m.)
43. The Vice Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
were as follows:
Questions and views of Members
(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that a giant planter was currently positioned between
Western Fire Services Street and a bus stop in Queen Street (Connaught Road West), so
members of the public could not go directly to the bus stop from Western Fire Services
Street. Although a pedestrian crossing was set up outside No. 62 Connaught Road
West to provide members of the public with access to the bus stop, the route was very
circuitous, so that many people would bypass the planter and walk directly on the
driveway at Connaught Road West for going to the bus stop as it was more convenient,
thus resulted in frequent vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. He hoped that the TD would
consider removing part of the planter and provide additional crossing facilities to make
it more convenient for the public to go to the bus stop concerned.
(b) Mr YIP Wing-shing said that many members of the public would go to the said bus stop
between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to take the bus home. In addition to walking directly on the
driveway as it was convenient, many members of the public were also forced to queue
up on the driveway while waiting for buses because there was insufficient space at the
bus stop. He urged the department to improve the design as soon as possible to prevent
accidents from occurring.
(c) Mr Jackie CHEUNG said that he had seen people stepping on the planter to evade buses
that approached at high speed and walking along the edge of the planter to reach the bus
14
stop. He agreed with the views of Mr CHAN Hok-fung, pointing out that the TD could
remove part of the planter to make some room for the construction of a pavement, so
that the public could go to the bus stop directly.
(d) Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that traffic conditions at the stop were unsatisfactory when
several buses arrived at the stop simultaneously. He recommended the TD to separate
the bus stop into several stops at different locations, or consider relocating the whole bus
stop to another location with adequate space.
(e) Mr IP Kwok-him said that traffic was extremely congested at the said location during
peak hours. In order not to be stuck on the road, motorists needed to take the right lane
in advance. In addition, he pointed out that many people waiting there carried large
pieces of luggage, which resulted in very limited waiting area at the stop. He urged the
TD to expand the waiting area and construct a pavement across the planter to provide
the public with direct access to the bus stop.
(f) Mr Sidney LEE said that it was not very feasible to shift the bus stop forward or
backward. He believed that the current problem was that the planter had blocked the
way when pedestrians crossed the road and the design of the current road crossing
facility was not safe. To reduce the risk of accidents, he recommended dividing the
crossing facility into two sections, relocating them to locations closer to the bus stop and
removing part of the planter to provide the public with direct access to the bus stop.
44. Mr Stephen LEE, Engineer/Special Duties of the TD agreed with the views of Members
and pointed out that initially the said bus stop served only a few routes via Western Harbour
Crossing, but it was now a pick-up and drop-off point of 15 bus routes due to its increasing
popularity among the public, and more than 2 000 people used the stop every day. He admitted
that the access to the existing crossing facilities was quite circuitous, but since bridge piers and
many underground facilities were built at the said location, the HyD indicated that the proposal
of building additional crossing facilities there was technically infeasible. On the other hand,
the TD had already issued the HyD with a works order to alter the planter adjacent to the bus
stop into part of a pavement and the waiting area of the bus stop would consequently expand by
40% or so. The relevant improvement works was expected to be completed by February 2013.
He had reservations about the technical feasibility of expanding the pick-up and drop-off area of
the stop, and pointed out that any westward expansion of the bus stop would bring it too close to
bridge piers, while any eastward expansion would bring it too close to the intersection. Due to
the environmental constraints of the bus stop, the TD and bus companies had reached a
consensus to cease further adding bus routes to the stop for pick-up and drop-off. The TD
would also actively examine other feasible improvement options.
45. Mr LAU Wing-fu, Officer in Charge District Traffic Team (Western District) of the HKPF
said that frontline police officers were already aware of the situation and would follow the
customary enforcement principles. The Police would first inform and educate the public, but
in the event of serious breaches, it would not rule out the possibility of law enforcement by
ticketing.
46. The Vice Chairman invited second-round discussion on the paper.
Members were as follows:
Questions and views of
(a) The Chairman recommended that the TD should set up a bus lane at the location.
