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Minutes of the 6th Meeting ofTraffic and Transport Committee (2016-17)

Central and Western District Council

Date : 10 November 2016 (Thursday)

Time : 2:30 pm

Venue : Conference Room14/F, Harbour Building38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Present: ChairmanMr CHAN Choi-hi, MH*

Vice ChairmanMr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph (4:52 pm – end of the meeting)

MembersMr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP (2:44 pm – 4:58 pm)Mr CHAN Hok-fung, MH*Ms CHENG Lai-king*Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, JP (4:08 pm – end of the meeting)Mr HUI Chi-fung (2:55 pm – 4:18 pm)Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH*Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney, MH (2:30 pm – 4:31 pm)Miss LO Yee-hang (2:33 pm – 4:58 pm)Mr NG Siu-hong*Ms SIU Ka-yi (2:32 pm – end of the meeting)Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing*Mr YEUNG Hok-ming*Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP (2:30 pm – 4:52 pm)

Co-opted MembersMr LEUNG King-yue, Alex*Mr YIP Kam-lung, Sam (2:34 pm – end of the meeting)Miss NG Hoi-yan, Bonnie*

Remarks: * Members that attended the whole meeting ( ) The time of attendance of the Member

GuestsItem 5Mr CHOW Chun-pong Senior Engineer 3/Central Wanchai Bypass,

Highways DepartmentMr WONG Chun-kin Senior Engineer 1/Central Wanchai Bypass,

Highways DepartmentMr YU Hing-wai Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company

Limited

Item 6Mr Kenrick KO Projects Communications Manager,

MTR Corporation Limited

Item 7Ms TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr Kenrick KO Projects Communications Manager,

MTR Corporation LimitedMr Ben LUI Senior Manager – Station Maintenance,

MTR Corporation LimitedMr WONG Lap-chi Senior Engineer/Railways 1,

Electrical and Mechanical Services DepartmentMr Y. M. LAM Senior Customer Installation Engineer,

Transmission & Distribution Division, The Hongkong Electric Company Limited

Mr Terry YIU Assistant Public Affairs Manager (Stakeholder Engagement), The Hongkong Electric Company Limited

Item 8Mr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport Department

Item 9Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West, Highways DepartmentMr YIP Wang-yu Engineer/Central and Western 3,


Mr KWONG Sze-yeung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 10Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West, Highways DepartmentMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMr YIP Wang-yu Engineer/Central and Western 3,

Transport DepartmentMr KWONG Sze-yeung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 11Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong Principal Operations Officer (Lai Chi Kok Depot),

Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) LimitedMr Kevin LI Public Affairs Manager, Citybus Limited/New

World First Bus Services Limited

Item 12Ms NG May-mey District Operations Officer (Western District),

Hong Kong Police ForceMr KWONG Sze-yeung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Western District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,


Item 13Ms TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


Item 14Mr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,


Item 15Mr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr TSANG Kwok-wing Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern &

Peak, Transport Department

In Attendance:Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze, Susanne, JP District Officer (Central and Western)Miss LAM Bing-bing, Erica Assistant District Officer (Central and Western)Ms YEUNG Wing-Shan, Grace Senior Executive Officer (District Council),

Central and Western District OfficeMiss YU Yan-yan, Rosanna Senior Executive Officer (District Management),

Central and Western District OfficeMs TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMr YIP Wang-yu Engineer/Central and Western 3,

Transport DepartmentMr TSANG Kwok-wing Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern &

Peak, Transport DepartmentMs LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West, Highways DepartmentMr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMs NG May-mey District Operations Officer (Western District),

Hong Kong Police ForceMr KWONG Sze-yeung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force

SecretaryMiss HUANG Hsiao-ching, Yuki Executive Officer (District Council) 2,

Central and Western District Office

Absent with Apologies:Mr NG Wing-yan, MHMr SIO Chan-in, DevinMs LOU Ching-yee, Esther Engineer/Central and Western 1,

Transport DepartmentMs LEE Lai-ming District Operations Officer (Central District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed all Members and representatives from government departments to the sixth meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2016-2017).

Item 1 : Adoption of the A genda

2. The Committee adopted the agenda for the meeting.

Item 2: Confirmation of the Minutes of the Fifth TTC Meeting on 8 September 2016

3. The Committee confirmed the minutes of the fifth meeting.

Item 3: Action Checklists on Matters Arising from the Last Meeting(C&W TTC Paper No. 87 /201 6 ) (2:31 pm)

4. The Committee noted the paper.

Item 4 : Chairman’s R eport

5. The Chairman said that for the minor traffic improvement projects and their schedules (as of mid-October this year), the Secretariat had distributed the report to Members for perusal be-fore the meeting and had not received any comments from Members.

6. The Chairman indicated that the Bus Route Planning Programme for the Central and Western (C&W) District had been discussed at a previous meeting and the Secretariat had con-solidated the responses of the bus companies and Members’ comments, which had been dis-tributed to Members for perusal.

Item 5: Standing Item (i) - Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corri-dor Link – Report on the Progress of the Central Interchange Project

(C&W TTC Paper No. 76/2016)(2:31 pm - 2:38 pm)

7. Mr CHOW Chun-pong , Senior Engineer 3/Central Wanchai Bypass of the High-ways Department (HyD), reported on the progress of the Central Interchange project in the past six months, including the construction of at-grade roads connecting to the west tunnel portal and provision of sign gantries. To minimise the impact on traffic, sign gantries modification works were currently carried out at night time on Connaught Road Flyover. He said that the construction works were reaching the final stage; and the HyD

would continue to implement the remaining part of the project in the coming six months, which was expected to be completed at end 2016 or early 2017. He pointed out that a number of sites of the Central Interchange project had been transferred to the last works contract, i.e. the “Tunnel Commissioning Contract”. The relevant works were in progress.

8. Members’ questions were summarised as follows:

a. Ms CHENG Lai-kin g asked whether the commissioning date of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) would still be autumn 2017 and whether some road sections could be commissioned first.

9. Mr WONG Chun-kin , Senior Engineer 1/Central Wanchai Bypass of the HyD, said that as a large metal object was found within the Wan Chai Development Phase II works site earlier, it was expected that the Civil Engineering and Development Department could only complete the section concerned of the CWB tunnel in mid-2017 for handing over to the HyD for carrying out the remaining part of the project. Hence, the CWB could not be commissioned in 2017 as originally scheduled. The works of the CWB were currently in full swing. As the CWB project was huge and complicated, it had en-countered various challenges apart from the metal object, including the complicated re-construction and improvement works for the existing bridge structures of the Island Eastern Corridor while maintaining the operation of the roads at all times, and the more complicated than expected geological conditions and congested underground utilities, etc. The HyD together with their consulting engineer and contractor were assessing the impact of various risks on the works progress and discussing the measures for progress recovery with the aim of completing the project as early as possible. Further informa-tion, if any, would be reported to the TTC. In addition, he said that partial opening of the CWB was not possible.

