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Minutes of the 2nd Meeting ofTraffic and Transport Committee (2018-2019)

Central and Western District Council

Date : 12 April 2018 (Thursday)

Time : 2:30 pm

Venue : Conference Room 14/F, Harbour Building 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Present:ChairmanMr CHAN Choi-hi, MH*

Vice-chairladyMiss LO Yee-hang, MH*

MembersMr CHAN Chit-kwai, Stephen, BBS, JP (2:44 pm – 4:48 pm)Mr CHAN Hok-fung, MH, JP*Ms CHENG Lai-king*Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, JP (2:42 pm – 2:46 pm)

(4:02 pm – 5:32 pm)Mr HUI Chi-fung (2:30 pm – 7:16 pm)Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH (2:30 pm – 6:22 pm)Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney, MH*Mr NG Siu-hong*Ms NG Hoi-yan, Bonnie*Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing*Mr YEUNG Hok-ming*Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP (2:30 pm – 6:21 pm)

Co-opted MembersMs CHEUNG Kai-yin (2:34 pm –3:01 pm)

(4:03 pm – end of the meeting)Mr FUNG Kar-leung*Mr HO Chi-wong (2:57 pm – 6:25 pm)Mr LEE Man-sing*Mr LEE Ching-hang*

Remarks: * Members who attended the whole meeting ( ) Time of attendance of Members

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GuestsItem 5Mr CHAN Tai-chi Senior Engineer 1/Central Wanchai Bypass,

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

LimitedMr MA Hon-wing, Wilson Chief Engineer, South Development Office, Civil

Engineering and Development Department Mr WONG Chi-leung Senior Engineer, South Development Office, Civil

Engineering and Development DepartmentMr LEE Hon Engineer, South Development Office, Civil

Engineering and Development DepartmentMr Francis LEONG Executive Director, AECOM Asia Company

LimitedMr Henry CHAN Chief Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company

LimitedMr Jacob TSUI Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia

Company Limited

Item 6Ms O Fong-wa Senior Engineer, Major Works Project

Management Office, Highways Department Ms YEUNG Kwai-fong, Rachel Project Coordinator, Major Works Project

Management Office, Highways Department Mr Emeric WAN Director, WSP (Asia) LimitedMs Ramie CHU Principal Engineer, WSP (Asia) Limited

Item 7Mr HO Kin-sing, Charles Senior Engineer/Covered Walkway, Transport

DepartmentMr LAW Ho-kin Engineer/Covered Walkway, Transport

DepartmentMr MAN Wai-keung Engineer/NT4-3, Highways DepartmentMs Carmen CHU Director, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong

LimitedMr Ray TANG Associate, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong

Limited

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Item 8Ms KWOK Yin-ha, Kery Senior Manager (Tourism) 31, Tourism

CommissionMiss Judy LI Manager (Tourism) 31, Tourism CommissionMs May TSANG General Manager, Peak Tramways Company

LimitedMr Ray CHAN Director of Engineering and Operations, Peak

Tramways Company LimitedMs Yannie KWAN Senior Projector Coordinator, The Hongkong and

Shanghai Hotels LimitedMr Mark Lomas Project Director, Peak Tramways Company

LimitedMs Erica CHUI Associate, AGC Design LtdMs Carmen CHU Director of Consulting, Ove Arup & Partners

Hong Kong LtdMr Daniel TSANG Director, DCL Consultants LtdMr Ivan TAM Associate Director, DCL Consultants Ltd

Item 9Mr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport Department

Item 10Mr LEUNG Kwok-man, Lautrec Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr Kevin LI Public Affairs Manager, Citybus Limited/ New

World First Bus Services Limited

Item 11Mr LAI Hiu-ping, Rex Engineer/Central and Western 1,


Item 12Mr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,


Item 13Mr LEUNG Kwok-man, Lautrec Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


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Item 14Mr LAI Hiu-ping, Rex Engineer/Central and Western 1,


Item 15Ms Dorothy LAU Assistant Public Relations Manager – External

Affairs, MTR Corporation LimitedMr FOO Hang-hing, Walter Senior Engineer/General Legislation 2, Electrical

and Mechanical Services DepartmentMr CHU Kam-hon Senior Engineer/Railways 5(Acting), Electrical

and Mechanical Services Department

In Attendance:Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze, Susanne, JP District Officer (Central and Western)Ms WONG Suet-yi, Penny Assistant District Officer (Central and Western)Ms YEUNG Wing-shan, Grace Senior Executive Officer (District Council),

Central and Western District OfficeMr LEUNG Kwok-man, Lautrec Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr LAI Hiu-ping, Rex Engineer/Central and Western 1,

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

Transport DepartmentMs CHAN Yun-yee District Engineer/Central, Highways DepartmentMr WAN Wai-keung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Central

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

Hong Kong Police ForceMr YOUNG Kwok-chung 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 OfficeAbsent with Apologies:

Mr YOUNG Chit-on, Jeremy

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Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments to the 2nd meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2018-2019).

Item 1: Adoption of the Agenda

2. The Committee adopted the meeting agenda.

Item 2: Confirmation of the Minutes of the 1st TTC Meeting Held on 1 February 2018 and the 2nd Special Meeting Held on 1 March 2018

3. The Committee confirmed the minutes of the 1st meeting and the 2nd special meeting.

Item 3: Action Checklists on Matters Arising from the Last Meeting (C&W TTC Paper No. 39/2018)(2:32 pm)

4. The Committee noted the paper.

Item 4: Chairman’s Report(2:32 pm)

5. The Chairman said that for the minor traffic improvement projects and their schedules (as of mid-March 2018), the Secretariat had emailed the report to Members for perusal before the meeting and had not received any comments from Members. In addition, Members had conducted site visits regarding the peak tramway upgrading plan and the study on pedestrian connectivity between Wan Chai and Sheung Wan respectively on 29 March and 6 April.

6. The Chairman said that as Members had submitted many papers, it led to longer waiting time before a paper could be tabled for discussion. He suggested increasing the number of agenda items in the next TTC meeting so as to shorten the waiting time. He said he would monitor the number of subsequent papers waiting to be discussed and then decide as necessary on the agenda of the next meeting. If

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Members wanted to submit papers on the same issue, he suggested that Members should first coordinate among themselves and consider discussing the papers together. He also agreed with the request that for urgent topics, Members could ask for discussing them first.

7. Mr HUI Chi-fung asked how many papers would be discussed at the next meeting and whether the information about the papers currently pending discussion could be disclosed, including who submitted the papers and when did they submit them. He opined that it could facilitate coordination between Members. 8. The Chairman was concerned that the TTC would set a precedent by disclosing relevant information and thus influence the practice of other Committees. In addition, with the consent of the relevant Members, he considered that the order of discussions on papers could be rearranged.

9. Mr YIP Wing-shing opined that since there were numerous papers pending discussion, he was in favour of extending the meeting time to cover more agenda items. However, as the dates of the TTC meetings had been confirmed long time ago, he did not agree with holding additional meetings. In addition, he suggested that government departments should submit sufficient information and give precise supplementary details during the meetings, so as to enhance the efficiency of the meetings.

10. The Chairman agreed to provide Members with supplementary information about the papers received by TTC to date after the meeting. Furthermore, he said 15 papers would be discussed at the following meeting.

Item 5: Standing item (i) - Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link (CWB) Project Report on Works Progress(C&W TTC Paper No. 29/2018)(2:39 pm – 2:54 pm)

11. Mr CHAN Tai-chi , Senior Engineer 1/Central Wanchai Bypass of the Highways Department (HyD), briefed Members on the works progress of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) in the Central District. He said that the internal and external works of the West Ventilation Building including the installation of various electrical and mechanical systems and metal roof were close to completion. The green roof installation had also been started. For the Tunnel Commissioning

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Contract, closure of Finance Street fast lane would be implemented for the remaining external works of the West Ventilation Building while Man Po Street would be partially closed occasionally for loading and unloading of construction plant and materials. Besides, modification works on the central divider and edge parapet of Rumsey Street Flyover would be carried out from April to May. Replacement of directional signs or removal of sign gantries would be carried out at midnight for a total of around 6 to 8 nights. He continued that the works had been agreed by the Transport Department (TD) and Police. To facilitate the works, temporary traffic arrangements would be implemented. He added that sufficient instructions would be provided to motorists and the public would be informed in advance of the relevant arrangements.

12. Mr MA Hon-wing , Chief Engineer of South Development Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, briefed Members on the Wan Chai Development Phase II and proposed arrangements for opening of Road P2 and Associated Roads in Wan Chai North. He pointed out that Road P2 and Associated Roads were expected to be completed and commissioned in June or July 2018. A relevant paper would be submitted to the Committee in due course and Members’ views on the relevant arrangements were welcomed. He remarked that the commissioning of the roads concerned would provide a direct route connecting the Central District and Wan Chai North.

13. Mr Jacob TSUI , Senior Resident Engineer of AECOM Asia Company Limited, said that at present motorists from Lung Wo Road heading to Wan Chai North first had to pass through Lung Wo Road, Fenwick Pier Street and Harbour Road or Convention Avenue, Expo Drive, the existing section of Road P2 underneath Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) Atrium and so on. The new section of Road P2 to the west of the HKCEC was a dual 2-lane carriageway connecting Lung Wo Road and the existing section of Road P2. Motorists could reach the vicinity of the HKCEC via the new section of Road P2. Besides, as Road A2 would be commissioned simultaneously, motorists would no longer need to travel via Road P2 and could reach the vicinity of HKCEC Phase II from Lung Wo Road direct by using Road A2. He added that a footpath was provided alongside the new Road A2. Pedestrians could access the HKCEC Phase II by using the existing footpath at Lung Wo Road via the new footpath and crossing facilities. The footpath at Lung Wo Road towards Fenwick Pier Street would also be retained.

14. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’

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comments were as follows:

a. Ms CHENG Lai-king asked about the commissioning date of the CWB.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that vehicles from the tunnel portal outside International Finance Centre (IFC) had to merge into the 2 traffic lanes of Connaught Road Central. However, as traffic was busy on Connaught Road Central, vehicles might not be able to merge smoothly into the traffic on Connaught Road Central from the tunnel portal, thereby causing traffic congestion and even affecting the traffic condition of Lung Wo Road. He asked if a separate carriageway would be provided for vehicles from the tunnel portal. Seeing that Connaught Road Central Flyover towards Central would be demolished under the project, he hoped the department would consider taking this opportunity to solve the aforesaid problem.

c. Mr FUNG Kar-leung said that there were still about half a year before the commissioning of the CWB. In the meantime, the current traffic diversion arrangements had adversely affected the traffic in the vicinity of the HKCEC. For example, there was insufficient space for exhibitors to load and unload their goods at Expo Drive. Thinking that the traffic arrangements in the area was chaotic, he hoped the department would keep the situation in view and explore measures to improve the existing traffic arrangements.

15. Mr CHAN Tai-chi of HyD said that the CWB works in the Central District would be completed earlier than the rest of the project. It was estimated that the CWB could be opened to traffic around the end of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019. He added that the section of westbound bridge on Connaught Road Central near the tunnel portal outside IFC was not within the project boundary.

16. Mr LAI Hiu-ping , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said he understood that the eastbound section of Connaught Road Central Flyover would need to be demolished for the CWB project. He would make enquiry with the HyD after the meeting about whether the flyover could be retained so as to allow space for vehicles from the tunnel portal outside IFC to go direct to the nearside lane of Connaught Road Central Flyover westbound without stopping. [Post-meeting note: The HyD said that Connaught Road Central Flyover eastbound and westbound were 2 independent structures. The proposed change might not be feasible technically as it would involve traffic lane spanning across 2 structures.]