(b) Mr CHAN Hok-fung recommended that the TD should provide additional crossing
15
facilities beneath the viaduct for public use.
(c) Mr KAM Nai-wai said that he had conducted site inspection with the TD earlier. He
recommended the TD to dismantle the planter adjacent to the bus stop, and agreed with
the adding of direct crossing facilities for public use.
(d) Mr IP Kwok-him considered that there was no direct relationship between the
underground facilities and the dismantlement of the planter, the department was
required to minimise the area of the planter in order to have more space at the bus stop.
(e) Mr Alex LEUNG said that the design of the bus stop was not suitable to service
multiple bus routes. He recommended relocating the whole bus stop to Connaught
Road West, which would provide the bus stop with sufficient space and allow more
residents of Eastern Street and Centre Street to be served. However, the arrangements
of junctions and traffic lights outside the Western Harbour Crossing would need to be
adjusted accordingly.
47. Mr Stephen LEE responded that at present there were only two lanes at Connaught Road
West, therefore the assigning of a bus lane would impose considerable impact on traffic in the
district. He said that as shown by the figure annexed to the paper, there was no underground
facility beneath the yellow planter, so the department had chosen to first remove the relevant
planter. However, as underground chambers and other important underground facilities were
built beneath other planters, therefore they could not be removed in the near future. He said
that taking into account the safety of vehicles turning at Queen Street and the structure of bridge
piers, it might not be possible to add additional crossing facilities at the location proposed by
Members.
48. Mr KAM Nai-wai reiterated his request to remove the planters near the bus stop regardless
of how long it would take. He requested the TD to build additional crossing facilities at the
location and asked the department to study on its own the relevant design and arrangements, and
then report to Members a feasible improvement plan.
49. Mr Jackie CHEUNG remarked that he could not accept the reply of the TD as he
considered the expansion of the bus stop would not have much effect. He reiterated that other
than expanding the bus stop, the TD must also design crossing facilities which would give the
public direct and safe access to the said bus stop.
50. Mr Stephen LEE said that the relevant underground facilities were built beneath the
planters, so even if the planters were removed, the entrance to the relevant chamber would still
be exposed to the ground surface and obstruct pedestrians. He said that the TD had conducted
site inspection with Members in December last year, and had later conducted a ground
investigation with the HyD and carried out two consultation sessions through the DO to gather
views in this regard. The department considered that it was quite difficult to provide additional
pedestrian crossing facilities there, but would further examine other feasible solutions.
51. Mr Jackie CHEUNG recommended the Secretariat to arrange site inspection. He said that
if the planters could not be removed, the TD could construct stairs for members of the public to
walk onto the planters for accessing the bus stop.
52. The Vice Chairman said that the Chairman would decide whether site inspection would be
arranged after the meeting. He then thanked guests for attending the meeting.
16
Item 9:
Request for constructing an escalator connecting Academic Terrace and
Pokfield Road
(C&W TTC Paper No. 56/2012)
(4:49 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.)
53. The Vice Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
were as follows:
Questions and views of Members
(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that the MTRC was currently constructing a lift at Rock Hill
Street near Kennedy Town station to connect the street with Sands Street where an
escalator was built as well. Only the section from the entrance of Ching Lin Terrace
to Pok Fu Lam Road had yet to be connected for the south-north direction within the
district. He believed that the relevant construction would offer convenience to
teachers and students of the HKU and residents in the area around Pok Fu Lam Road.
(b) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that due to geographical location and space restrictions, the
Redmond Building stop was not suitable to serve as a transport interchange. He
considered that the Pokfield Road was wider and passed by many buses, so the
installation of additional escalators to connect the location with the MTR station could
offer convenience to more passengers. The written reply submitted by the MTRC
mentioned that the current design plan for the lifts and escalators at Sands Street was
based on a consensus reached after extensive consultation. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai
stressed that during the consultation period, he and other DC Members had strongly
voiced their request for the MTRC to build escalators that led to Pok Fu Lam Road, but
the MTRC ignored their views and now said that the plan was based on a consensus
reached after extensive consultation. It was such an exaggerated claim by rhetoric.