10. Members had no further questions. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 6: Incidents of Erroneous Deduction and Failure of Ticket Gates in MTR Stations


11. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ com-ments were as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that incidents such as failure and erroneous deduc-tion occurred frequently with the adoption of the new ticket gates in MTR sta-tions. He said it was fortunate that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) proactively informed the public about the incidents of erroneous deduction; otherwise, the public would have no idea at all. He asked whether the MTRCL had any measures to prevent the recurrence of these incidents and whether it had reviewed the utilisation of the new ticket gates. He hoped that the MTRCL would seriously review the matter.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that when trial testing the new ticket gate, the MTRCL should have noticed that the next passenger would not be allowed to pass through the ticket gate before the passenger in front had passed through completely. Frequent occurrence of such circumstances during peak hours would cause inconvenience to passengers. He hoped that the MTRCL would improve the current situation. He also indicated that there were too few ticket gates.

c. Mr YIP Kam-lung said that the new ticket gates were more advanced than the old ones, and the failures were caused by a problem with the chip in the tickets. He asked when the MTRCL would improve the ticketing system. Besides, he suggested that the MTRCL should step up passenger education, reminding passengers to stand behind the yellow line before placing their tickets on the card reader.

d. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that given the small number of ticket gates in Sai Ying Pun Station, the failure of any one of them would lead to congestion during peak hours. Besides, he opined that compared with the old ticket gates, the new ones had poor sensor performance. He asked whether the MTRCL would increase the number of ticket gates. He said that during the “10% Same-Day Second-Trip Discount” promotion period, he had experienced cases where the ticketing system failed to offer the discount automatically. He pointed out that most people would not pursue the matter, but he hoped that the MTRCL would retest the system. He supplemented that among the concessions offered by the MTRCL, reduction of fares was most beneficial to passengers.

e. The Chairman said that as many students used HKU Station, the MTRCL would need to study how to speed up passenger flow, such as by increasing the number of ticket gates. He further said that failure to pass through the ticket gate might be due to improper use of the ticket gate, and asked the MTRCL that apart from passenger education, what other measures could be taken to improve the situation.

12. Mr Kenrick K O , Projects Communications Manager of the MTRCL, said that the MTRCL had established a mechanism to monitor the ticketing system. In case of an er-roneous deduction, the MTRCL would proactively inform the affected passengers by notice and through the media, and arrange for refund. For users of Personalised Octo-pus, the refund would be credited to the Octopus of the affected passengers via Octopus Cards Limited (OCL). If in doubt, passengers might make enquiry at the customer ser-vice centres of MTR stations for follow up and provision of assistance by staff.

13. He added that the design of the new flap gates was to ensure passenger passing through the ticket gate completely before the next passenger could start doing so. He in-dicated that apart from the West Island Line (WIL), the new ticket gate was also used in the Kwun Tong Line Extension. He supplemented that the new ticket gate was equipped with multiple sensors, and the MTRCL would continue to monitor the use of the new ticket gates by passengers and make adjustment as necessary. Meanwhile, with respect to passenger education, consideration would be given to provide enhanced infor-mation in this area. The MTRCL had continuously monitored the ticketing system. Currently, OCL was replacing the First Generation Octopus for cardholders, and the MTRCL would complement this initiative, thus passengers using Octopus to pass through ticket gates would not be affected at all. The MTRCL would closely monitor the passenger flows at Sai Ying Pun and HKU stations to see if there was a need to in-crease the number of ticket gates. He supplemented that in case of an erroneous deduc-tion, the MTRCL would know and would follow up as appropriate in accordance with the established procedures.

14. The Chairman invited second-round discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that regarding the lifts located at Bonham Road exit in Sai Ying Pun Station, except when passengers pressed the door open but-ton, the MTRCL should ensure a sufficient lag between the opening times of the opposing doors of each lift.

b. Mr YIP Kam-lung said that as far as he knew, the MTRCL had switched to use generic product for the chip in single journey tickets due to insufficient preparation time, and thus a few more minutes were needed for the ticket gates to sense the chips.

15. Mr Kenrick K O responded that the lag between the opening times of the opposing doors of the lifts in Sai Ying Pun Station was eight seconds. Circumstances of less than eight seconds might be due to passengers pressing the door open button as necessary or

failure of individual lift doors. Station staff would be notified to monitor and follow up the matter. As regards the ticketing system, the MTRCL was dedicated to optimising passenger experiences and would convey the relevant views to relevant internal depart-ments.

16. The Chairman concluded that the Committee expressed concern about the incidents of erroneous deduction and failure of ticket gates in MTR stations, and hoped that the MTRCL would improve the situation. The Committee would also closely monitor the situation. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 7: Concern over Power Failure in MTR Central Station(C&W TTC Paper No. 85/2016)(2:56 pm - 3:22 pm)


a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that it was pointed out in the MTRCL’s report that the power failure was due to water leakage. There had been several water leakage cases since the commissioning of the WIL, especially in Sai Ying Pun and HKU stations, and he worried that the same problem would continue to arise. He asked the MTRCL about the contingency measures and measures for preventing similar incidents, and whether it had comprehensively reviewed the possibility of similar incidents occurring in other MTR stations.

b. Mr LEUNG King-yue asked why cable damage would occur in Central Station, a major MTR station serving one of the world’s financial centres. He also asked about the frequency of cable inspection and why the damage was not found during inspection, and about the remedial measures. He opined that there existed a serious security loophole in MTR Central Station.

c. Mr YIP Kam-lung said that stations on the WIL were built deep into the ground. In the event of power failure, all the escalators and lifts inside the stations would cease operating. He asked whether the MTRCL had backup power supply and how to obtain the MTRCL’s investigation report.

d. Ms CHENG Lai-king asked whether MTR Central Station had adequate backup power supply for continuous operation.

e. Ms SIU Ka-yi said that MTR Central Station was a confined space with high patronage. She asked how long the backup power supply could support

station operation, and whether there were periodic tests for backup power supply and regular drills for power failure incident.

f. Mr NG Siu-hong pointed out that the MTRCL said in its reply that there was water seeping into a low voltage switch room. He asked whether structural problems had caused water leakage or whether problems with the waterproofing had caused the tripping, and who should be held responsible.

g. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that he went to MTR Central Station for a site inspection that day and found a lot of temporary light fittings there. He asked about the backup power supply arrangement and pointed out that this should not be the case if proper backup power supply was available. He hoped that the MTRCL would provide details of its review. He indicated that shops in MTR Central Station had suffered losses due to the power failure, and asked the MTRCL about the follow-up actions.

h. The Chairman asked the MTRCL about the time required from power failure to activation of backup power supply, the frequency of cable inspection and the relevant internal codes. He said that the MTRCL’s response in this emergency incident had much room for improvement.