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

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Item 6: The Next Phase of the Universal Accessibility ProgrammeLift retrofitting works at two existing footbridges (Structures No. HF135 & HF6) in Central & Western district (C&W TTC Paper No. 30/2018)(2:54 pm – 3:27 pm)

18. Ms O Fong-wa , Senior Engineer of Major Works Project Management Office of the HyD, said that the HyD consulted the Committee on the next phase of the Universal Accessibility Programme in April and September 2017. The Committee selected 2 existing footbridges for implementation under the next phase at the meeting in September 2017, including footbridge HF135 across Robinson Road near Vantage Park (HF135) and footbridge HF6 across Caine Road near Peel Street (HF6). In September 2017, the HyD engaged consultants to carry out investigation for the above 2 newly selected lift retrofitting items. The results showed that it was technically feasible for retrofitting lifts at HF135 but infeasible for HF6. At this meeting, the department would report to the Committee the preliminary design proposal of HF135 and results of the technical feasibility study on HF6.

19. Mr Emeric WAN , Director of WSP (Asia) Limited, said that HF135 had 2 exits (i.e. Exits A and B) connecting respectively to Robinson Road near Vantage Park and the at grade footpath beside Wise Mansion. It was currently proposed to retrofit a lift at Exit A near East Sun Mansion because the planter alongside the footpath there could be partially removed to make room for the proposed lift. Also, the 2 existing motorcycle parking spaces beside the proposed lift would need to be relocated to make way for a footpath to provide the required footpath width. He expected that a tree in the said planter would be affected by the works. The HyD would discuss with relevant departments about the transplant or replanting arrangements for the tree affected. He added that the proposed lift would be equipped with mechanical ventilation devices to ensure good ventilation inside the lift and maintain a suitable environment for users. He continued that the feasibility of retrofitting lifts near Exit B had been explored. However, the footpath of Robinson Road there was narrow and closure of the footpath was required for retrofitting lifts. Also, the location was too close to residential premises, hence it was infeasible to retrofit lifts at Exit B. He said that if the Committee supported the preliminary design proposal of HF135, the HyD would commence the detailed design. Invitation of tender would commence soonest possible upon completion of the detailed design in order to take forward the construction works.

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20. Mr Emeric WAN said that a technical feasibility study had been conducted on retrofitting lifts at HF6. The study results showed that the footbridge was constrained by the following factors: insufficient space and high pedestrian flow of the footpath; lack of space for road narrowing for the purpose of the works; and too close to nearby residential premises. Hence, it was infeasible to retrofit lifts there. He highlighted the following results of the technical feasibility study: (1) retrofitting of lift at the footpath beside Kwong Fook Building was infeasible. Given the limited space at the footpath there, the carriageway of Caine Road would need to be narrowed down during and after completion of the works to accommodate the lift. Caine Road was a dual single-lane carriageway. Narrowing of the carriageway would result in permanent closure of either bound carriageway, which would adversely affect traffic; (2) retrofitting of lift in front of No. 79 Caine Road was infeasible because it would be too close to a nearby building. Residents of lower floors of the building facing the lift would have problems in opening windows, thus causing severe impact on residents; (3) retrofitting of lift beside Caine Mansion was also infeasible. Given the limited space at the footpath there, the lift had to be retrofitted at the location of the existing staircase. A box culvert underneath the staircase would need to be relocated before retrofitting the lift, but there was no space in the vicinity to accommodate the culvert. Also, traffic would be adversely affected if works were to be carried out at that location; and (4) retrofitting of lift beside Golden Pavilion was infeasible because the existing footpath/staircase was not spacious enough to accommodate the lift. He added that pedestrian survey data showed that the pedestrian flow at HF6 was not high. Most people used the at-grade crossing 15 metres away from HF6 to cross Caine Road.

21. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The main points of Members’ comments were as follows:

a. Ms CHENG Lai-king supported retrofitting of lift at HF135. She said that refurbishment of escalators No. 22E and 23E of Central to Mid-levels Escalator and Walkway System was underway, causing great inconveniences to residents. She therefore strongly supported retrofitting of lift at the footbridge. Seeing that lift retrofitting works took a long time to complete in the past, she hoped that this time the works would complete expeditiously after the proposal was endorsed to facilitate nearby residents’ access to Robinson Road for taking buses. Besides, she understood that there was no space outside Wise Mansion and Caine Mansion for retrofitting lifts. She had paid a site visit with the department concerned to

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Mosque Junction and asked whether the resources for HF6 could be redeployed to the footbridge at Mosque Junction. Seeing that there was no exit at Mosque Junction at present, she opined that retrofitting a lift there could facilitate members of the public using Mosque Junction to enter or exit the footbridge system.

b. Mr NG Siu-hong opined that the tree near East Sun Mansion that would be affected should be relocated. He asked about the study results on relocating the tree concerned. Besides, he worried that the transparent design of the lift would affect the privacy of nearby residential premises. After making reference to other designs of the Government, he suggested adopting vertical greening or using frosted glass to protect the privacy of residents and incorporate greening elements. Also, he considered the paper inaccurate in stating that infeasibility of retrofitting lifts at Peel Street had lesser impact on the public. He pointed out that the lack of lifts was the reason why not many people used the footbridge, resulting in large crowds using the at-grade crossing nearby and causing dangerous situations. Furthermore, he asked about the feasibility of retrofitting lifts at No. 50 Caine Road and progress of the relevant study.

c. The Chairman hoped that efforts would be made to relocate the tree that would be affected. Besides, he expressed regret that HF6 could not be retrofitted with lifts. He asked the department whether new technologies could be employed in retrofitting lifts, such as lifts retrofitted on the deck of footbridge and construction of a footpath next to the lifts.

22. Ms O Fong-wa of the HyD said that if support from the Committee was obtained, the HyD would promptly take forward the detailed design of HF135 and the subsequent tendering exercise so as to commence the construction works as soon as possible. Besides, relocation or removal of the tree to be affected had not yet been finalised, the HyD would discuss the details with relevant departments. Furthermore, she pointed out that no matter what kind of technology was employed in retrofitting lifts, adequate space must be provided at grade to accommodate the lift.

23. Mr Emeric WAN of WSP (Asia) Limited said that using translucent frosted glass for the proposed lift at HF135 was feasible. They would incorporate such element in the detailed design and discuss with concerned Members on the design details. He said that the tree concerned would be preserved as far as possible, but it was necessary to further discuss with the department concerned on the most appropriate arrangements. As regards a Member’s enquiry on whether lifts could be retrofitted to the footbridge at Mosque Junction, he responded that Mosque Junction was not spacious enough for retrofitting lifts. He pointed out that when studying the

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technical feasibility of retrofitting lifts, impact on nearby pedestrians and traffic during and after completion of the works had to be taken into account. He said that there was insufficient footpath space at Mosque Junction to accommodate a lift. If a lift was to be retrofitted, the existing carriageway at the section between Peel Street and Mosque Junction had to be narrowed down upon completion of the retrofitting works, which was not in line with the standards currently adopted for road design. Also, a portion of the carriageway at the section between Peel Street and Mosque Junction had to be closed completely for use as works site during the works period. Mosque Junction was a single-lane carriageway and major thoroughfare for residents nearby, so closure of the carriageway was infeasible. He also said that feasibility of retrofitting lifts at the footbridge near Baptist Church at No. 50 Caine Road had been explored. In view of the current traffic condition of Caine Road, closure of a traffic lane throughout the day during the works period would cause severe traffic problems. Hence, retrofitting of lift was infeasible due to the lack of construction space.

24. Mr NG Siu-hong said that vertical greening had been adopted for lifts in new public housing estates. Thinking that vertical greening could compensate for the impact of relocation of tree on nearby residents and was also a policy supported by the Government, he hoped that the department would consider adopting vertical greening for the lifts. Besides, he asked the department whether new technologies could be employed in retrofitting lifts. He opined that to optimise space utilisation, the footpath near Baptist Church at Caine Road should be spacious enough to accommodate a lift.

25. Mr Emeric WAN of WSP (Asia) Limited said that incorporation of vertical greening in the detailed design would be studied. Regarding the footbridge near Baptist Church, he understood that space could be released to accommodate a lift by changing the current footbridge design. However, on the condition that traffic at Caine Road would not be affected, the works could not proceed because the site had insufficient space for storage of machinery for implementation of works.

26. The Chairman asked if construction by prefabrication could solve the problem of insufficient construction space.

27. Mr Emeric WAN of WSP (Asia) Limited said that prefabricated components were usually used in the construction of superstructure. Construction by prefabrication could not be adopted for foundation works.

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28. The Chairman said that the Committee supported retrofitting of lift at HF135, and hoped that the department would commence the works expeditiously and timely report the project progress to the Committee. He thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 7: Study on Pedestrian Connectivity between Wan Chai and Sheung Wan (C&W TTC Paper No. 31/2018)(3:27 pm – 4:22 pm)

29. Mr HO Kin-sing , Senior Engineer/Covered Walkway of the TD, said that the Chief Executive proactively promoted “Walk in HK” in the 2017 Policy Address to encourage people to "walk more, ride less" to reduce the use of mechanised transport for short-distance commuting, with a view to alleviating traffic congestion, improving air quality and making it an integral part of Hong Kong’s sustainable development. To put the governance philosophy of "Make it connected" introduced in the Policy Address into practice, the TD had engaged consultant to conduct a study on pedestrian connectivity from Wan Chai to Sheung Wan in order to develop an east-west pedestrian corridor to enhance the pedestrian network between Wan Chai and Sheung Wan. The study would also explore how to enhance connectivity of this east-west pedestrian link with other north-south accesses and improve the links between major tourist attractions along and in their vicinity, with a view to making walking a pleasant experience. He said that the department was currently consulting the C&WDC on the short, medium and long-term proposals of the study and proposed alignment.

30. Ms Carmen CHU , Director of Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited (OAP), said that the study aimed to enhance the east-west pedestrian walkway system in Hong Kong Island North from Wan Chai to Sheung Wan. The current design outlined the preliminary connectivity proposals of the 4 footbridge systems, including Sheung Wan to Central, Central to Admiralty, Admiralty to Wan Chai and Wan Chai to Causeway Bay. She said that connectivity of the existing footbridge systems would be enhanced with a view to developing an east-west pedestrian link in Hong Kong Island North from Wan Chai to Sheung Wan. The study would also explore how to enhance connectivity of this east-west pedestrian link with other north-south accesses and improve the links between major tourist attractions along and in their vicinity.

i. Proposal on Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park to Sheung Wan section

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The eastern entrance of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park was less visible because of the Western Water Selling Kiosk located there. Most people did not know this was the main entrance of the park at east side. Hence, it was proposed to widen the park entrance next to the Western Water Selling Kiosk and enhance signage. Feasibility of relocating the Western Water Selling Kiosk would also be explored.

It was proposed to widen the section of waterfront promenade adjacent to Western Fire Services Street and study the feasibility of adding covers or planting trees to provide shade to create a comfortable walking environment.