54. Ms Shirley LEUNG, Engineer/Central & Western 3 of the TD said that an escalator that
connected Sands Street with Pokfield Road would directly collide with the bridge over private
roads of Academic Terrace and the private buildings of Pokfield Road. Due to the local
environmental constraints, the proposal was technically infeasible.
55. Mr CHAN Hok-fung stressed that private property rights might not lead to technical
problems as he considered that the TD could discuss the issue with property owners.
56. Ms Shirley LEUNG pointed out that there was insufficient space at the site, so the escalator
proposed by Members would inevitably ram into private buildings, which made the proposal
technically infeasible.
57. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai considered that instead of objecting the views of Members directly,
the TD could actively explore other feasible methods.
58. The Vice Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 10: Strong request for additional provision of pedestrian crossing facility on Queen’s
Road West off the Western Magistracy
(C&W TTC Paper No. 57/2012)
(4:55 p.m. – 4:58 p.m.)
59. The Vice Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
Questions and views of Members
17
were as follows:
(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung welcomed the positive reply of the TD, and believed that adding
pedestrian crossings between the pavement off the Western Magistracy and the refuge
island on Queen’s Road West would be convenient to members of the public for
crossing the road.
60. Ms Shirley LEUNG, Engineer/Central & Western 3 of the TD said that after an initial
investigation, the TD considered that the proposal was feasible and no objection were received
during the consultation process, therefore a works order would be issued to the HyD in due
course for implementation of the relevant improvement works.
61. Mr Sidney LEE said that as many works had not been commenced even after the issuance
of works order, so he asked the department when the relevant works would be commenced and
completed. He said that several works for crossing facilities were about to begin at Queen’s
Road West, so he asked the department whether the relevant works would be carried out at the
same time as the above works.
62. Ms Shirley LEUNG said that the TD had only received the results of consultation two days
ago, therefore the works order would be issued in two to three days at the earliest. The
department needed to discuss with the HyD regarding the actual commencement and completion
dates.
63. Mr WONG Chun-hung, Senior District Engineer/HNW of the HyD reported that the
department would submit relevant information for Members’ reference after the meeting.
64. The Vice Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 11: Research on complementary facilities for transportation in the Peak
(C&W TTC Paper No. 58/2012)
(4:58 p.m. – 5:07 p.m.)
65. Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that according to the written reply of the TD, the current traffic
volume at the Peak was about 60% of the design capacity, he questioned whether the figure was
lower than the actual figure. He asked the TD to investigate the establishment of a stop in the
Southern District to form a circumferential traffic route connecting with the western area of the
Peak. He stressed that traffic was congested at the Peak on holidays, and hoped that the TD
would develop short-term contingency plan to address the problem. In addition, the licence of
Peak Tramways Company Limited (“PTCL”) would expire next year, so he believed that the
Committee should request the PTCL to improve its services, increase frequency or passenger
capacity of trams in order to shorten the waiting time of tourists. As the PTCL did not send
representatives to attend the meeting, he asked the Secretariat to convey details discussed at the
meeting to the PTCL for follow-up.
66. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that there was still more than one year before the expiry of the
licence of the PTCL, the company should use the remaining term to develop medium-term
improvement options rather than using this as an excuse to delay any improvement plan.
67. Mr WAI Hon-kwok, Principal Technology Officer (Traffic)/Southern & Peak of the TD
said that the TD prepared a traffic survey report for the Peak Road every year. For example, in
2011, the volume of to and from traffic per hour was around 830 vehicles in the morning and
820 vehicles in the afternoon, which accounted for only 60% of the design capacity of 1 400
vehicles. In regard to the proposal of adding stops or other methods of transportation in the
18
Southern District, it would be necessary to consult the relevant government departments for
their views and the feasibility of such proposal as it would involve areas such as the Pok Fu Lam
Country Park.
68. Mr CHAN Choi-hi asked the department to submit after the meeting the exact schedule of
the relevant study for Members’ reference.