18. Mr Kenrick K O , Projects Communications Manager of the MTRCL, said that con-tinuous train service was maintained on that day, though lighting was affected in certain parts of the station, causing inconvenience to passengers. The MTRCL apologised for this. He pointed out that at that time there was a short circuit in the electrical installa-tion in a low voltage switch room at Platform 4 of MTR Central Station, resulting in ac-tivation of the safety protection device and a tripping of the circuit breakers. This had caused a power interruption in certain parts of the station, including part of the lighting system, lifts, escalators and some shops. Apart from activating the emergency lighting, the MTRCL had also arranged temporary lighting and deployed additional staff to assist passengers in accessing and egressing the affected areas in the wake of the incident. Power supply was resumed at around 9 pm after maintenance and testing. The MTRCL attached great importance to the incident and had completed the relevant investigation work. The report, which covered the causes of the incident and the measures taken by the MTRCL, had been submitted to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD).

19. Mr Ben LUI , Senior Manager – Station Maintenance of the MTRCL, said the in-vestigation showed that the surface of a chiller cable connected to a low voltage switch room was damaged, and then there was water seeping into the cable and running along the cable into the switchboard, resulting in a short circuit in the electrical installation

and tripping of circuit breakers and causing power failure. Since the station was located underground and might be affected by underground water, the MTRCL would imple-ment appropriate measures to prevent water from dripping into the cables and enhance routine inspection of the switch rooms. The relevant chiller was temporarily suspended for maintenance. In addition, for the sake of prudence, the MTRCL had completed the inspection of the switch rooms and relevant cables in all MTR stations to avoid any re-currence. Appropriate measures were being implemented to prevent water from drip-ping into the cables, including installation of drainage apparatus and insulation test for all relevant chiller cables. Routine inspection of the switch rooms was also enhanced and any abnormality found would be properly handled at once.

20. Mr Kenrick K O supplemented that the MTRCL had conducted regular inspection of the switch rooms and relevant facilities. The last inspection of the switch room con-cerned was conducted in August 2015, during which the switch room and relevant facil-ities were functioning normally. The MTRCL would pay close attention to the inspec-tion work. The MTRCL carried out inspection every two years, against the statutory re-quirement of periodic inspection every five years.

21. Mr Ben LUI pointed out that in general, emergency lighting would be activated upon power failure. Apart from the emergency lighting of station, the MTRCL would also arrange delivery of temporary light fittings to the station concerned for better illu-mination, and would deploy additional staff to assist the public in accessing and egress-ing the affected areas.

22. Mr Kenrick K O supplemented that the MTRCL had an emergency response team stationing at various locations. In case of an incident, staff would be deployed to the af-fected station to react and offer assistance. The MTRCL conducted various drills and exercises with relevant government departments to prepare for different emergency situ-ations. As regards the suggestion on conducting a drill in response to the current inci-dent, it would be relayed to the MTRCL. In addition, around half of the shops in MTR Central Station were affected by the incident. For shop operators who need assistance or wish to claim compensation, the MTRCL would follow established procedures to handle the cases in a proper manner. In fact, staff of the marketing department immedi-ately went to MTR Central Station that day to assist the affected shops. The MTRCL understood the concerns of Members and the public and would learn from the incident. It would step up inspection work and keep in view the situation to avoid any recurrence.

23. Mr WONG Lap -c hi , Senior Engineer/Railways 1 of the EMSD, said that the EMSD attached great importance to the incident and requested the MTRCL to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the relevant switch rooms and cables. The MTRCL had completed the inspection and preventive measures were being implemented, such as

conducting insulation test and installation of protection devices in areas with potential risk of water seepage. The EMSD would monitor the MTRCL’s inspection work and improvement measures.


a. Mr LEUNG King-yue said that the MTRCL had not explained the reasons for the cable damage. He asked whether the EMSD would increase the frequency of the statutorily required periodic inspection (currently once every five years) and how long such cables would be used before their replacement.

b. Mr YIP Kam-lung asked how Members could get the MTRCL’s investigation report for reference. He pointed out that backup power supply was of little effect.

25. Mr Kenrick K O responded that the MTRCL strictly adhered to the requirements of the law of Hong Kong in carrying out cable inspection work.

26. Mr Ben LUI supplemented that the cable concerned was believed to be damaged during installation which was a rare and isolated incident, but agreed that there was room for improvement in cable protection. He said that cables typically had a lifespan of several decades, and would be inspected and tested periodically according to the es-tablished procedures and replaced as necessary. The inspection report concerned was submitted to the EMSD in October 2016.

27. Mr YIP Kam-lung supplemented that incident reports of the MTR were available for viewing on the website of the Railways Branch of the EMSD, such as the rail crack incident at Tsuen Wan Line. He asked when the incident report on the power failure in MTR Central Station would be available for viewing.

28. Mr WONG Lap -c hi said that for major railway incident, the EMSD would release the causes of the incident and relevant details on its website for public reference. Re-garding the power failure in MTR Central Station, the request would be relayed to the MTRCL in order to keep the public informed of the status of the incident.

29. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 8: Traffic Chaos on Bridges Street(C&W TTC Paper No. 78/2016)(3:22 pm - 3:39 pm)


a. Ms SIU Ka-yi said that discussion had been held earlier on the construction works of the News-Expo and she would now discuss the traffic condition at the above location. There was serious traffic problem at the location con-cerned even though the News-Expo was not yet opened. As mentioned in the reply from the Police, a total of 189 complaints were received in a one-year period, representing a high rate of complaints, i.e. one every two days on aver-age. The Police had also issued over 900 fixed penalty notices, but the prob-lem remained unsolved. She often went to Bridges Street during the time when schools finished and observed that law enforcement was conducted by traffic wardens at the site at irregular hours. She hoped that the Police would sustain its law enforcement efforts. However, she expressed disappointment about the reply from the Transport Department (TD) and asked how the TD concluded that the capacity of the News-Expo was not large, and why it ex-pected that the visitors of the News-Expo would overlap with that of the PMQ and thus the News-Expo would not create additional pedestrian and traffic generation. She pointed out that a major part of the visitors to the News-Expo might be group visitors from schools, community centres, etc. and thus con-sidered that the TD had seriously underestimated the pedestrian and traffic generation created by the News-Expo to the location concerned. She said that the lack of internal transport facilities in the News-Expo was the reason why it would overload the traffic at the location concerned. She pointed out that the current traffic flow was acceptable merely because the works company had deployed staff to maintain traffic order. She urged the TD not to underesti-mate the pedestrian and traffic generation created by the News-Expo to the lo-cation concerned.

31. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, said he considered that the traffic chaos at the location concerned was not directly linked to the News-Expo but was due to the presence of a number of schools at that location. The TD had requested the contractor of the News-Expo to submit proposal on temporary traffic arrangements, which was approved in a stringent manner. He opined that the capacity of the News-Expo was not large and expected that the pedestrian and traffic generation created after its launch would not be as large as that of the PMQ and the future Central Police Station (CPS). He supplemented that appropriate traffic measures would be implemented by the TD if a higher than expected traffic generation was noted at the location concerned. At present, he saw no urgent need for introduction of new traffic measures prior to the opening of the News-Expo, and indicated that the TD would closely monitor the situa-

tion and make arrangements in case of any change in the traffic condition.

32. The Chairman asked why the TD had no measures in place for something upcom-ing.


a. Ms SIU Ka-yi said that even if TD’s estimate was accurate, how it could turn a blind eye in view of so many complaints about the location concerned. She asked whether the TD had to wait after the News-Expo opened to evaluate the pedestrian generation and whether no improvement measures would be imple-mented in the coming year or so.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said the TD assessed that the traffic generation would be small since the capacity of the News-Expo was not large, but he thought this estimate was inaccurate. The PMQ and the News-Expo had different cus-tomer base. Visitors to the PMQ usually did not come in groups, whereas the News-Expo mainly targeted group visitors from primary and secondary schools, etc. and travel by coach to the News-Expo. Hence, the TD was urged to re-assess the traffic condition at the location concerned. At present, traffic was chaotic at the location concerned, with long-standing problem of illegal parking and loading/unloading of goods, and large vehicles frequenting. He considered it necessary to deal with the situation timely rather than making as-sessment after the launch of the News-Expo.

c. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that whenever there were large-scale events in the PMQ, the location concerned would be packed with people and traffic. Cou-pled with the future opening of the CPS Compound and commissioning of the CWB, and the provision of fare concessions by the News-Expo to the elderly and students, traffic conditions would further deteriorate in future. He urged the TD to face the problem squarely and identify strategy for alleviating traffic congestion soonest possible.

d. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that TD’s reply was unacceptable. He pointed out that there were already vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at the location concerned currently. Leaving aside the question of pedestrian generation after the launch of the News-Expo, the TD still should address at once the present situation to maintain smooth vehicular flow and assess the traffic conditions. As pedes-trian and traffic generation would only increase, not decrease in future, the TD was urged to assess the traffic conditions of the location concerned soonest

possible and take appropriate measures to alleviate traffic chaos.

e. The Chairman said that Members had clearly requested the TD to submit traf-fic improvement options for the location concerned as soon as possible.

34. Mr NG Tit-ho pointed out that the current traffic chaos at the location concerned was due to the presence of a number of schools in its vicinity, narrow roads, and it being the access to the housing estates nearby. The current problem could only be eased with the support of the Police by combating illegal parking. Upon commissioning of the News-Expo, the TD would continue to assess the traffic conditions and advise visitors to use public transport to access the News-Expo. For visitors travelling by coach, they could use the transport facilities nearby, including the lay-by at Man Mo Temple or Caine Road, for passenger pick up/set down and then walk to the News-Expo, thereby helping to alleviate traffic congestion.

35. The Chairman asked whether the TD had obtained from the News-Expo parameters on pedestrian and traffic generation.

36. The Chairman invited third-round discussion. The main points of Members’ com-ments were as follows:

a. Ms SIU Ka-yi said that she had contacted TD’s representative whose attitude was unsatisfactory, indicating that the TD had underestimated the traffic con-ditions at the location concerned. She urged the TD not to underestimate the traffic demand of the location and suggested writing to the Commissioner for Transport requesting the TD to face squarely the traffic chaos on Bridges Street.

b. Mr NG Siu-hong said that traffic on Caine Road was currently very congested and parking spaces there were always full. If it was used as pick up/set down point for coaches, the TD would have to address the traffic problem on Caine Road simultaneously. Hence, he objected to TD’s recommendation for coaches to pick up/set down passengers on Caine Road.

c. Ms CHENG Lai-king said that the international school situated there had already relocated its school bus pick up/set down point to Tai Ping Shan Street. She suggested that upon commissioning of the News-Expo, the TD might encourage coaches to pick up/set down passengers at No. 99 Caine Road or Man Mo Temple. She hoped that the TD would start to examine the transport routes nearby prior to the commissioning of the News-Expo.

37. Mr NG Tit-ho pointed out that due to physical constraints, only limited measures on traffic could be taken by the TD. Hence, the TD could only, for the moment, advise motorists to avoid using the road. The TD would communicate with the News-Expo on operating arrangement or methods of information dissemination to ensure smooth traffic in the vicinity.

38. The Chairman concluded that he would write to the Commissioner for Transport to relay Members’ views, and would arrange via the Secretariat a site visit to Bridges Street with representative of the News-Expo during the time when schools finished. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 9: Concern over Pedestrian Safety on Footpaths at Third Street(C&W TTC Paper No. 79/2016)(3:39 pm - 4:00 pm)


a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that according to the reply from the Police, there were 22 traffic accidents with 22 persons injured at Third Street for the past three years. However, the above figures did not include traffic accidents not reported to the Police because no casualties were involved. He opined that relevant footpaths had to be widened in order to reduce traffic accidents at the location concerned. He asked the HyD and TD when would the footpath widening works for the road section between Water Street and Pok Fu Lam Road commence. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming pointed out that a few years ago, he had discussed with representatives of the HyD and TD the feasibility of widening the footpath outside Kwong Fung Terrace, or converting Third Street from a two-lane carriageway to single-lane carriageway, so as to widen the footpath and protect the safety of the pedestrians and drivers.

b. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai pointed out that individual shops built stone steps on the footpath without permission. He hoped the department would also tackle the problem of unauthorised stone steps when they carried out the footpath widening works. Furthermore, he asked whether the pedestal hydrant at the location concerned could be replaced by swan-neck hydrant to reduce obstruction to Third Street.

c. Miss NG Hoi-yan asked the HyD and TD when would the footpath widening works for the road section between Water Street and Pok Fu Lam Road commence, and the duration of the works. She hoped that when considering

the feasibility of relocating the roadside trees, the department would consult the residents of Kwong Fung Terrace in addition to discussing the matter with relevant tree maintenance departments. She also asked the TD about the feasibility of converting Third Street from a two-lane carriageway to single-lane carriageway. She said students got aboard or alighted from school buses at the location concerned, and asked whether narrowing the carriageway to single lane would increase the burden on traffic. She hoped that the footpaths concerned could be widened as soon as possible.

d. Mr YIP Kam-lung remarked that ever since he could remember, the footpaths at Third Street had been very narrow. He opined that increase in the number of vehicles in the district, coupled with insufficient parking spaces, led to illegal parking and caused traffic congestion. He asked whether the TD would review the situation of insufficient parking spaces.

e. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that according to past traffic flow levels at Third Street, converting the carriageway from two lanes to single lane was feasible. However, taking into account the need for school buses to pick up/drop off students there, he suggested adding a pick-up and drop-off area at the location where the footpath was relatively wider; and converting to single lane traffic where the footpath was relatively narrower to widen the footpath. He believed this measure could address the needs of different parties and hoped the TD would study its feasibility. He suggested that Members could conduct a site visit to Third Street to determine which location was more suitable for adding the pick-up and drop-off area. He hoped that the works could commence as soon as possible.