In the long term, it was proposed to extend the waterfront promenade to a planned internal pedestrian walkway under the Macau Ferry Bus Terminus redevelopment plan to connect with Shun Tak Centre. Pedestrians could use the existing Central and Sheung Wan footbridge network to access Man Yiu Street in Central via the footbridge along Connaught Road Central.

ii. Proposal on Central to Admiralty section It was proposed to widen and beautify the pavements of Des Voeux

Road Central. Improve the connectivity of crossing facilities near Statue Square and

widen the pedestrian crossing. In the long term, it was proposed to link up the future pedestrian

system of Site 3 and plaza access road in front of City Hall nearby with the proposed Central Harbourfront footbridge system and AIA Central.

iii. Proposal on Admiralty to Wan Chai section It was proposed to widen and beautify the pavements of Tim Mei

Avenue and narrow down traffic lanes at major crossings to shorten the pedestrian crossing lengths, so as to encourage the public to use at-grade pedestrian link to access O’Brien Road and the Wan Chai North footbridge system from Admiralty via The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for achieving diversion.

In the long term, it was proposed to link up Fenwick Street Footbridge and Fenwick Pier Street Footbridge by a footbridge. It was currently proposed to adopt the central divider along Gloucester Road to mitigate the visual impact to nearby buildings and avoid affecting the

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beautified at-grade pedestrian link. The westernmost end of the alignment would connect Harcourt Garden and further to the Admiralty footbridge system.

iv. Proposal on Wan Chai to Causeway Bay section It was proposed to improve the pedestrian link at Jaffe Road between

Percival Street and Canal Road. In the medium term, it was proposed to improve the pedestrian link at

Jaffe Road between Tonnochy Road and Canal Road. This included improving the link between Marsh Road and underneath the Canal Road flyover, improving pedestrian crossing facilities, widening pavements and beautifying pavement surface.


a. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai opined that the study would benefit members of the public. He said that promotion of walking was acceptable and suggested that mechanised walkways be installed at some road sections. He understood that the installation and maintenance costs of mechanised walkways were high. However, if the pavements along the waterfront were long, mechanised walkways could be installed in one of the sections to encourage walking. He said that at present, the waterfront promenade did not connect directly to Shun Tak Centre. He hoped that efforts could be made to link up these 2 locations in future to tie in with the development of Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal. He asked whether a path similar to plank road could be built outside Shun Tak Centre. He considered that this was the most direct way to connect the waterfront promenade and hoped that today’s proposals could be implemented as soon as possible.

b. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that some vessels would get water from the Western Water Selling Kiosk. If the kiosk had to be relocated, he hoped that a suitable location would be identified nearby to avoid affecting those people. Besides, he opined that study should be conducted on how to connect the Central Police Station and Shun Tak Centre. He said that at present many vehicles accessed Shun Tak Centre via Chung King Road, where traffic was busy and always parked with taxis. Hence, he suggested expanding the footbridge system near Shun Tak Centre by extending it from Shun Tak Centre to seaside across Chung King Road, so as to facilitate pedestrians travelling between the Central Police Station and Shun Tak Centre. Alternatively, he suggested enhancing the pedestrian crossing at Chung King Road to facilitate pedestrians crossing the road.

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c. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that the bus terminus outside Shun Tak Centre was busy. If the areas along the waterfront were linked up, the number of passers-by would increase. He did not want to see any accidents happened because of an increase in pedestrian flow. Besides, apart from relocating the Water Selling Kiosk at Western Fire Services Street, he suggested relocating the motor boat shed nearby altogether. In addition, he opined that space would be available for widening the pavement by adjusting the planters near the waterfront promenade adjacent to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park. The existing entrance of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park was too narrow. He hoped that the relevant widening works would be commenced as soon as possible.

d. Mr HUI Chi-fung opined that the plan concerned was better than nothing and doubted how many people would walk from Sheung Wan to Wan Chai upon completion of the works. He considered that the Government should enhance the publicity programme to promote walking and provide clear signage. He also indicated that even after implementation of the short, medium and long-term measures, the link was still not a continuous access road. He asked how effectiveness was assessed and about the cost of works. He did not oppose the optimisation of pedestrian crossing facilities, but opined that it would be more attractive if bicycles could be used in the Sheung Wan to Wan Chai section. He therefore suggested that the department should study adding the element of shared space for pedestrians and cyclists to the route concerned. Besides, he hoped that the department would explore the feasibility of setting up a tram-pedestrian precinct between Sheung Wan and Admiralty. In addition, he reiterated that the position of the Democratic Party was that it hoped to preserve the General Post Office (GPO) building in Central and opposed the demolition of it for construction of a deck. He continued that the carriageway at the ventilation exhaust of Western Harbour Crossing was not put to optimal use. The vehicular flow of the road section was very low. He suggested removing the fence that separated the pavement and carriageway to convert the road section for shared use by pavement and carriageway and make room for widening the entrance of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.

e. Mr NG Siu-hong agreed with Mr HUI’s suggestion of enhancing the carriageway at the ventilation exhaust of Western Harbour Crossing. He said that the pavement there was narrow but the carriageway with very low vehicular flow was wide. Hence, he hoped that the design of the road section would be improved. He said that Western Fire Services Street was already wider than before and asked whether the department would widen the pavement further. Besides, there was a difference in levels of about 75 centimetres between the pavement and the adjacent road, thereby raising a lot of dust and sand. He suggested erecting a green or landscaped divider

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during the pavement widening works to provide a comfortable environment for pedestrians. Besides, he hoped that paving blocks of a uniform design would be used for both the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park and the waterfront.

f. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing was of the view that the road sections proposed for enhancement were not continuous. Pedestrians also had to go up and down the footbridges, thereby making it less attractive. He suggested connecting the various footbridge systems, such as connecting the footbridge across Connaught Road Central near Shun Tak Centre and Western Market with the footbridge across Connaught Road West near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park. He also suggested enhancing the Macau Ferry Bus Terminus Sitting-out Area to make room for the pavement and changing the confined sitting-out area to an open one. Besides, he suggested that the department should study how to publicise in order to increase pedestrian utilisation of the enhanced road sections, such as by adding signage or enhancing uniformity of pavement design and so on.

g. Mr FUNG Kar-leung said that the directional signs for the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park from MTR station was unclear and hoped the department concerned would enhance signage. Besides, he supported consideration of allowing bicycles to use the pavement upon completion of the widening works. Reckoning that the study would involve the use of many resources, he hoped that upon completion of the enhancement proposal, members of the public and visitors could use the relevant road sections to reach various destinations by following the signage.

h. Mr HO Chi-won hoped that the department would make reference to Members’ views. He said that he supported the plan in principle but reminded the department to cautiously handle the GPO site in Central. Besides, he said that some people would conduct angling activities at the waterfront along Western Fire Services Street. He worried that the proposed cover would affect angling activities and hoped the department would take note of it.

i. Ms CHENG Lai-king asked whether the internal pedestrian walkway mentioned in the proposal on Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park to Sheung Wan section was part of the Macau Ferry Bus Terminus redevelopment plan. Besides, she said that apart from angling activities, many people would run along the waterfront. She therefore opined that the erection of covered walkway should be handled carefully. Seeing that there was at present no clear signage informing pedestrians about how long it took for walking, she suggested that when erecting signs, the department should set out the walking time required and provide clear direction to the destinations. She also hoped that shared use pavements for pedestrians and cyclists could be

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incorporated in the proposal to promote environmental protection and vibrant Hong Kong as well as to create an enjoyable walking environment.

j. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said he did not know about the whole plan during his earlier site visit with the department and only had a full picture of the plan after the presentation by the department. He was of the view that the proposals were piecemeal without overall planning. According to the current proposals, pedestrians had to walk into the tram lanes on Connaught Road from the waterfront and then walk to the seaside again, and needed to walk up and down the footbridges. He opined that the department should divide the pavements in Hong Kong Island North into waterfront promenade and footbridge system. The Working Group on the Central & Western District Harbourfront of the C&WDC and the Development Bureau had all along been exploring the feasibility of providing a continuous waterfront promenade. Hence, he opined that the study should focus on connecting the footbridge systems in Central and Wan Chai. He suggested that it could start from how to connect the Central Police Station and Rumsey Street footbridge, for connection of the two would allow pedestrians walking from Sheung Wan to Central via footbridge. Besides, many pedestrian adits in MTR Central Station were unpaid areas. Pedestrians could make use of these comprehensive underground adits to reach CCB Tower from World Wide House. He suggested that the department should study how to connect the underground adits of MTR station with the footbridge near the Murray Building redevelopment project and Chater Garden. Furthermore, he said that there was no clear signage for the route at present and suggested that the department should consider providing markings with different colours on the ground so that pedestrians could reach different destinations by following specific colours.

k. The Chairman opined that the proposed route was roundabout and seemed like bits and pieces of something put together. He suggested that the department should study linking up Connaught Road Central Footbridge near Wayson Commercial Building with Rumsey Street footbridge to enhance the footbridge system. Besides, he considered that the existing signage should be enhanced and the department should study improving the locations of street lamps altogether. He said that summer in Hong Kong was hot and underground adits were worth studying. He also suggested installing sprinkler systems to create a more comfortable pedestrian environment.

32. Ms Carmen CHU of OAP said they had been maintaining communication with the WHC and would further coordinate and negotiate with the WHC on widening of pavement. Apart from considering adding covers, she said that consideration would also be given to enhancing pedestrian environment through greening, installing

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hoardings and improving difference in road levels, etc. Besides, they would request the developer of the bus terminus redevelopment plan to provide a 24-hour pedestrian walkway connecting the footbridge and seaside near Shun Tak Centre. In the short term, they would first study widening the pavement of Connaught Road, including the feasibility of removing the fences at the nearby sitting-out area to free up space; and narrowing down the ingress and egress of the bus terminus to facilitate pedestrians crossing the road. She continued that the construction of footbridge at Connaught Road West was technically challenging because there were many underground utilities and the footbridge, upon its completion, would be very near the boundary of the adjacent private development. She said that pedestrian directional signs would be improved, such as adding information on walking distance, etc. She explained that at present the planned road sections were isolated, but connectivity would be enhanced upon completion of the development of Sites 3 and 4. The current proposal was aimed at improving the existing pedestrian environment prior to developing Sites 3 and 4. She added that during the course of study, special focus would be placed on connecting the underground adits in the MTR Central Station and the relevant signage, etc. Since a pavement needed to be 8 to 10 metres wide for shared use by pedestrians and cyclists, or otherwise there would be danger. Hence, incorporating the element of shared use pavement for cyclists in busy town centre areas from Sheung Wan to Wan Chai would be a huge challenge. That said, they would explore in the design stage whether there were suitable road sections in other future development projects for designation as shared use pavement for pedestrians and cyclists, such as the vicinity of Central Harbourfront.

33. The Chairman asked whether there was a concrete timetable for the study and whether Members would be briefed on the study results. He hoped that the department would provide the relevant timetable after the meeting.

34. Mr HO Kin-sing of the TD said that after listening to Members’ views, they would analyse the feasibility of the short-term proposal and carry out detailed design, and would consult the local community in due course. Since it was still at the stage of preliminary discussion, detailed feasibility studies had to be conducted for the medium and long-term proposals. The Committee would be briefed on the detailed design when available.


Item 8: The Peak Tramway Upgrading Plan

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(C&W TTC Paper No. 32/2018)(4:22 pm – 5:20 pm)

36. Ms KWOK Yin-ha , Senior Manager (Tourism) 31 of the Tourism Commission (TC), said that in December 2015, the Chief Executive in Council (CE-in-C) approved the grant of the first 10-year operating right of the peak tramway (2016-2025) to the Peak Tramways Company Limited (PTC). According to the Peak Tramway Ordinance, the CE-in-C must grant the extension of the operating right for not more than 10 years to the PTC if the CE-in-C was satisfied by evidence that the PTC was committed to and was capable of implementing a plan for improving peak tramway facilities and the implementation of the plan would be conducive to maintaining the tramway as an important tourism and recreational facility. The PTC had formally submitted to the Government an application for a second 10-year operating right (i.e. 2026-2035) and an upgrading plan in support of its application. According to the PTC’s upgrading plan submitted to the Government, the PTC planned to upgrade the peak tramway system that would increase its carrying capacity and improve the queuing arrangement at both termini. The peak tramway as a tourism and recreational facility, the Government expected the PTC to continue providing safe and quality services in order to enrich travel experience of visitors visiting the Peak. To enable Members to better understand the upgrading plan, the PTC was invited to brief Members on the details.