69. Mr Alex LEUNG said that the TD had erected signs at Magazine Gap Road near the
entrance of May Road to prohibit vehicles with weight more than three tonnes from entry, but
there was no restriction on the length of vehicles. He said that some new coaches had
rabbit-ear-shaped rear-view mirrors which posed some danger to oncoming double-decked
buses. He hoped that the TD would consider banning coaches with such rabbit-ear-shaped
rear-view mirrors from travelling in the Peak area.
70. Ms Yvonne TSUI, Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western of the TD said that the TD
would take note of whether the current length of vehicles affected the traffic safety of the Peak
area. She added that if demand for coach services remained constant, limiting the length of
coaches might mean that more coaches would be required to transport tourists, which could then
increase the traffic load of the Peak area.
71. The Vice Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
discussion on the following agenda items.
The Chairman chaired the
Item 12: Review of the fare revision mechanism of the Mass Transit Railway
Corporation
(C&W TTC Paper No. 59/2012)
(5:07 p.m. – 5:23 p.m.)
72. The Chairman said that the deadline for the relevant consultation document had been
extended from 31 October to 18 November of this year. Since the consultation deadline had
not been extended when the paper was submitted by Members, therefore prior to the discussion
of the paper, the Secretariat had already consulted Members for their views by circulation and
relayed their views to the TD for follow-up. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
Questions and views of Members were as follows:
(a) The Vice Chairman pointed out that the public was unable to comprehend the fare
revision mechanism of the MTRC. It was considered that the fare could only increase
and the increment was unacceptable and unaffordable. On the other hand, there was a
series of MTRC incidents with varying degrees of seriousness which had in turn caused
inconvenience to the public. In view of no obvious enhancement in MTRC’s service
quality, it was reasonable for the public to request the factorisation of frequency and
severity of incidents into the fare revision formula. He disagreed with the
department’s reply which claimed that the Composite Consumer Price Index had
already reflected the affordability of the public to some extent, as the index did not
reflect the pay levels of the public. He hoped that the government department
concerned would give serious consideration to the proposal put forth in the paper and
conduct comprehensive review on the fare revision mechanism of the MTRC.
(b) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai agreed to include pay levels of the public, price levels and
MTRC’s profit level into the existing direct-drive fare revision formula. He said that
the MTRC made huge profits every year and yet the fare still increased year after year,
imposing heavy financial burden on the public, therefore the fare revision mechanism
must be reviewed. Moreover, he urged the MTRC to consider providing full-time
19
students over the age of 25 with concessionary fare as he believed that full-time
students deserved financial support. He said that the current Octopus promotions
provided little incentive, so he recommended that the MTRC should refer to the
practices of overseas cities and offer promotions such as the issuance of one-day pass to
attract the public and tourists to take public transport.
(c) Mr WONG Kin-shing said that the MTRC introduced a variety of small advantages and
favours every time after fare increase and most of them were short-term promotions.
He believed that with such a huge surplus, the MTRC should not just follow with the
mechanism to increase the fare without good cause, or else the future fare of the WIL
would be difficult for the public to afford. He said that although the Government
encouraged the public to take public transport on outings, there was a lack of flexibility
in bus routing and frequent happening of railway incidents, so there was a need to take
advantage of this review to link up the affordability of the public and the incident index
of the MTRC with the fare. He also urged the MTRC to launch long-term, lasting
promotions to benefit the public.
(d) Ms Shirley WONG said that the fare formula of the MTRC was complicated and
incomprehensible to members of the public with general knowledge. Moreover, the
factors of the current fare revision mechanism were not comprehensive enough, which
had indirectly led to the one-way increase of the fare, therefore she believed that the
current mechanism was unfair to the public. She stressed that the Government
currently owned about 77% shares of the MTRC, so it was definitely capable of
reviewing the existing mechanism.
(e) Mr Alex LEUNG recommended linking the service pledge with the fare so that the
MTRC would be liable to appropriate punishment when incidents occurred.