40. Mr YIP Wang-yu , Engineer/Central and Western 3 of the TD, agreed that conduct-ing a site visit to Third Street together with Members could help the TD to understand the needs of the public. He said that they would consider converting the section of car-riageway of Kwong Fung Lane from two lanes to single lane, and continue to identify suitable locations in the district for provision of metered parking spaces. He added that trees at the footpath between Water Street and Kwong Fung Lane needed relocation, and they would liaise with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the HyD to discuss the feasibility of relocating the trees. If it was feasible, they would commence the footpath widening works as soon as possible, and study whether to provide a pick-up and drop-off area. He supplemented that the footpath between Water Street and Pok Fu Lam Road would be widened by 0.3 meter, and they would tackle the problem of unau-thorised stone steps when the widening works was conducted.

41. The C hairman invited second-round discussion on the paper. The main points of

Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that in 2011, he had discussed with representatives of the TD and HyD about relocating the trees at the footpath between Kwong Fung Lane and Water Street and digging trench pit to widen the footpath. However, study on the feasibility of tree relocation and digging trench pit had not yet started. He also stated that the TD and HyD had not provided in their reply the number of traffic accidents at Third Street. He opined that transport-related departments ought to know the traffic accident statistics of the areas under their purview. He continued that earlier, the TD had mentioned in another paper that they would actively consider relocating the traffic signs installed by them at Third Street, with a view to reduce obstruction to the location concerned, thereby facilitating and protecting pedestrians. He asked why the TD still had no relevant plan so far.

42. Mr YIP Wang-yu responded that relevant timetable was not yet available for sub-mission to Members. He invited Mr YEUNG to conduct a joint visit to Third Street with him after the meeting to discuss matters relating to the relocation of the traffic signs.

43. Mr LEE Chi-hang reiterated his suggestion on converting Third Street from a two-lane carriageway to single-lane carriageway; and hoped that the TD and the Police would carry out a trial run together on single lane traffic during off-peak hours to exam-ine whether this measure would cause traffic congestion, thereby determining the feasi-bility of the suggestion concerned. He added that Members had to conduct site visit to identify a suitable location for adding the pick-up and drop-off area

44. The Chairman concluded by requesting the TD to submit the timetable for im-provement works as soon as possible after the meeting, and the Secretariat to arrange for the Committee to conduct a site visit to Third Street.

Item 10: Request for Provision of Ramps at the Western Pavement between Sec-ond Street and Third Street


45. The Chair man invited discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ com-ments were as follows:

a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said replies from the TD and HyD indicated that no complaint of access inconvenience at the location concerned was received.

However, he had lodged a complaint and received not less than ten complaints from the public, and he had also conducted a site visit to the location con-cerned together with representatives of the TD. He queried why there was no record of the number of such complaints. He remarked that housewives in the district said they used trolleys for buying food for preparation of meals and thus were forced to walk on the carriageway. They thought this was danger-ous and hoped the Government could add a ramp. As the Hongkong Electric Company Limited was conducting works at the above site, Mr YEUNG asked whether the planters would be converted into a ramp in future to facilitate the public carrying suitcases or trolleys from Second Street to Third Street. He stated that representatives of the TD would not be invited to conduct a site visit if there was no complaint, and asked the TD to record the complaints properly. He requested that a ramp be provided between Second Street and Third Street, and even if the ramp was not suitable for use by wheelchair users, it still should be provided to facilitate the public carrying suitcases or market shopping trolleys.

b. Mr LEE Chi-hang pointed out that as early as five or six years ago, similar is-sue concerning the location around Centre Street between First Street and Sec-ond Street was raised. At the time, it was requested that half the street should kept the stairs, and the other half should convert into a ramp. The TD agreed at first; but later said that the gradient was not in line with the standard if the street section was converted into a ramp, hence they did not support the ramp proposal because it was unsafe for pedestrians. However, the street section concerned was originally a ramp, and later converted into stairs without con-ducting any consultation. He hoped the department would re-examine the two road sections and provide ramps to facilitate elderly with need. He remarked that there were several ways to resolve the gradient problem, such as part of the road built ramp and part of it built stairs to reduce the steepness.

46. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, responded that the TD had certain criteria to follow in recording complaints. In general, cases recorded in-cluded, but not limited to, complaints made through 1823 or complaint letters issued by District Council members.

47. Mr YIP Wang-yu , Engineer/Central and Western 3 of the TD, replied that it was difficult to design a pedestrian ramp with safe gradient at the proposed footpath. There were safe gradient standards for ramp design, but the gradient of existing footpath at the location concerned was too steep and it was difficult for the ramp design to satisfy the safety standard, and it would be unsafe for the public.

48. The C hairman invited second-round discussion. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr LEE Chi-hang supplemented that the gradient was the same if the public walked on the carriageway, but he had not seen anyone injured due to the steepness of the road. However, walking on the carriageway was quite dan-gerous. He asked the TD not to just follow the established standards and overlook the needs of the public. He reckoned that the gradient problem could be solved by part of the road built ramp and part of it built stairs, and asked why the TD was so unwilling to carry out such a small job.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that he had received an e-mail complaint about access inconvenience addressed to the TD, and he would forward the com-plaint to Mr NG Tit-ho later. He added that there were at least ten complaints lodged through his office. He also remarked that existing policy objectives of all government departments were people-oriented, government departments should find ways to solve problems if public needs warranted. The TD had the responsible to carry out improvement, and he hoped that representatives of the TD could explore ways to improvement the road section concerned, so that housewives who use trolleys need not walk on the carriageway and thus reduce the danger.

c. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that other Members had already relayed the prob-lems, and he asked the TD to examine whether there were other ways to pro-vide the requested ramp, and then submit a written reply in this regard. He stated that as there were public needs, the TD should find ways to solve the technical problem. Otherwise, he suggested writing to the Commissioner for Transport to express the demand of Members.

49. The Chairman agreed to write to the Commissioner for Transport to express the de-mand of Members. He pointed out that staggered ramps could solve the problem of ex-cessive gradients, and asked the TD to undertake further study.

50. Mr YIP Wang-yu responded that he and his colleagues would further examine the study and then reply in writing later.

51. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said he had inspected the location concerned several times, and considered that the Committee needed to conduct site visit to Second Street and Third Street to formally record the views of Members.

52. The Chairman concluded that site visit to Second Street and Third Street for Mem-

bers would be arranged through the Secretariat.