37. Ms May TSANG , General Manager of the PTC, said that the PTC had employed consultants to conduct study on the upgrading plan as early as 2012 and submitted the relevant proposal to the Government in 2013. However, as the PTC was only granted the first 10-year operating right of the peak tramway (2016-2025) in 2015, the Peak Tramway Upgrading Plan was therefore formally submitted in 2016. She said that they had discussed with various government bureaux/departments on details of the plan in the past 10-odd months and revised the plan several times after taking into account the different views.

38. Mr Mark Lomas , Project Director of the PTC, said that the major problem facing peak tramway was long waiting times, as passengers had to wait up to 2 hours during peak hours. He said that the peak tramway had been in operation for over 130 years. Over the years, the peak tramway had grown from its initial transportation function to become a world famous tourist attraction. He briefed Members on the history and technical data (such as speed, track length and so on) of the peak tramway, and said that the existing tramcars had been in service for about 29 years since 1989. He

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continued that the last upgrading was completed in 1989, the major changes included a change from manual operation to a microprocessor-controlled electric drive system and an increase in the carrying capacity to 120 passengers.

39. Mr Lomas continued that there was a problem with queuing at Peak Tram termini. The existing capacity of the terminus was approximately 420 passengers, with another some 450 passengers regularly had to queue outside under the flyover nearby. He briefed Members on the benefits of the proposed upgrading plan which included: increasing the capacity of the Peak Tram from 120 to 210 passengers per trip which on its own would reduce waiting times by over 80% and completely remove the queues from the public areas outside the Lower and Upper Termini at present day demand; providing covered and temperature controlled waiting areas for 1 300 passengers through Lower Terminus extension; and improvements to Peak Tram access for persons with a disability. He said that the upgrading plan would further enhance the image of the Peak Tram conducive to maintaining the tramway as an important tourism and recreational facility. However, due to geographical constraints, the upgrading plan would include extension of the Lower Terminus at Garden Road and relocating the boarding and alighting platforms some 70 metres uphill; adopting new haulage system and ropes; widening the entrance to increase its visibility and providing open space for displaying a significant piece of public art; and relocating the queuing area and ticket hall, etc.

40. In addition, Mr Lomas said that cover would be added between The Helena May and Tramway Path. The Helena May had expressed worries that the new design would cause light pollution and privacy concern. To avoid causing light pollution, lighting system would be installed at grade. Trees would also be planted at the boundary to protect privacy of The Helena May. Besides, the Peak Tramway Upgrading Plan would require 2 additional areas of unused, unallocated government land, including the one adjacent to the tramway close to The Helena May and the Tramway Area; and a third unused, unallocated government land to allow the extension of the existing passing loop. He said that the Planning Department raised no objection to the PTC’s proposal to use the sites concerned for extending the passing loop. The existing trees along Tramway Path would be retained or replaced with semi-mature trees. The final decision would be subject to assessment of the health, stability and root conditions of the trees after the concrete pavement was fully exposed. Furthermore, the upgrading plan would improve the access of persons with a disability to the Lower Terminus. For example, new tramcars had wider doors without steps; access ramps would be provided and wheelchair lifting platform would

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be installed in the terminus. He added that the PTC had begun stakeholder engagement with immediate neighbours who might have concerns about the works, including The Helena May, World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong (WWF), St Joseph’s College and so on.

41. Mr Lomas said that the upgrading works were expected to commence in end 2018, subject to consultation with various stakeholders and obtaining the second 10-year operating right, land use right of the relevant sites and approvals from relevant government departments. The works would be implemented in 2 phases. The first phase of construction included the facelift of part of the Tramway Path and the building of the platform between Tramway Path and the tramway itself. After that, there would be a short period of service suspension, and then a Temporary Service Plan would be in place for around 12 to 15 months. The PTC had been in dialogue with relevant parties on the details of the Temporary Service Plan. Relevant government departments had expressed concern about the temporary queuing arrangement. There was at present still one detail to be addressed. The PTC would further discuss with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), HyD and Fire Services Department to ensure that passengers queued at a safe location. He added that the Upper Terminus would not involve the use of additional land. It would undergo renovation and ticket hall relocation to make more space. He concluded that there would be no more long queues after renovation. The Traffic Impact Assessment report also confirmed that there would be no adverse impact to local traffic during the works or after the upgrade, and the TD had no in-principle objection to the assessment report.


a. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai was of the view that the peak tramway was a transport mode that was worth supporting. However, the waiting time of passengers in both the Garden Road terminus and Peak Tower terminus was excessively long and the queuing environment was undesirable in the past. He supported the upgrading plan in principle, depending on whether the plan would have significant impact on other stakeholders. If the plan was accepted by stakeholders, he would have no objection to it. Besides, he requested that the components replaced be preserved for display at the exhibit area to enhance public knowledge of the development of peak tramway.

b. Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan supported upgrading the peak tramway. He

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enquired about the measures and arrangements adopted by the PTC to clear up the LCSD’s doubts about its temporary service and queuing proposal, and whether the LCSD knew and accepted the adjustments made by the PTC. Besides, he asked whether the PTC had applied to the Government for using the 2 areas of unused, unallocated government land. He continued to ask whether the upgrading plan would not commence before approval was granted by the CE-in-C to the application for the second 10-year operating right.

c. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that there were still 7 years before expiry of the current operating right and the PTC intended to apply for the second 10-year operating right. He opined that a 17-year operating right was very long, so the public should be informed of the capital investment, commitment and financing of the PTC and whether the injection of government equity was necessary. Besides, he asked whether the PTC had applied for use of the unused, unallocated government land and about the respective land premium. He also asked apart from enlarging the tramcars, whether there were other measures to increase operating efficiency, tackle problems of passenger waiting time and undesirable queuing environment. He considered that the PTC should increase investment if it intended to obtain the second 10-year operating right, such as constructing more tramways.

d. Mr KAM Nai-wai enquired about the exact locations of the government land which the PTC intended to use and the number of trees to be cut down and replaced respectively. Besides, he asked which parts had been graded by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) and how the monuments concerned would be handled. He wanted to know about the relevant arrangements. He opined that it would not be acceptable to the public if the plan would affect the monuments. He hoped that the plan would address the queuing problem at Peak Tram terminus altogether.

e. Mr YIP Wing-shing reminded the PTC that the upgrading plan should not aim solely to meet the present needs. Besides, he said that the peak tramway was a collective memory of Hong Kong people, and hoped that the PTC would attach importance to the preservation of history and properly retain objects of historical significance.

f. Ms CHENG Lai-king said that at present visitors had to queue up for a long time before boarding the tramcars. Years ago, she had suggested introducing a booking system so that visitors did not have to queue up. She also reminded the PTC to inform all concerned units (including travel agents) details of suspension of the Peak Tram service. Besides, she was concerned about matters relating to monuments. She hoped that the PTC’s plan could meet the requirements of the AMO and other stakeholders, such

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as The Helena May and WWF. She continued to ask about the locations of the unused, unallocated government land which the PTC intended to use and whether the journey time of Peak Tram would be shortened upon completion of the upgrading plan.

g. Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin asked about the locations of the unused, unallocated government land which the PTC intended to use, procedures for application for use of government land and relevant timetable. She asked whether the application concerned required endorsement by the Town Planning Board (TPB). Besides, she said that The Helena May was a declared monument. Although at present the law only required conservation of the building, she considered that the ambiance of the vicinity, including trees, was also worth preserving. She hoped that the affected trees could be preserved as far as possible.

h. Mr FUNG Kar-leung asked the PTC how the estimation that the upgrading plan would reduce passenger queuing times by about 80% was calculated. Besides, he hoped that the PTC would enhance the transparency of the plan and enquired about the overall investment for the plan. He worried that the PTC would pass on the costs of the plan to passengers.

i. Ms NG Hoi-yan said that there were old and valuable trees at the Hong Kong Park near the Hong Kong Squash Centre. She asked the PTC that apart from discussing with the AMO about conservation of buildings in the vicinity, whether they had measures to enhance protection of the affected trees in the vicinity during the works period.

j. The Chairman said that the paper did not provide information about the estimated number of passengers for the peak tramway in the next 10 years. He considered such data very important. Besides, he reminded the PTC to conduct stress tests of various levels and hoped the PTC would provide relevant information. He asked whether the PTC had any contingency plan if the visitor flow had exceeded expectations. He said that at present queuing time was long which might be tiring for visitors. He asked whether the PTC would provide priority seats or plastic chairs to people in need or conduct a study on number tag system, so that visitors only had to arrive at the terminus at appointed times to take the Peak Tram.

43. Ms KWOK Yin-ha of the TC said that regarding the queuing arrangement of the Temporary Service Plan, the TC had conducted a site inspection with the LCSD and PTC and relayed the LCSD’s views to the PTC. The proposals had yet to be finalised as the PTC still needed time to revise them for consideration of relevant departments, including the LCSD. Besides, regarding the additional land costs, during the

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discussion between the Government and PTC on the first 10-year operating right, the PTC had enquired with the Government about the use of additional land for the second 10-year operating right. At the time, without pre-empting any decisions that the CE-in-C might make in future, the Government had conveyed its position to the PTC, including that if the upgrading plan would materialise in the end and the second 10-year operating right would be granted to the PTC, the sum of consideration chargeable for the first and second 10-year operating rights had already taken into account the PTC’s upgrading plan which would cover use of additional government land, on top of the government land on which the track laid, so no additional charge would be levied on the PTC. Request for additional government land would be considered in the context of maintaining the peak tramway as an important tourism and recreational facility, as well as relevant land policies and land availability and proven genuine need for the purpose of the upgrading plan. 44. Ms May TSANG of the PTC said that the PTC would pay to the Government annually a sum of consideration equivalent to 12% of its total annual revenue received in the year as consideration chargeable for the operating right. The PTC was discussing with the Government on the sum of consideration chargeable for the second 10-year operating right. Besides, an estimation on the future demand was made in the plan based on the average growth rates over the past 10 and 20 years and so on. She said that there had been a substantial increase in visitors to Hong Kong since the relaxations on travel restrictions which permitted mainlanders to visit the territory on an individual basis in 2003, so using the average growth rates over the past 10 and 20 years as the basis of estimation had a high degree of representativeness. Furthermore, there was a rapid increase in the number of passengers in the first year following the introduction of new tramcars in 1989, which had also been taken into account in making the estimation. She said that they had considered issuance of number chips to alleviate the queuing problem, but the measure was not adopted because there was not many places nearby for visitors to kill time. Hence, the PTC would in the near future introduce a new ticketing system with functions such as online sale of timed tickets with a view to improving visitor flow management.

45. Ms Carmen CHU , Director of OAP, said that a visitor flow simulation had been conducted for the peak tramway, including analysis of the increase in visitor flow in different periods.