73. Ms Stella LEE, Chief Transport Officer/Bus & Railway/Special Duties of the TD said that
the current fare revision mechanism of the MTRC was put into operation since 2007 when the
two railway companies merged. It was an objective and transparent fare revision mechanism
based on formulas. She said that the Government had received many views in recent years,
believing that other factors should be considered during annual review of MTRC’s fare revision,
this included the profit level and service quality of the MTRC, as well as the affordability of the
public just mentioned by Members. The Government understood these views. She reiterated
that upon implementation of the existing fare revision mechanism, it was stipulated that a review
would be conducted in the fifth year following the merger. At this stage, the Government was
consulting the public about the said review. Based on views received in the past and during the
consultation, the Government was currently examining whether the relevant new factors should
be included in the fare revision mechanism and the ways to do so.
74. Ms YEUNG Lee-wah, Public Relations Officer-External Affairs of the MTRC said that the
consultation work for the MTRC’s fare revision mechanism was still underway, and reiterated
that the current fare revision mechanism was objective, transparent and based on a direct-drive
formula, the MTRC would conduct review jointly with the Government. She pointed out that
when planning the fare promotion schemes this year, the MTRC had already listened carefully to
the views of various sectors about fares and promotion schemes. In mid-2012, the MTRC
announced the launch of a number of promotional schemes to benefit passengers with different
modes of travelling. She said that the MTRC would provide passengers with different
promotions from time to time according to the market situation, and reviewed those promotions
when necessary so as to cope with market changes.
75. Mr Sidney LEE believed that most users of public transport were grass-roots citizens, so
that it was inappropriate to apply the Composite Consumer Price Index as calculation factor in
20
the current fare revision formula.
calculation factor.
He recommended adopting Consumer Price Index (A) as
76. The Chairman concluded that after the meeting the Secretariat would submit the minutes to
the TD for follow-up. The Committee endorsed the following recommendations:
(a) Currently, any increase in bus fares should be decided by the Chief Executive in
Council. In regard to the fare revision mechanism that was currently under review,
any increment of fares of Hong Kong rail services should not be determined by the
operating company itself. It must be decided by the Chief Executive in Council, in
order to put it on par with the practice for increment in bus fares, so that the MTRC
would not be given any preferential treatment over bus operators.
(b) According to the existing fare revision mechanism, railway fares had increased by
5.4% this year, which was higher than the percentage of pay rise of the general public.
It was recommended that the increment in fares should be linked with the increment in
pay levels so that the former would not exceed the latter.
(c) Though making profits of over $10 billion, the MTRC still raised its fares to further
increase the public’s already heavy burden. It was recommended to set a reasonable
profit level, so that the MTRC would not be able to increase the fare when its profits
had reached a reasonable threshold.
(d) The MTRC offered a transport tool which was required by the public every day, so the
Authority must examine how to factor the acceptability and affordability of the public,
the number of MTRC incidents, profits levels and other important factors into the fare
revision formula, so that the fare of the MTRC could fully reflect the actual living
conditions of the public and the service quality of the MTRC.
77. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 13: Request for cleaning of Garden Road by water jetting unit during non-peak
hours only
(C&W TTC Paper No. 60/2012)
(5:23 p.m. – 5:27 p.m.)
78. Mr Joseph CHAN said that uphill traffic at Garden Road was extremely busy between 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. He said that many members of the public had complained that water jetting
units of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) often cleaned the road of
the said location between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., which caused traffic congestion as vehicles on the
road had to slower down. Some motorists even violated traffic rules to overtake those water
jetting units. Moreover, the road surface became wet and slippery after the cleaning activities,
therefore it would be easy for vehicles driving slowly or stopping at the ramp of Garden Road to
aquaplane when starting up their engines, and the situation would be hazardous. He supported
constant cleaning of roads to keep the environment and roads clean, but wanted to remind the
department that it must pay attention to road safety and reduce the impact of road cleaning on
the public.
79. Mr HUNG Wai-keung, Senior Health Inspector (Cleansing/Pest Control) of the FEHD said
that the FEHD currently cleaned the road surface and pavement of Garden Road once every two
weeks. After hearing the recommendation, the FEHD immediately sent staff to conduct site
inspections and revised the cleaning time for the abovementioned road. Arrangements were
made for the contractor to clean Garden Road between 9:10 and 10:00 p.m. The FEHD staff
21
inspected Garden Road in the evening of 7 November, it was found that the revised street
cleaning service functioned well and did not impede the traffic flow of the area.
80. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 14: A public transport service scheme solving the transportation problems arising
out of the new senior secondary academic structure in the new school term
(C&W TTC Paper No. 61/2012)
(5:27 p.m. – 5:57 p.m.)
81. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai supplemented that Members had only inspected the situation at
Argyle Centre, so it could not fully reflect the traffic needs of the Kowloon District. He
recommended the Secretariat to arrange after the meeting a site visit at Man Ming Lane.
82. Mr Patrick TANG, Director of Campus Life, Centre of Development and Resources for
Students of the HKU pointed out that the number of HKU students had increased by about 33%
under the new senior secondary academic structure. He admitted that there was insufficient
hostel space at the HKU. There were approximately 3 000 students living in Kowloon West
and Northwest New Territories, but only a small portion could be assigned with hostel
accommodation and the rest of them relied on public transport to go to the HKU. Many
students who had to commute to school through Kowloon West reflected that they spent more
than 20 minutes every day waiting for the bus, and that the travelling route was circuitous. The
traffic situation on Hong Kong Island was not ideal as well, so the university hoped that the TD
could optimise transport facilities and make proper adjustment to bus routes.
83. Mr Ernest CHEUNG, Vice-President (Internal) of The Hong Kong University Students’
Union said that route No. 971 under New World First Bus Services Limited (“NWFB”) did not
travel to HKU, so students from New Territories and Kowloon could only take bus route Nos.
970 or 970X to campus, however, buses were almost full when arriving at the Jordan station,
therefore students waiting at the entrance of Western Harbour Crossing often had to wait several
buses before they could get on. He stressed that the bus ride took up to 35 to 40 minutes.
Counting in the waiting time, students living in areas of New Territories, such as Ma On Shan,
were required to spend four hours every day on commuting. Therefore many students
preferred to take minibus to school, but even so they might have to wait 20 to 40 minutes to get
on a minibus during peak hours.
84. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper.
follows:
Questions and views of Members were as
(a) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai recommended adding bus route Nos. 23 and 40 during peak hours
to help carry passengers going to the HKU in the morning. On the other hand, route
No. 37A was not preferred by passengers as it passed through Eastern Street where the
traffic was relatively congested, so the TD should review the service of such bus route.
He said that the data from the site visit at Argyle Centre failed to reflect the real
situation at Man Ming Lane and other locations and considered that the TD had to
ensure the operation of two empty buses that now set off from Argyle Centre and Man
Ming Lane. In regard to the non-franchised bus service at Central, complaints asking
for relocation of the pick-up and drop-off points were received. He stressed that if
the existing pick-up and drop-off points were relocated, it could be possible that the
relevant service would be cancelled. By then, 150 passengers would have to take
minibus route Nos. 54 or 55 instead, thus resulting in extra load to the relevant routes.
He hoped to retain the existing non-franchised bus service until the commissioning of
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MTRC WIL in 2014.
(b) Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that six months ago, Members had already predicted the surge
in traffic demand under the new academic structure, and yet the TD failed to prepare
any contingency plan, thus leading to the current unsatisfactory situation. He
recommended allocating some buses for route No. 37A to route Nos. 23 or 40, and
carrying out the second round of deployment according to the class schedule of HKU
by increasing the frequency of bus routes that were well-received by passengers.
(c) Mr Alex LEUNG said that bus route No. 37A set off from Southern District and became
empty after dropping off passengers at Admiralty, so it was a waste of resources. He
asked the bus company and the TD to consider allowing some of the buses for route No.
37A to take different routes during peak hours to avoid congestion at Eastern Street.
He believed that the Secretariat could consider arranging another site visit at bus stops
located at the entrance of Western Harbour Crossing.