Item 11: Concern over the Implementation Timetable of Real-time Next Stop An-nouncement System at Bus Stops in the Central and Western District



a. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that in other districts, such as New Territories and Kowloon, electronic display panels were already installed to provide real-time arrival information. He asked the bus companies why such device was not provided in the C&W District. He hoped relevant department would arrange a trial run of the real-time arrival information system in the C&W District as soon as possible.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung reckoned that implementing real-time arrival information system at bus stops in the C&W District would not encounter any technical difficulties. He pointed out that the arrival information system for route A10 of Citybus Limited (Citybus) was very accurate, but Citybus was reluctant to extend it to all routes. He commented that the public needed more traffic information to assess the travelling time required. If sufficient information could be provided to passengers, the Committee might agree to the bus companies adjusting service frequency in a timely manner. Hence, he believed that provision of real-time arrival information service would be conducive to the operation of the bus companies. He suggested a trail run of the real-time arrival information system at the bus stop outside Hang Seng Bank Headquarters or the bus stop outside Wing Lung Bank at Connaught Road Central. Using the bus stop outside Hang Seng Bank Headquarters as an example, he said various bus routes used the bus stop and so waiting passengers often waited for several routes. As such, provision of real-time arrival information system would certainly facilitate the public. He hoped the bus companies would implement the real-time arrival information system as soon as possible.

c. Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, seeing that the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) had no plan to provide real-time arrival information system on Hong Kong Island, asked KMB whether this was due to not having passenger shelters constructed by itself in the region. He further enquired that whether the two bus companies would cooperate in providing real-time arrival

information system; and whether they had no plan to provide real-time arrival information system at bus stops that had no shelters.

d. Mr NG Siu-hong asked the number of bus routes for which real time arrival information was available through the application programmes (Apps) of the bus companies; and when the service would be extended to other routes. He pointed out that a private company had once proposed to design an App in relation to operation data of buses to facilitate the public, but the bus companies refused to provide the data and the Government said those data were the bus companies’ assets. He asked the bus companies why they refused to provide the data, and why they took so long but still had not completed the Apps.

e. Mr YIP Kam-lung remarked that KMB’s App was inaccurate with frequent occurrence of lost bus trips. He pointed out that KMB had constructed bus shelters at Nathan Road by itself to provide real-time arrival information system, and asked why it could not take reference from the Nathan Road bus shelter experience and tried the same on Hong Kong Island. He suggested Citybus and the New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) to take reference from KMB’s App.

f. Ms CHENG Lai-king said the bus stop at Robinson Road was installed with illuminated advertisement box and hence had electricity supply. She asked whether it was feasible to provide real-time arrival information system at that bus stop.

54. Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong , Principal Operations Officer (Lai Chi Kok Depot) of KMB, responded that there were comparatively fewer KMB solely operated routes on Hong Kong Island, thus priority would be accorded to providing real-time arrival infor-mation system in Kowloon district. He further pointed out that the availability of elec-tricity supply at bus stop was a prerequisite for the provision of real-time arrival infor-mation system; and KMB would first study whether or not to add shelters to the bus stops for cross-harbour routes solely operated by KMB on Hong Kong Island, and then considered whether or not to provide real-time arrival information system. He said pas-sengers had reflected to KMB about inaccurate frequency information or lost trips, and he admitted that such situations did exist but the technical department of KMB would continue to improve and rectify the App to increase its accuracy.

55. Mr Kevin L I , Public Affairs Manager of Citybus/NWFB, replied that the new fran-chise for Citybus (Franchise 1) would commence in June this year; and Citybus had un-dertaken to introduce real-time arrival information system when discussing the renewal

of franchise with the Government. He pointed out that the real-time arrival time enquiry system for Citybus’ Cityflyer routes had been in use for four years; and given the rapid advancement in technology, it might be more suitable to purchase a new system when extending the service to other routes. Furthermore, airport routes and urban routes were quite different. For airport routes, about 60% of the travelling time was on highways. Also, urban route and airport route buses differed in terms of operating speed and traffic hold-ups encountered. As such, calculation method used in the real-time arrival inform-ation system was also different. He stated that the whole purchasing process, i.e. from development, testing, acceptance to implementation, of the new system required about two years, hence the service would be extended to all Citybus and NWFB routes in 2018. To better understand the special features of the Hong Kong Island bus routes, real-time arrival information system would be launched on a pilot basis for eight bus routes, including route nos. 11, 12, 12A, 12M, 25A, 43M, 76 and 511, in June this year to collect data to facilitate major extension of the service in future.

56. Mr LI supplemented that Citybus and NWFB would extend the real-time arrival time enquiry service to all routes in 2018. To tie in with the service, Citybus and NWFB would install electronic display panels at around 200 bus stops with shelters and elec-tricity supply in phases starting from 2018. He said factors such as physical environ-ment, pedestrian flow, sufficient space, etc. would be taken into account when deciding whether to install display panels. He continued that currently the operation data, such as GPS bus stop announcement, were not transmitted back to the company server in real-time, but were uploaded to the server when the bus returned to depot. Calculating the real-time arrival time data involved substantial company capital and recurrent expendi-ture, therefore the data were regarded as company assets. As the data had commercial value, the bus companies would not disclose to programme developer for free use.

57. The Chairman queried that although KMB did not have passenger shelters con-structed by itself in the C&W District, the company and Citybus/NWFB had jointly op-erated routes. He hoped the bus companies would implement the real-time arrival infor-mation system as soon as possible.

58. Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong supplemented that the addition of shelters to the bus stops had to be ascertained first before KMB could study whether or not to provide real-time arrival information system at the bus stops.

59. Mr Kevin LI supplemented that if the bus stop for jointly operated routes was lo-cated on Hong Kong Island, its facilities would be managed by Citybus/NWFB; if the bus stop was located in Kowloon, the facilities would be managed by KMB.

60. In conclusion, the Chairman said it was hoped that the bus companies would pro-

vide real-time arrival information system at bus stops in the C&W District as soon as possible. He thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 12: Request the Police to Step up Enforcement against Abusive Use of Desig-nated Parking Spaces in Western District at Night



a. Mr YIP Kam-lung said reply from the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) re-vealed that they received complaints nearly every day, and issued three to four fixed penalty tickets against illegal parking each time. This showed that the location concerned was an illegal parking black spot and there was an acute shortage of parking spaces in the Western District. He asked the Police in what way stringent enforcement actions would be carried out. He also pointed out that apart from abuse of designated parking spaces, traffic congestion oc-curred occasionally at the location concerned during shift-change hours of taxis, and there were no light van parking spaces nearby. He asked how the TD would resolve the problem.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said a private car owner once told him that fixed penalty ticket was issued although the car was parked in a parking space. He pointed out that it was because the driver did not realise the parking space was desig-nated for goods vehicle. He continued that drivers usually looked at traffic sign post from the side, but in fact they could not see clearly this way, and so incident such as parking private car in a designated goods vehicle parking space occurred. Hence, he hoped the TD would examine the possibility of painting a goods vehicle sign on the parking space surface, making it easier for the drivers to notice and thus reduce the chance of private cars parking il-legally at goods vehicle parking spaces.

c. The Chairman remarked that he had lodged several complaints against abuse of designated parking spaces at night, but the problem remained unresolved. He asked whether the Western District Police would take stringent enforce-ment actions, such as towing away illegally parked cars.