46. Mr Mark Lomas of the PTC used images to show the 2 additional areas of

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unused, unallocated government land, including the one adjacent to the tramway close to The Helena May and the Tramway Area. He said that approval from the TPB was not required for the land application. There were 7 trees at the site concerned. If the health, stability and root conditions of the existing trees were satisfactory, the PTC would like to retain the trees and use design to facilitate their in-situ preservation. He continued that the PTC had yet to obtain the land use right of the site and was discussing with relevant departments about details of application for using the site. The relevant procedures would take time. It was hoped that by the end of 2018, the relevant procedures would be completed and the PTC would be granted the second 10-year operating right and would obtain agreement from relevant departments for commencement of works.

47. Ms KWOK Yin-ha of the TC added that request for additional government land would be considered in the context of maintaining the peak tramway as an important tourism and recreational facility, as well as relevant land policies and land availability and proven genuine need for the purpose of the upgrading plan. Regarding what the PTC had said that application procedures would take time, she explained that this was because the upgrading plan covered a wide scope of works, including infrastructure, civil and road works and so on, and the Government had to adopt the most appropriate approach in granting additional land with a view to ensuring the PTC operated safely in a reasonable and lawful manner for public safety. She expected the Legislative Council would be consulted on the upgrading plan in mid-2018 before the PTC submitted the application for the second 10-year operating right and its upgrading plan to the CE-in-C.

48. The Chairman hoped that the PTC would minimise the impact of the plan on visitors as far as possible and shorten the works period.

49. Mr HUI Chi-fung enquired about the total area of the unleased sites that the PTC intended to use. He also asked about the arrangements for the use of the sites. For example, whether it would be under long-term or short-term lease or in the form of land exchange. He invited the PTC to provide the average figure for the 12% of its total annual revenue and enquired about the PTC’s overall investment.

50. Ms KWOK Yin-ha of the TC said that the 12% per annum arrangement was an agreement between the Government and PTC when discussing the operating right in 2015. At that time, a consultant was engaged to conduct a study. It was stipulated that the sum of consideration chargeable to the PTC annually was calculated based on

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12% of the PTC’s total annual revenue received in the year. She said that relevant data would be provided after the meeting. She added that studies were still undergoing and the land use approach had yet to be finalised. The matter would be subject to the final decision of the CE-in-C.

51. Ms May TSANG of the PTC pointed out that the total annual revenue of the company was public information. The PTC had made estimates on the total revenue for every year in the future and submitted the relevant information to the Government. She said that the estimated investment amount was about $680 million. They were preparing the tender document and had yet to confirm whether more capital was needed.

52. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that he could not support the plan as the requested information was not available today.


Item 9: Request for provision of pedestrian crossing facilities on westbound carriageway of Second Street at the junction of Second Street and Centre Street(C&W TTC Paper No. 13/2018)

(5:20 pm – 5:44 pm)


a. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that the third photograph in the paper showed that road markings of “Look Left” and “Look Right” had been painted on the crossing but there was no cautionary crossing, so he could not comprehend why the TD mentioned in its reply that the current traffic arrangement at the junction was sufficient. Besides, with the high vehicular flow at the junction during rush hours, it was difficult for pedestrians to cross the road. According to the data of the study on Centre Street Escalator Link conducted in 2006, the daily pedestrian flow at the junction was over 10 000 and the peak reached 30 000. There might be a decrease in the pedestrian flow upon commissioning of the Island Line. He continued that there was no traffic lights at the junction, thereby resulting in vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. Also, some elderly people thought that motorists would let them cross the road first simply by waving to the latter. According to data provided by the Police, there were about 10-odd traffic accidents occurred at the aforesaid location annually. Hence, he considered that it was

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necessary to install traffic lights to safeguard pedestrian safety.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming opined that upon commissioning of the West Island Line, there was an increase instead of decrease in pedestrian flow at the junction because passengers heading for the MTR station had to pass through the junction. He continued that commissioning of the Centre Street Escalator Link had attracted more people to use the escalator link to access Third Street. Besides, the Police’s reply indicated that there were about 20 traffic accidents annually and one of the main causes was pedestrian jaywalking. He said that if pedestrians had to wait until there was no approaching traffic before crossing the road, they would have no chance even after waiting for over an hour. Pedestrians not using the junction to cross the road had to go to Third Street and pass through the market first and then use the pedestrian footbridge connecting Centre Street and Sai Ying Pun Market to cross Centre Street. He hoped that the TD would provide crossing aids at the said junction to help pedestrians cross the road.

c. Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin said that she had conducted a site visit with the TD to the said location as early as 2015 and requested the TD to provide zebra crossing and amber light signal. The TD had indicated that the traffic and pedestrian flow was below the provision standard of pedestrian crossing facilities. She continued that there was continuous traffic flow at the location, pedestrians could only wait until minibuses stopped to pick up or set down passengers or use gaps between cars to cross the road. She asked why the TD considered it not necessary to provide pedestrian crossing at the junction.

d. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that the traffic condition at the junction near Sai Ying Pun MTR exit was chaotic and dangerous, and considered that crossing facilities should be provided to restrict traffic movement. He was of the view that the traffic near Island Crest was relatively simple and it was easier for pedestrians to look out for approaching traffic. He opined that a site inspection was necessary to facilitate discussion on how to improve traffic at the location.

55. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, said that cautionary crossings were generally provided with dropped kerbs, tactile tiles and painted with road markings of “Look Left” and “Look Right”. He said that staff had been deployed to conduct a site inspection earlier and they confirmed that the said cautionary crossing was in good condition. If Members identified any defeats, the TD would deploy staff to conduct site inspection again and contact the HyD to promptly arrange repair. The existing cautionary crossing was already a pedestrian crossing facility. As regards whether it was necessary to change the crossing facility

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at the junction to signal controlled crossing or provide zebra crossing, the TD had to consider the pedestrian and vehicular flows at the junction. He said that the TD did not have the latest data of pedestrian and vehicular flows at the junction. The TD would arrange to conduct an estimation as soon as possible to see whether there was a significant change in the pedestrian and vehicular flows at the junction. Furthermore, he hoped that Members could provide the peak-hour pedestrian flow data of the junction to the TD to facilitate data collection.


a. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that the matter had been discussed since 2006 and there was on average 10-odd traffic accidents every year. He asked whether the junction concerned was a traffic black spot. He also asked why the TD considered that the junction had insufficient pedestrian flow and therefore pedestrian light was not required. He understood that the provision of zebra crossing might obstruct traffic, but considered that installing traffic lights could ensure pedestrian safety when crossing roads. He asked the TD whether a pedestrian flow of 30 000 was still below the provision standard of traffic lights. Besides, he was of the view that pedestrian flow survey conducted at any date and time would generate findings sufficient to support the installation of traffic lights. Hence, he considered it not necessary to discuss whether traffic lights should be installed, rather discussion should focus on the location of the new traffic lights.

b. Mr KAM Nai-wai considered that the representative of TD did not understand the actual situation. He said that traffic at the junction was always busy. Vehicles coming from Eastern Street and Hospital Road would enter Second Street, resulting in high vehicular flow. This, coupled with the presence of a market nearby, had caused traffic chaos. He opined that district councillors were well aware of local conditions and had reflected the chaotic traffic condition concerned to the TD in the hope that the TD would follow up. He said that even if the TD agreed today to install traffic lights, the relevant works had to take at least half a year to complete.

c. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that traffic at the junction was busy and there was a market nearby. Several traffic accidents had also taken place there. He said that Members had gathered relevant data and made observations before submitting the paper. He therefore considered that the TD, upon receiving the paper from Members, should conduct site inspection to better understand the traffic condition on site.

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d. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that there were on average 20-odd traffic accidents at the location concerned per year but it was still not classified as a traffic black spot. He enquired about the criteria for classifying traffic black spots. He suggested that the TD should conduct pedestrian flow survey from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.

e. Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin said that the road markings of “Look Left” and “Look Right” painted on the crossing was not conducive to safe road crossing. Moreover, given the high vehicular flow, vehicles would block the road markings. She was of the view that it was hard for pedestrians to find chance to cross the junction and asked whether the TD could provide crossing aids.

f. The Chairman said that since the commissioning of WIL, the number of pedestrians using that junction had increased significantly. He hoped the TD would conduct a pedestrian flow survey.

57. Mr NG Tit-ho of the TD said that staff of the TD had been deployed to conduct survey on pedestrian and vehicular flows at the said junction. He understood that pedestrians had found it difficult to cross the road. The TD would first explore other measures to improve the pedestrian crossing condition before considering installation of traffic lights. For instance, he noted that there might be rooms to widen the footpath nearby. He welcomed Members’ views on the rush hours of the location concerned and said that the TD would review the pedestrian and vehicular flows data and explore measures to improve the pedestrian crossing condition. Furthermore, he said that the TD had to conduct survey on pedestrian and vehicular flows first to see if it was suitable to install traffic lights. He continued that the TD would arrange to conduct the survey as soon as possible and report to Members the data of pedestrian flow in due course.

58. Mr YOUNG Kwok-chung , Officer-in-Charge of the District Traffic Team (Western District) of the HKPF, said that he had inspected the location concerned this morning and considered the on-site situation closely resembled that shown in the third photograph of the paper. He said that locations had to meet one of the following three criteria to be classified as traffic black spots: i) with 6 or more traffic accidents involving pedestrian injuries over the past 1 year; ii) with 9 or more traffic accidents involving personal injuries over the past 1 year; iii) with traffic accident involving fatality over the past 1 year. 2 or more traffic accidents involving fatalities had occurred over the past 5 years.

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59. Mr YIP Wing-shing hoped that the TD would provide the timetable for installing traffic lights. He opined that the TD should promptly respond to traffic concerns raised by the Committee and provide a timetable. He said that if the TD was understaffed, the Committee could reflect it to the Commissioner for Transport or the Secretary for Transport and Housing. He requested a deadline be set for the TD to install traffic lights.

60. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming also requested a deadline be set for the TD to install traffic lights. Besides, he welcomed the TD’s footpath widening proposal but worried that it would attract more pedestrians to use that crossing. After knowing the definition of traffic black spot, he did not wish the said junction to become one.

61. The Chairman invited the TD to provide a timetable for installing traffic lights after the meeting. Besides, he said that the Committee would write to the Commissioner for Transport, requesting the department to face up to the safety issue of that crossing. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 10: Improvement to the queuing situation of residents’ coach and bus passengers(C&W TTC Paper No. 33/2018)(5:54 pm – 6:20 pm)

62. The Chairman considered that the current queuing areas around Connaught Road Central and Edinburgh Place were unsatisfactory. He asked how the bus company would deploy staff to maintain the queuing order during rush hours and how to spread out the bus stops in those areas so as to avoid chaotic situations. Besides, he asked whether residents’ coach (RC) operators would use real-time arrival information system to facilitate passengers.

63. Mr LEUNG Kwok-man , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, said that according to the TD’s surveys, most RCs were residents’ service coach or non-franchised cross-boundary coach. He said that according to observation, those non-franchised coaches would leave immediately after picking up passengers at the stop; while the residents’ service coaches heading for Yuen Long or Tuen Mun only served residents of the housing estates concerned and queuing was generally in good order. At present, RC operators were not required by law to install real-time arrival information system. According to the TD’s surveys, there were about 20-odd departures of RCs to Tuen Mun and Yuen Long during weekday rush hours with a

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maximum capacity of 60 passengers per departure. He had conducted site visit and considered that those RCs did not have a significant impact on the traffic congestion at Connaught Road Central and Edinburgh Place. With the assistance of the Police, the number of vehicles picking up/setting down passengers outside World Wide House had decreased. Only RCs with permit would pick up/set down passengers at that road section and they would not compete with franchised buses for the use of bus stops. He continued that the bus company had deployed staff to maintain the queuing order. On the whole, although space was limited at the pavement nearby, the present queuing situation was acceptable. He said that the TD would continue to maintain close contact with the bus company.