85. The Chairman said that HKU students could take route No. 40M to the HKU. Moreover,
traffic was fairly smooth at Eastern Street during 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the morning. She
suggested that the HKU could include information about route Nos. 40M and 37A in its traffic
information for students so they would not mistakenly believe that only route No. 23 travelled to
the HKU.
86. Ms Yvonne TSUI, Senior Transport Officer/Central & Western of the TD said that as to the
cross-harbour bus route No. 970, since mid-September 2012, the bus company had arranged for
two special trips to set off from Argyle Centre at Nathan Road and Man Ming Lane for
Cyberport during morning peak hours. Moreover, in order to learn about peak period service
of bus route Nos. 23, 40 and 37A, the TD conducted survey at the bus station outside Pacific
Place, Admiralty on 29 October. It was found that from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., passengers
waiting there could get on the first bus that arrived at the station. After passengers got on
board, the average occupancy rates of these three bus routes were around 85%, 80% and 30%
respectively, which reflected that the current service level was mostly capable of meeting
passenger demand. However, the department would continue to pay close attention to the
service needs of the routes concerned, and would examine making proper adjustments in
collaboration with the bus company when required. In regard to the medium-term public
transport service options, the department was actively discussing the service arrangement of
route No. 23A under NWFB with the Eastern District Council with a view to allocate resources
to routes facing greater demand, such as the cross-harbour route No. 970 and route No. 23 under
NWFB, in a way which would cause minimal inconvenience to the existing passengers. In
regard to the long-term public transport service options, the MTRC WIL was expected to be put
into operation in 2014, and it was believed that the operation of the line by that time would
provide the HKU area with more perfect and convenient public transport services.
87. The Chairman hoped that the TD would keep route No. 23A in service for the convenience
of residents around Seymour Road, Mid-levels. She asked whether the drop-off and pick-up
point of the HKU non-franchised bus service, which was located in Central, needed to be
relocated.
88. Ms Yvonne TSUI remarked that at present, the pick-up point of the HKU non-franchised
employee bus service between 8:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. was located within the pick-up/drop-off
restricted zone outside Wing On House at Connaught Road Central. During the initial
operating period of the service, the TD had received complaints claiming that there was
obstruction to other road users as buses stopped there for waiting and passengers queued up
chaotically. Therefore the TD had earlier conducted site inspection with representatives from
the university and the non-franchised bus contractor, and had requested the university to remind
23
passengers to keep close to the kerb as much as possible while queuing up and ensure that the
non-franchised buses would not park there for waiting. At this stage, the TD would continue to
monitor the operation of the employee bus service and queuing condition of passengers.
89. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai responded that the university had made online announcement to
instruct passengers on how to queue up, so as to minimise impact on other road users. On the
other hand, he pointed out that the traffic at Central was heavily congested, making
non-franchised buses which set off 15 minutes apart from each other to arrive at the stop
simultaneously. However, he said that the non-franchised bus contractor had already informed
relevant staff about the problem, therefore only one non-franchised bus would be parked at the
pick-up/drop-off point at any time. He hoped to keep the service in operation until the opening
of the MTRC WIL in 2014.
90. The Chairman agreed to arrange after the meeting another site visit to inspect the stops of
NWFB’s
route Nos. 970 and 970X located at Man Ming Lane and the entrance of the
Western Harbour Crossing. The Chairman thanked guests for attending the meeting.
Item 15: Action checklists on matters arising from the last meeting
(C&W TTC Paper No. 62/2012)
(5:57 p.m. – 5:58 p.m.)
91. The Committee noted the paper.
Item 16: Any other business
(5:58 p.m.)
92. There was no other business.
Item 17: Date of the next meeting
(5:58 p.m.)
93. The Chairman announced that the next TTC meeting would be held on 31 January 2013.
Paper submission deadline for government departments would be 10 January 2013. Paper
submission deadline for Members would be 16 January 2013.
94. The meeting was adjourned at 5:58 p.m.
The minutes was passed on 31 January 2013
Chairman: Ms CHENG Lai-king
Secretary: Ms CHUNG Yeuk-hung
Secretariat of the Central and Western District Council
January 2013
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