62. Mr KWONG Sze-yeung , Officer-in-Charge of the District Traffic Team (Western District) of the HKPF, responded that generally the Police only towed away cars which caused serious obstruction. For prolonged parking at legal parking spaces or in contra-

vention of the type of vehicle permitted to park on the parking spaces, the Police in gen-eral would not consider towing away the cars, but would prosecute the drivers by issu-ing fixed penalty tickets.

63. Ms NG May-mey , District Operations Officer (Western District), said the Western Police District had carried out stringent traffic enforcement actions in October, includ-ing stepping up enforcement actions by patrolling officers, increasing the number of traffic day from one day to four days per month, and cooperating with Regional Traffic Headquarters to launch a three-day operation which aimed to change the behaviour of non-compliant road users. The Western Police District adopted a high profile in adver-tising the traffic day, aiming to convey the message that the Police would persistently take rigorous traffic enforcement actions; and also produced short videos for airing on social media to enhance the effectiveness. She added that recently they had reassessed the traffic situation in the Western District, and identified several traffic black spots in the Western Police District, including Fung Mat Road. Police officers would take en-forcement actions at the traffic black spots during specific hours when the traffic war-dens were off duty. The Police had conducted detailed study on each traffic black spot to facilitate manpower deployment.

64. The C hairman invited second-round discussion. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr YIP Kam-lung asked the TD that apart from the car park at Fung Mat Road, whether there were other places which could be opened to public for parking goods vehicles, such as underneath the bridge.

65. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, pointed out that road markings were regulated by law currently. To place new traffic signs, the TD had to conduct internal study first and then consulted relevant departments, and thus required longer time. Furthermore, the TD would strive to provide more parking spaces to the public if additional space was available.

66. The Chairman concluded by requesting the Police to step up enforcement.

Item 13: Strong Request for Provision of Bus Routes/Green Minibus Routes be-tween Sai Wan and Grantham Hospital



a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said many elderly needed to go to Grantham Hospital for eye surgery or medical follow-up, and they had to interchange in order to go to Grantham Hospital from the Western District at present, such as inter-changed for bus route no. 5 at Aberdeen. However, service frequency for route no. 5 was seriously insufficient, and some elderly complained that they had to wait for over half an hour. Moreover, making patients with eye prob-lem travelled long journeys posed a certain degree of danger. As such, he re-quested for the provision of bus routes/green minibus (GMB) routes going di-rectly from Sai Wan to Grantham Hospital. He said that commissioning of the South Island Line (SIL) provided no relief to the elderly because they would not choose to first take MTR to Admiralty, then interchanged to the SIL and got off at Ocean Park Station, and then changed for minibus. Hence, he hoped that the TD would consider seriously the need of the elderly. He suggested that the bus/GMB trips need not be too frequent and could concentrate on the follow-up consultation timeslot.

b. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing reflected that the Working Group on Elderly Service visited over 20 elderly centres earlier and 90% elders raised this question. He pointed out that route no. 58 sometimes had a headway of half an hour, and if the elderly took route no. 58 to Aberdeen and then interchanged for route no. 5, the travel time would amount to over an hour. This caused great inconve-nience to the elderly. However, if the elderly took MTR from Sai Wan to SIL, the route was circuitous. He hoped that the TD would put itself in the el-derly’s shoes and considered seriously providing bus routes/GMB routes go-ing directly from Sai Wan to Grantham Hospital.

c. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that providing bus routes/GMB routes going di-rectly from Sai Wan to Grantham Hospital was very important. As Queen Mary Hospital would provide more services at Grantham Hospital in the fu-ture, demand for such transport service would only increase. He hoped that bus routes/GMB routes going directly from Sai Wan to Grantham Hospital would be provided as soon as possible.

d. Mr LEUNG King-yue reckoned that extending the routing of route no. 58 and no. 59 to Grantham Hospital would not be too difficult as the journey time would be under three minutes. He added that extending the routing of indi-vidual trips of route no. 58 to Grantham Hospital should not have great impact on the operation of the minibus.

68. Ms TSANG Yuk-yee , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD,

replied that she understood the residents’ wish to have public transport services going directly from Sai Wan to Grantham Hospital. However, when considering suggestion for operating new bus or GMB routes, the TD would take into account factors such as current supply of public transport service, demand of passengers, patronage of the new route, utilisation of resources and so on. Due to limited resources, the TD encouraged the public to choose existing public transport services, make use of interchanges be-tween public transports, in order to achieve optimum use of resources and enhance oper-ation efficiency of public transport services. Currently, passengers travelling from the Western District to Grantham Hospital could take the GMB route nos. 58, 58A or 59 at Kennedy Town, and then interchanged to GMB special departure route no. 5, Citybus route nos. 41A, 73 or 76 at Aberdeen. In addition, it was expected that GMB route no. 5M running between MTR Wong Chuk Hang Station and Grantham Hospital at 15 min-utes interval would be introduced after the commissioning of the SIL. She said that the TD hoped to make use of existing or upcoming transport services to meet the demands of the passengers as far as possible.

69. The Chairman asked whether it was feasible to extend the current minibus route to Grantham Hospital.

70. Ms TSANG Yuk-yee replied that re-routing of existing GMB routes, such as route nos. 58 and 59, would increase the journey time, affect existing passengers, and might also affect service frequency. The TD needed to explore with the GMB operators the feasibility of the initiative.


Item 14: Concern over the Dangerous Fence on the Stonewall at Bonham Road(C&W TTC Paper No. 84/2016)(4:55 pm - 4:58 pm)


a. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai expressed that he and Mr NG Tit-ho, representative of the TD, had conducted a site visit to the location concerned. He said the exist-ing railing was the same as the previous one; the only difference was that there were three benches and one tree earlier, and so seemed to have a shield-ing effect. However, there were no benches and trees now, problems such as illegal parking or backing of vehicles occurred at the location concerned and therefore could easily lead to accidents. He suggested adding obstacles, such as bollards, or using other sturdier materials to build the railing so as to pro-

vide protection and prevent illegal parking. He asked whether the TD would consider the idea.

73. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, responded that they were currently working with the HyD to outline a feasible solution. However, the addi-tional facilities would likely affect the retaining wall structure. If this concern could be addressed, the TD had no objection to installing additional facilities but had not yet reached a final decision.

74. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai added that he understood the additional facilities might affect the retaining wall structure, therefore he suggested installing bollards which need not be embedded deep into the ground.

75. The Chairman concluded by requesting the TD to inform the Committee as soon as possible when they decided on the method to be adopted in strengthening the railing.