64. Mr Kevin LI , Public Affairs Manager of Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited, said that Citybus Limited (CTB) and New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) had bus stops for 20-odd bus routes at Connaught Road Central – Pottinger Street, but not all of these routes provided whole-day services. He said the bus stops there were busiest from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. NWFB Route 980X and CTB 930-Route series, 962-Route series and Route 981P, etc. provided high frequency express bus services during afternoon rush hours to facilitate passengers getting off work in Central. Since the journey time of routes would vary due to situations on the road, it would be difficult for the bus company to accurately monitor the arrival time of all the routes at en-route stops. However, when determining the service frequency of bus routes, buses of routes with similar destinations would be dispatched evenly from the terminus as far as possible. Besides, where manpower resources permitted, frontline staff would be deployed to the bus stops at Connaught Road Central – Pottinger Street during afternoon rush hours for coordinating buses to observe the bus stops in order to divert traffic flow. He considered that queuing was generally in good order and said that they would monitor the situation closely. He added that instead of monitoring the queuing situation of passengers, the 1 or 2 staff deployed daily to the bus stops by the bus company were mainly responsible for coordinating buses getting in and out of the bus stops, and thus the existing manpower was sufficient.

65. Mr CHAN Hok-fung asked whether the TD had considered grouping the RC stops together so that they would not be located at the same place with franchised bus stops. He said that the traffic condition outside World Wide House was chaotic. Although the Police had assisted in directing traffic, there were indeed too many passengers awaiting RCs and buses. He suggested relocating the RC stops to the layby outside Wing On House or Agricultural Bank of China.

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66. The Chairman added that he had made similar suggestion a few years ago.

67. Mr LEUNG Kwok-man of the TD said that they would actively consider this suggestion. He said that he had reviewed the current operation of RCs with staff of the New Territories district and the TD would consider the feasibility of reallocating the RC stops. He said that the RC stops outside World Wide House had the highest utilisation rate and the TD would explore relocating the stops westward. He added that upon receiving renewal applications or applications for providing additional pick-up/set-down points from operators of non-franchised coaches, the Traffic Engineering Divisions would consider whether it was necessary to change the location of the pick-up/set-down points or suggest combining and spreading out the RC stops. He thanked Mr CHAN for his suggestion and said that the TD would actively consider relocating the RC stops outside World Wide House westward to avoid obstructing the picking up/setting down activities of franchised buses.

Item 11: Request for imposing No Stopping Restriction Zone at New Market Street in Sheung Wan(C&W TTC Paper No. 34/2018)(5:20 pm – 5:44 pm)

68. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that the TD’s reply only mentioned about the objection from some shop tenants to the proposed no-stopping restriction zone (restriction zone) from 0700 hours until 2400 hours at New Market Street, without mentioning that more than 150 residents of Hongway Garden supported the said proposal. When the TD was conducting consultation on imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours, more people wanted to stick to the arrangement of imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours. Also, he presented several photographs to show the traffic condition of New Market Street at around 7:30 pm. He added that what he requested was to impose restriction zone at the “S” shape section of New Market Street junction, rather than designating the whole street as restriction zone. He opined that the restriction zone proposed by the TD should be extended to the junction near the traffic lights. He asked how long would it take for the TD to implement the arrangement after support from the Committee had been obtained.

69. Mr LAI Hiu-ping , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that the TD agreed in principle to imposing no-stopping restriction zone at New Market Street.

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He continued that upon liaison by the District Office, the TD met with representatives of the residents and shop tenants concerned on 4 April 2018. At the meeting, the TD said that imposing no-stopping restriction zone could improve the present traffic condition at New Market Street and the proposal had gained the support of nearby residents. At that time, some shop tenants’ representatives expressed that imposing no-stopping restriction zone would adversely affect loading and unloading activities, while some shop tenants expressed support for the proposal. Shop tenants who supported the proposal were of the view that even after imposing no-stopping restriction zone, there should have other alternative spaces for the use of loading and unloading, thus the resulting impact was not unacceptable. After taking account of various considerations, the TD was of the view that imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours at New Market Street could balance the needs of different stakeholders. If Members had no other comments, the TD would promptly inform the opposed shop tenants and contact the HyD to expedite the implementation of the arrangement.

70. The Chairman invited those members of the public who had earlier applied to speak to speak for 2 minutes. The main points of their comments were as follows:

a. Mr WU Siu-kai , Chairman of The Incorporated Owners of Hongway Garden, said that he spoke on behalf of the 1 600-odd residents and strongly requested the TD to stick to the proposal to impose no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours at New Market Street. He said that 2 accidents had occurred at New Market Street, including the acetylene gas cylinder leakage accident at a construction site and the fire incident in Victoria Harbour Restaurant. For both accidents, the fire personnel had to divert the traffic first due to traffic congestion at New Market Street before they could arrive at the scene to extinguish the fires. He opined that such traffic congestion would pose threat to the lives and properties of households of Hongway Garden, and a delay in rescue operation for 3 to 4 minutes might even lead to casualties.

b. Mr CHUNG Chun-yum , Representative of North Garden Restaurant, said that as shop tenant, he supported imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours at New Market Street. While he agreed that it would be more convenient to carry out loading and unloading activities outside his restaurant, the present loading and unloading activities had obstructed the pavement and even caused noise nuisance outside his restaurant. He said that the discussion on imposing relevant restriction zone had begun in 2008 but the measure had not been implemented. For smoother traffic at New Market Street, he supported imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until

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2400 hours at New Market Street.

c. Mr LAM Chak-chung , Representative of Victoria Harbour Restaurant, said that he spoke on behalf of the pedestrians and vehicle occupants at New Market Street. He said that the pavement concerned was very dangerous because there were often large vehicles reversing at the New Market Street junction and double parking was frequent. These problems had been existing for a long time. He opined that the TD should not tolerate these situations. Besides, more people were expected to frequent New Market Street as a new hotel nearby would open soon. If accidents happened to tourists at New Market Street, Hong Kong’s image as a hospitable city would be tarnished. Although he hoped that a 24-hour restriction zone would be imposed at New Market Street, imposition of restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours proposed by Mr KAM was acceptable. However, he did not accept the TD’s final proposal of imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours. He said that New Market Street was connected to Des Voeux Road Central where traffic was busy. The TD should not allow reversing of vehicles and double parking at Des Voeux Road Central. He opined that the TD had an undeniable responsibility if traffic accidents occurred at New Market Street.

71. Mr LAI Hiu-ping , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that at the last meeting held on 4 April, imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours was used as a basis for discussion. At this meeting, the TD had listened to views expressed by Members, residents and shop tenants about their wish to impose no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours. Although imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours would cause greater impact, he would re-examine the feasibility of the proposal.


a. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that the issue had been discussed for a long time and was relayed to the Police Central District several times. He said that apart from illegal parking and parking in an opposite direction of the traffic, some shop tenants’ vehicles even occupied the pavement for convenience in loading and unloading of goods. Such situations had not only affected pedestrians but also obstructed access of vehicles to New Market Street. He

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said that the Committee had repeatedly reflected this traffic situation and asked why the TD still had to conduct several rounds of consultation. He believed that all 15 Members present supported the proposal and hoped the TD would actively follow up.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that New Market Street was a dead-end. From the TD’s and fire fighting perspectives, New Market Street was an emergency vehicular access and so illegal parking should not be left unaddressed. He said that the street was often filled with litter. He considered that the TD should not worry about the lack of space for the loading and unloading activities of recyclers at New Market Street because they could make use of the lay-by at Bonham Strand for loading and unloading.

c. Ms CHENG Lai-king said it was apparent that the shop tenants considered the situation intolerable because even they themselves did not mind imposing restriction zone. She therefore hoped the TD would expedite the imposition of no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours.

d. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that the department should not ignore the safety of residents in the area simply because of objections from a few people. He hoped that the department would follow public opinions more closely by imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours. He opined that the TD should study how to assist shop tenants in carrying out loading and unloading activities after the arrangement was implemented.

e. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming hoped the TD would provide the implementation timetable for the arrangement. He considered the TD’s reply that it would take pictures of on-site situation afterwards irresponsible because it should have collected relevant information earlier.

f. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that he lived in Hongway Garden and was late for several times due to traffic congestion. He considered the traffic problem severe and hoped that when considering whether or not to impose restriction zone, the factors that the street was a dead-end and fireman’s access would be taken into account and given more weight. He hoped that the restriction zone would be imposed as soon as possible.

g. Ms NG Hoi-yan said that the shop tenants could still carry out loading and unloading activities at Wing Lok Street. Also, New Market Street was a dead-end. Moreover, shop tenants usually operated till 7:00 pm and most

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shops would be closed from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am, so the number of shop tenants affected would be less than that during daytime. Hence, she could not comprehend why the TD agreed to imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours during which more shops were in operation but disagreed to extend the restriction time period until 2400 hours.

h. Mr KAM Nai-wai shared Ms NG’s views. Besides, he reiterated that even if shop tenants had the need for loading and unloading of goods, they could use other parts of New Market Street. He simply requested to impose restriction zone at the “S” shape section of New Market Street junction. He continued that even if the TD agreed to impose restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours, it was still not enough. The zone had to be extended to the New Market Street junction near the traffic lights, otherwise vehicles would park at the junction. He added that to facilitate entry of large vehicles of PCCW to its building, the TD displayed the sign of “Vehicles exceeding 7 metres in length cannot enter” at the middle section of New Market Street. He suggested relocating the sign to the junction and PCCW could apply for a separate permit if it needed to use vehicles exceeding 7 metres in length.

73. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), thanked Members for their views. She said that the issue had also been discussed in the District Management Committee before. She had witnessed vehicles parking in an opposite direction of the traffic and thereby posing danger. In 2016, she conducted a site visit together with representatives of the Police and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, during which they requested the recyclers there to put the metal cages for collecting recyclable materials in suitable locations, otherwise vigorous enforcement actions would be taken. The situation had once improved but was not enough to improve the traffic condition. She said that there were other alternative spaces nearby for use by recyclers as loading and unloading area, so the TD proposed imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours. She continued that departments had to follow the procedures in carrying out consultation, and the TD had received objection from more than one shop tenants against imposing no-stopping restriction zone, including the shop tenants at the Western Market and New Market Street. She agreed that after the arrangement was implemented, there would still be adequate space for the loading and unloading activities of shop tenants. Hence, the department had to meet with the opposed stakeholders and explain to them the importance of the “S” shape section of New Market Street junction and other alternative spaces for the use of loading and unloading. She agreed that since the impact of imposing restriction zone until 1900 hours was acceptable, extending the arrangement until 2400 hours might not be unfeasible. She said that she would

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follow up the matter with the TD with a view to implementing the arrangement as soon as possible. 74. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that the Committee had maintained a consistent position and the District Officer also supported imposing restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours. He therefore suggested writing to the Commissioner for Transport to relay the Committee’s request and hoped that the department would provide the implementation timetable for the arrangement. He requested that the restriction zone be imposed within 3 months.

75. Mr YIP Wing-shing reiterated that he only requested to impose restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours at the “S” shape section of New Market Street junction near the traffic lights, whereas other parts of New Market Street could still be used by shop tenants to carry out loading and unloading activities.

76. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), added that imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 1900 hours was used as a basis for discussion at the meeting held on 4 April. If today the Committee requested imposing no-stopping restriction zone from 0700 hours until 2400 hours, the department was procedurally required to ensure that the residents and shop tenants concerned had been informed of such arrangement in advance. As the process would take a few weeks to complete and it might be necessary to meet with the affected stakeholders again, she said that it would take at least 2 months to implement the arrangement.

77. The Chairman said he hoped the TD would provide the implementation timetable for the restriction zone. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 12: Concern over the safety of the steep section of Aberdeen Street in Central(C&W TTC Paper No. 35/2018) (6:20 pm – 6:44 pm)


a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that Aberdeen Street was very steep. There was a vehicle weight limit imposed at the junction of Caine Road/Aberdeen

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Street to restrict the entry of vehicles with gross weight over 3 tons from Caine Road. However, there was no restriction to vehicles entering Aberdeen Street from Gage Street. He estimated that the large vehicle involved in the accident had entered Aberdeen Street from Gage Street. He said that there were previously 2 street stalls at Aberdeen Street. People passing by had to walk on the carriageway to bypass the street stalls, which was very dangerous. Besides, the PMQ had attracted large pedestrian flow to Aberdeen Street. He hoped that the TD and HyD would learn from this accident and explore measures to improve traffic safety at Aberdeen Street as soon as possible. Furthermore, driving on Aberdeen Street posed potential hazards because of its steep gradient. Although anti-skid surface dressing had been applied at the street by the HyD, it was defective on rainy days and would make the road surface even more slippery. He asked whether the 2 street stalls were relocated permanently.

b. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that besides being steep, Aberdeen Street was narrow. He said that often there were large vehicles parked at Aberdeen Street. Due to the narrowness of Aberdeen Street, it was difficult and dangerous for other vehicles to pass large vehicles parked at road side. Hence, he asked whether the department would consider imposing no-stopping restriction zone or peak-hour no-stopping restriction zone at Aberdeen Street.

c. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that many large vehicles passed by Aberdeen Street because a number of large works projects had been taking place at Aberdeen Street in recent years together with the recycling shops operating there. He had received many complaints from the public about the vehicle-pedestrian conflict at Aberdeen Street. He asked the department concerned that apart from applying anti-skid surface dressing, whether there were other concrete measures for improving the traffic condition at Aberdeen Street.

d. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that several traffic accidents had occurred at Aberdeen Street and considered the steep gradient of Aberdeen Street a difficult problem to solve. Although there was a weight limit for vehicles entering Aberdeen Street from Caine Road, there was no restriction to vehicles entering from other roads. He asked whether the department would consider imposing such restriction. Besides, many tourists would pass by the junction near Lin Heung Restaurant where no crossing facility was provided. He asked how the department would safeguard pedestrian safety at the junction.

e. Mr CHAN Hok-fung considered that driving large vehicles on Aberdeen Street was very dangerous. According to his understanding, large vehicles used drum brake and accidents might occur as a result of overheating of

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machinery, which was the cause of several accidents in the Peak area. He was of the view that the steep gradient of Aberdeen Street might add burden on the braking system of large vehicles and thus vehicle weight and length restrictions should be imposed to Aberdeen Street to prevent accidents. He understood that Aberdeen Street was a main access, but since vehicle weight and length restrictions had been imposed to the Peak area, it would also be feasible to do so for Aberdeen Street. He suggested that the shop tenants should apply for permit from the TD if necessary. Besides, at present vehicles from the Wellington Street junction had priority to proceed straight on while vehicles from Aberdeen Street had to give way. However, as vehicles from Aberdeen Street might not notice vehicles coming from Wellington Street, he suggested that the TD should study the feasibility of giving priority to vehicles from Aberdeen Street to make a left turn into Wellington Street to prevent accidents due to sudden braking. He also suggested installing large reflective sign outside the street stalls where accident occurred to alert motorists in advance to turn left ahead.

f. Ms CHENG Lai-king said that in times of smooth traffic flow, vehicles would have quick and easy access to Sheung Wan from Caine Road via Aberdeen Street. She enquired about the feasibility of widening the pedestrian crossings at Staunton Street, Hollywood Road, Gough Street, Kau U Fong and Wellington Street to provide more space for accommodating pedestrians waiting to cross the road. She said that some members of the public had suggested to install railing at Aberdeen Street, but she understood that it was infeasible because the pavement of Aberdeen Street was too narrow. She asked that since the street stalls at Aberdeen Street were relocated, how the TD would enhance the pavement environment and pedestrian safety for road crossing. Besides, she hoped the department would also address the parking problem of large vehicles of recyclers.

g. Mr NG Siu-hong said that Aberdeen Street was steep and narrow and therefore dangerous. Tourists often stood on the carriageway outside the PMQ to take pictures and they were unfamiliar with the traffic condition there, which was very dangerous. He hoped that apart from installing more informatory signs, the TD would consider widening the pedestrian crossings, in particular the junction near the PMQ.

h. The Chairman said that Aberdeen Street was very steep and not suitable for driving vehicles of 3 tons or above. He hoped the TD would actively consider imposing the relevant measure. He opined that vehicles might apply for permit if necessary.

79. Mr NG Tit-ho , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, said that due to

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insufficient space at Aberdeen Street, it was difficult for the TD to carry out pavement and carriageway widening works. He said that the pavement of Aberdeen Street was on average less than 1.2 metres. Due to insufficient space, space available for use by pedestrians would even be less after installing railing. Besides, shop tenants’ need for loading and unloading also had to be considered. He said that the TD wanted to step up measures to safeguard pedestrian safety but had faced various constraints. For instance, the TD had studied the feasibility of imposing restriction zone restricting the entry of vehicles exceeding specified weight. However, as Aberdeen Street was the major escape route for vehicles on Hollywood Road and Gage Street to leave the area, the influence area would be at large if restriction zone was imposed, especially for the shop tenants in the vicinity of Graham Street Market. Furthermore, after imposing the restriction zone, he estimated that a large number of vehicles would need to apply for permit, which was undesirable as the utilisation of Aberdeen Street would eventually not differ much from the present situation. He said that if necessary, a study could first be conducted on the feasibility of imposing restriction zone at Aberdeen Street during rush hours to restrict loading and unloading activities of vehicles, though opposition from shop tenants was expected. The TD would actively enhance alert measures with a view to improving the traffic condition at Aberdeen Street in the short term.

80. The Chairman hoped that the TD would install informatory signs as soon as possible. He disagreed with the TD’s response that the department would receive many applications for permit after imposing restriction zone. He opined that shop tenants could apply for permit or use smaller vehicles, though their operating costs might increase as a result. He asked if the TD had data on the weight of vehicles travelling on Aberdeen Street. He estimated that vehicles exceeding 3 tons in weight accounted for about 10% of all vehicles passing through Aberdeen Street, and considered that reducing the number of vehicles exceeding 3 tons in weight entering Aberdeen Street could already help reduce risks.

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

a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming did not concur with the TD’s views. He said that if large vehicles had to apply for permit for using Aberdeen Street, the number of large vehicles passing through Aberdeen Street would definitely decrease.

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b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that shop tenants used long vehicles for convenience but had ignored safety in the vicinity. He was of the view that shop tenants could split up the goods for transportation by several middle or small-sized vehicles instead. While this would increase their operating costs, it was worthwhile in exchange for a safe pedestrian crossing environment. He suggested that the TD should study imposing vehicle length and weight restrictions to Gage Street and shop tenants could apply for special permit if necessary.

c. Mr NG Siu-hong said that at the section of Aberdeen Street near the PMQ, from time to time pedestrians would walk on the carriageway because of the large number of visitors to the PMQ and the presence of 2 street stalls on the pavement of Aberdeen Street, which was very dangerous. Also, as the Hong Kong News-Expo would be opened soon, more visitors would be attracted to the area. He asked whether the TD would conduct a site visit and had any enhancement measures.

d. The Chairman said that the street stalls had been dismantled.

82. Mr NG Tit-ho of the TD said that they would collaborate with the HyD to explore whether there was sufficient space to carry out pavement widening works at Hollywood Road. However, he said that the implementation of widening works would depend on whether the works would affect the traffic on Hollywood Road. He said that the TD was open towards imposing restriction zone to prohibit loading and unloading of goods at Aberdeen Street or imposing length or weight restriction (restriction zone) at particular section of Aberdeen Street. The TD would monitor the situation at Aberdeen Street closely and continue to explore measures to improve traffic safety at Aberdeen Street. He would first study the feasibility of imposing restriction zone at particular section of Aberdeen Street and submit the results to the Committee as soon as possible.

83. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), said that she had all along been concerned about the traffic safety problem at Aberdeen Street. She said that she had followed up the matter at the District Management Committee before, and had seen people pushing baby carriages on the carriageway due to the narrowness of the pavement on Aberdeen Street. At present, warning signs had been posted at the concerned section to remind people about road safety and occurrences of the said situation had decreased. She said that she would follow up with the TD on

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providing a safe traffic environment at Aberdeen Street, including studying the feasibility of pavement widening, in order to report the progress to the Committee at the next meeting.

Item 13: Request for improving some minibus services in Central(C&W TTC Paper No. 36/2018)(6:44 pm – 7:16 pm)


a. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that a request was made in the paper to invite the minibus operators concerned to attend the meeting. It was learned from the TD’s reply that the problem of lost trips was due to the operating difficulties and shortage of drivers faced by the operators. He opined that if the operators did not attend the meeting, Members would not know the actual situation faced by them. He asked the TD whether it could respond on behalf of the operators on operational problems and whether it had invited the minibus operators to attend the meeting. Besides, he said that the number of complaints on minibus lost trips received by the TD had increased from 42 in 2015 to 64 in 2017. He considered that the situation was severe and asked the TD that comparing to other minibus routes, whether the number of complaints about green minibuses (GMBs) travelling via the Mid-levels was higher. Furthermore, he asked the TD about the number of warning letters issued to the minibus operators concerned, the number of meetings with the minibus operators concerned and the measures taken by the operators concerned which reflected the ineffective monitoring by the TD. He continued that the TD was not required to suggest minibus operators to timely adjust drivers’ remuneration and benefits. He asked if the performance of the minibus operators continued to fail to improve, what measures would the TD take to penalise the operators and whether the TD would consider terminating their operating rights. He also asked whether the TD had terminated the operating right of operator with poor performance before. He said he had paid a site visit and noticed many people waiting for minibus at the minibus stops, and there was no bus service coverage for some of the minibus routes, thus members of the public had no alternative options.

b. Mr NG Siu-hong said that Conduit Road was an example where there was no franchised bus service coverage. He had received complaints from the public that minibuses were already full when arriving at en-route stops. Coupling with the problem of irregular minibus service, he considered that the situation was severe. He had contacted the minibus operator concerned

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but the operator had failed to follow up promptly. He hoped the TD would follow up and take stringent action.

c. Mr FUNG Kar-leung said that apart from the problem that minibuses were already full when arriving at en-route stops, another problem faced by the Mid-levels was failure of minibuses to pick up/set down passengers at minibus stops, and thus residents were confused about the proper waiting areas for minibuses. He said that minibus operators should be invited to attend the meeting as the TD could not respond on behalf of them on a number of questions. Besides, he suggested that minibus service frequency be arranged more flexibly to avoid lost trips.

d. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming asked that if a minibus operator performed unsatisfactorily and the TD planned to revoke its operating right, whether the TD had any measures to ensure the minibus service concerned would not be affected during the period. He said that although the department had only received about 40 to 60-odd complaints, he opined that there were in fact more passengers affected by the lost trips of minibus services, though they had not made complaints. Seeing that the TD had received such a large number of complaints, he asked how the TD would monitor the performance of minibus operators. He suggested adopting a points system in selecting operators.

e. Ms CHENG Lai-king hoped that the minibus operators would deploy service flexibly for minibus routes via the Four Seasons Hotel. Besides, as there was no bus service coverage on Conduit Road and the refurbishment works for the escalator leading to Conduit Road was now underway, she hoped that services of the minibus routes concerned would be extended to serve residents of Conduit Road. She had written to the TD requesting for enhancement of the frequency of minibus nos. 3 and 3A. She added that she hoped to invite the minibus operators concerned through submission of the paper in order to better understand the operating difficulties faced by the operators.

f. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that the present situation was that the TD had outsourced the services concerned to minibus operators but failed to monitor their performance. He asked whether the TD could regularly conduct site observations to monitor the service standard of minibuses. He said that apart from minibuses, similar situation also occurred for franchised buses. He considered that as the department responsible for regulating public transport services, the TD had the responsibility to monitor whether the operators had provided services in accordance with the contract requirements. He considered that the existing mechanism was incomprehensive, and hoped the TD would enhance the existing regulatory

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mechanism and conduct regular site inspections to ensure that services provided by operators were in line with the tender requirements, so as to help reduce complaints from the public about public services.

g. The Chairman said that the number of complaints from the public about minibus services had been increasing, including the problem of lost trips. He hoped to meet the minibus operators. Besides, he considered that the TD had an undeniable responsibility to monitor minibus services and invited the TD to provide data on complaints from the public about minibus services in the Central and Western District, and asked what measures the TD had taken in monitoring minibus operators.