Item 15: Request for Improving the Traffic Congestion at the Entrance of Clovelly Court, 12 May Road, Mid-Levels, by Providing Yellow Markings



a. Mr CHAN Ho-lim said that the road section of May Road, where provision of double yellow lines was requested, was occupied by vehicles parked on the road to load/unload goods every day. The road concerned was designed as a two-lane two-way carriageway, if one of the lanes was occupied by parked ve-hicles loading/unloading goods, then the vehicles coming from behind would be forced to go in the opposite direction of the traffic, thereby becoming one-lane two-way traffic and posing the risk of head-on collision. He pointed out that the location, where provision of double yellow lines was requested, was an access to three buildings and also a road bend. It was prone to accidents because the drivers’ sightline was obstructed. He continued that local resi-dents had concurred with the provision of double yellow lines, reasons in-cluded the buildings had loading/unloading areas; several traffic accidents had occurred at the location concerned; and among the three buildings, two had another entrances, hence there was no need to allow vehicles parking at the lo-cation concerned to pick up/set down passengers and goods. He remarked that District Council members, stakeholders, residents and management com-panies all called for the provision of yellow markings.

b. The Chairman expressed support for the proposal raised by Mr CHAN Ho-lim and Mr LEUNG King-yue.

77. Mr TSANG Kwok-wing , Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern & Peak of the TD, replied that loading/unloading activities of short duration would not seriously disrupt road traffic. As the goods vehicles were delivering goods to the nearby proper-ties, road traffic would not be affected if these vehicles carried out loading/unloading activities within the properties. The TD had held several meetings with Mr CHAN and representatives of Clovelly Court, and had come to a preliminary agreement on 4 November that a 7:00 am to 19:00 pm no-stopping restriction (NSR) zone of about 20 meters would be imposed along the kerb of the road opposite to the vehicular en-trance/exit of Clovelly Court and the existing 24-hour NSR would be changed to 7:00 am to 19:00 pm NSR.

78. Mr LUNG Wai-fung , Officer-in-Charge of District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, responded that Mr TSANG had been liaising closely with the Police on this issue. The Police had also been keeping an eye on the illegal parking problem in the vicinity of No. 12 May Road, and had created a file in this respect, as well as de-ployed personnel to the location concerned regularly to issue summons in relation to il-legal parking. He said the Police would continue to maintain close liaision with the TD.

79. The C hairman invited second-round discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Ho-lim considered that the action taken by the Police was inade-quate. He said every time the Police arrived at the scene, they only dispersed the vehicles instead of issuing summons. Once the Police left the site, the ve-hicles would return. He opined that the Police must issue summons whenever they found illegally parked vehicles, otherwise their presence would have no deterrent effect. Moreover, it would in a way encourage illegal parking when repeated offenders discovered that they would not be held liable. Hence, he urged the Police to review their attitudes towards illegal parking. He supple-mented that besides taking enforcement actions, adding yellow markings also helped to prevent goods vehicles conducted loading/unloading activities at the location concerned. He said there were loading/unloading areas within the premises of the buildings, and two buildings even had other more spacious loading/unloading areas. He requested that yellow markings of about several car lengths be added along the northbound lane instead of the entire May road, and retained the section of double yellow lines along the southbound lane.

80. Mr TSANG Kwok-wing replied that if the properties concerned could arrange the goods vehicles to carry out delivery activities within their premises, it would help allevi-ate the problem caused by goods vehicles loading/unloading at May Road. In respond to the request made by Clovelly Court, the TD planned to impose a 7:00 am to 19:00 pm NSR, and would review whether to change the existing 24-hour NSR to 7:00 am to 19:00 pm NSR taken into account actual need. He pointed out that a 24-hour NSR was in fact not quite appropriate for May Road and the TD would take this opportunity to re-view the measure at the same time.

81. The C hairman invited third-round discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Mr LEUNG King-yue added that the current discussion was about road safety. He hoped that provision of yellow markings at the road bend could prevent prolonged illegal parking during day time to ensure the sightline of pedestri-ans and drivers would not be obstructed. He remarked that the sightline of drivers who turned onto the carriageway from Covelly Court was often ob-structed. He asked why NSR zones of about 20 meters could not be imposed on both lanes.

b. Mr CHAN Ho-lim hoped that 24-hour NSR zones could be imposed on both lanes for safety reasons. However, given that the TD had reservation about this measure, he agreed to retain the double yellow lines along the southbound lane and impose a 7:00 am to 19:00 pm NSR along the northbound lane on a trial basis. He asked representative of the TD why it was considered not ap-propriate to establish a 24-hour NSR at the location concerned. He believed illegal parking would lead to one-lane two-way traffic, coupled with the fact that the location was an access to three buildings, it could easily lead to acci-dents. He reiterated that each property concerned had its own boarding/alight-ing area and thus there was no need to pick up/set down passengers at the lo-cation concerned. He said the residents and stakeholders were worried about road safety, and traffic accidents had occurred at the location concerned, so he hoped the TD would impose a 7:00 am to 19:00 pm yellow markings along the northbound lane, and it would be even better if a 24-hour NSR could be established.

82. Mr TSANG Kwok-wing responded that Members’ views were noted. He also ex-plained that traffic on May Road was light and 24-hour NSR would normally not be im-posed under such circumstance. He said that the TD would review Members’ com-ments.

83. The Chairman invited Members to vote on the following motion. After voting, the following motion was adopted:

Motion: The Central and Western District Council urges the Transport Department to reassess the current traffic arrangement at Clovelly Court soonest possible and provide yellow markings there to ensure public safety.(Proposed by Mr CHAN Ho-lim , seconded by Mr LEUNG King-yue)

(16 voted for the motion: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, Mr CHAN Ho-lim, Mr YIP Wing-shing (with Mr CHAN Ho-lim being his authorised representative for voting), Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Mr KAM Nai-wai, Ms CHENG Lai-king, Mr LEE Chi-hang (with Mr CHAN Ho-lim being his authorised representative for voting), Ms SIU Ka-yi, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing, Mr YEUNG Hok-ming, Mr NG Siu-hong, Miss LO Yee-hang (with Mr CHAN Hok-fung being his authorised representative for voting), Mr LEUNG King-yue, Mr YIP Kam-lung, Miss NG Hoi-yan)

(0 voted against the motion)

(0 abstained from voting)


Item 16: Date of the Next Meeting(5:13 pm - 5:14 pm)

85. The Chairman announced that the next TTC meeting would be held on 23 February 2017. The paper submission deadline for government departments was 6 February 2017, while that for Members was 10 February 2017.

86. The meeting was adjourned at 5:14 pm.

The minutes were confirmed on 23 February 2017

Chairman: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, MH

Secretary: Miss HUANG Hsiao-ching

Central and Western District Council Secretariat February 2017

minutes of the 6th meeting of traffic and transport … · web viewminutes of the 6th meeting of...

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