85. Mr LEUNG Kwok-man , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, said that they had invited the minibus operators concerned to attend this meeting upon the request made in the paper, but was refused by the operators due to various reasons. He said that the operating environment of minibus operators had become more difficult due to minimum wage, increasing operating costs and commissioning of the West Island Line and South Island Line. Hence, route adjustments had been made by the TD together with the minibus operators with a view to expanding the room for survival of minibuses. Besides, performance of GMB operators was regulated by the validity period of the Passenger Service Licence (PSL) issued by the TD, with follow-up work including site observations, fact-finding surveys and requesting the operators to submit operation records, etc. The calculation of points was based on the operating performance, service performance, vehicle quality and service quality (such as the number of complaints received, cleanliness of minibus compartments and service frequency) of minibus operators. If the points scored by an operator fell short of the required standards, it would be re-issued a PSL of shorter validity period at the time of renewal. The TD would normally issue PSL for a period of 2.5 years to minibus operators with satisfactory performance, while minibus operators with substandard performance would only be issued a PSL for a period of 1 to 1.5 years. Those minibus operators had to proactively improve their services during the validity period of the PSL, otherwise the TD might issue PSLs for an even shorter period or cease to issue PSL to the minibus operators during the interim assessment. If a minibus operator was considered to have performed poorly by the TD, the TD would request the operator to provide written explanation, issue reminder letter/warning letter to the operator or meet with the operator. When considering whether to cease issuing PSL to an operator, the TD must take account of whether even more inconvenience would be caused to the public if no operator could be engaged to undertake the relevant minibus service, and whether another minibus

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operator would be able to undertake the relevant minibus service to achieve a seamless handover. Otherwise, passengers might be affected by the service disruption of the minibus route concerned. In addition, since there was no alternative transport service on Conduit Road and the refurbishment works for the escalators were now underway, he would pay special attention to the situation of Conduit Road. He continued that at the initial stage of the works, the TD had noticed that minibus no. 3 still had capacity to serve residents of Conduit Road. The TD would continue to closely monitor the situation. The TD was open towards Members’ wish to meet the minibus operators and could make arrangement, with a view to facilitating minibus operators to exchange views with Members on the difficulties they were facing.

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

a. Mr HUI Chi-fung was dissatisfied that the minibus operators did not attend the meeting. He asked while the Secretary directly invited representatives of the PTC and bus company to attend the meeting, why she had to invite the minibus operators to attend through the TD. Besides, he enquired how many warning letters the TD had issued in recent years and whether it had considered taking any punitive measures. He considered that since the minibus operators concerned did not attend the meeting, there was no way to find out the reasons for their substandard services. Furthermore, he enquired about the validity period of PSLs issued by the TD to the minibus operators concerned in recent years. He opined that re-tendering would be necessary if a minibus operator underperformed, while whether seamless handover could be achieved was a technical problem.

b. Mr NG Siu-hong opined that minibus no. 3 travelling via Conduit Road was already fully saturated. He hoped the TD would actively follow up on the problems concerning minibus no. 3, such as by recording the actual trips to see whether there was lost trip problem and the relevant stopping activities, etc. Also, he asked how the TD would encourage minibus operators switching to use 19-seat light buses.

c. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that minibus drivers had a great responsibility because the lives of road users and passengers were in their hands. Minibus drivers needed to have sufficient energy and physical strength to drive.

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Hence, he hoped that the remuneration of minibus drivers could be improved to avoid accidents caused by fatigue of minibus drivers.

87. Mr LEUNG Kwok-man of the TD said that data on the warning letters issued would be provided to the Committee after the meeting. He said that the validity period of PSLs issued by the TD to different operators ranged from 1 year to 1.5 years. Since the relevant question was not mentioned in the paper, he would later provide the Committee with supplementary information on the validity period of PSLs issued to the minibus operators. He said that the Schedule of Service of many minibus routes stated that minibuses might stop for picking up/setting down passengers at any area which was not a restriction zone. (Post-meeting note: The validity period of renewed PSLs recently issued by the department to General Elite Limited, I Sun Green Minibus Company Limited and Sun Cheong Transportation Hong Kong Company Limited were 2 years, 2.5 years and 2 years 4 months respectively. The number of requests for written explanation made by the TD to these 3 operators and the numbers of reminder letters and warning letters on lost trips issued by the TD to these operators from 2015 to 2017 were as follows:)

Number of requests for written explanation made to operators

Number of reminder letters or warning letters issued to operators

2015 56 32016 61 22017 91 2

88. The Chairman was of the view that the TD’s practice of issuing PSLs with validity period of 1.5 years or 2.5 years was very lenient and needed to be revised. He suggested shortening the validity period to between 0.5 year and 1 year. If the operator concerned failed to improve its services during the observation period, the TD should conduct a re-tender exercise as soon as possible. He considered the existing mechanism of TD ineffective and a review was required.

89. Mr LEUNG Kwok-man of the TD said that issuing a PSL with a validity period of only 1 year already indicated that the operator’s performance was very poor. He said that within a 1-year validity period, not only TD would have insufficient time to make observations and request the operator concerned to improve its service, time might also be inadequate even if the TD promptly carried out tender preparation. He said that tender process took time and it was possible that no company would

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undertake the service concerned. If no bid was received, provision of the service would cease. Hence, the TD had to take account of whether the service would be affected as a result. He said that the TD would monitor operations of the operators concerned more closely in the future.

90. Miss HUANG Hsiao-ching , Executive Officer (District Council) 2 of the Central and Western District Office, said that the Secretariat had been, through the TD, inviting the minibus operators to attend the meeting. She continued that as a normal practice, the Secretariat would invite different organisations to attend meetings upon Members’ request. However, if the organisation concerned did not wish to attend, the Secretariat could not force them to do so.

91. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), said that normally the Secretariat would liaise with the contact persons of relevant companies through the TD in order to invite representatives of the companies to attend meetings. However, for individual companies like the PTC, the Secretariat had got acquainted with its contact person through the TD, so the Secretariat might be able to contact the relevant responsible person direct. This time the Secretariat had invited the minibus companies to attend the meeting through the TD upon Mr HUI’s request and the minibus companies replied that they would not attend.

92. Mr HUI Chi-fung suggested that the Secretariat should take the initiative to invite the minibus operators to attend meetings by obtaining the particulars of the operators’ contact persons through the TD or information gathering. He opined that through this practice, Members could obtain the relevant record from the Secretariat on the minibus operators’ replies to its invitation.

93. The Chairman hoped the TD would arrange a meeting for the minibus operators and Members after the meeting. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 14: Strong Request for Introducing Legislation to Require the Fitting of Seat Belts on Nanny Vans(C&W TTC Paper No. 37/2018)(5:20 pm – 5:44 pm)


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a. Ms CHENG Lai-king said a parent expressed to her the worry that no seat belts were fitted on nanny vans. The parent also asked whether a complaint could be lodged against the absence of seat belts on nanny vans. After referring to the laws, she discovered that no relevant law was currently in place and therefore, she submitted the paper and hoped that legislation regarding the fitting of seat belts on nanny vans could be introduced in future. She continued that when taking nanny van, children were not accompanied by their parents and did not know how to protect themselves. Hence, she hoped that safety equipment in nanny vans could be improved.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming agreed with Ms CHENG and considered that it was necessary to introduce legislation regarding the fitting of seat belts on nanny vans. He said children were still drowsy in the morning when taking school bus, hence he worried that in case an accident unfortunately occurred, the lack of seat belts would result in more serious casualties. He pointed out that children did not know how to take care of themselves, so although there was no relevant legislation at present, he still hoped the TD could look into issuing guidelines to school bus operators with a view to preventing the occurrence of accidents.

c. Mr NG Siu-hong said many public transports had already stipulated that passengers must fasten seat belts. Since no parents were present when children took nanny van, it was essential to introduce legislation to require the fitting of seat belts on nanny vans.

d. Mr FUNG Ka-leung said that western countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand had maintained very stringent law enforcement to protect child safety. For instance, when travelling in private cars, young children must use safety seats and fasten seat belts. He opined that efforts in protecting child safety in cars and enforcing relevant legislation in Hong Kong were insufficient and hoped the department would strictly enforce the relevant legislation.

e. The Chairman said he supported the introduction of the legislation. Furthermore, before enacting the laws, he opined that guidelines could first be issued so as to convey the message of protecting child safety to school bus contractors.

95. Mr LAI Hiu-ping , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, responded that

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he understood Members’ concerns and had forwarded their opinions to his colleagues in the Road Safety and Standards Division. He said the current legislation stipulated that student service vehicles (SSVs) registered on or after 1 May 2009 must be equipped with “Safer Seats”. “Safer Seats” could provide passive protection to students. Overseas research proved that the use of safer seats on SSVs was effective in protecting students. He added that while seat belts could protect students in accidents, they might however prevent prompt egress from the vehicle in case of emergency because students might not be able to unfasten their seat belts on their own. Besides, it might not be possible for the escorts to ensure proper wearing of seat belts by students all the time. The TD had also implemented various measures to enhance the safety of students on SSVs, such as requiring that escorts must be provided for all SSVs carrying kindergarten and primary school students. Moreover, the TD had also issued “Guidelines for Ensuring Safety of Students on Student Service Vehicles” to the trade and had been maintaining close liaison with the trade through regular meetings to convey safety messages.

Item 15: Concern over Progress of the Maintenance Works for the Escalators and Lifts at MTR Sai Ying Pun Station Exit A and C (C&W TTC Paper No. 38/2018)(7:21 pm – 7:32 pm)


a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said he had received complaints from residents saying that the escalators at MTR Sai Ying Pun Station Exit A were always under maintenance. Meanwhile, the relevant notice did not state how long the maintenance works were going to last and their nature, thereby causing disruptions to the public’s schedule. He opined that taking 20 days to maintain the escalators was unreasonable and given that the section of passageway to Exit A was relatively steep, it would be difficult for the elderly to climb the stairs. Hence, the suspension of escalator service would bring great inconvenience to the residents.

b. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing suggested that when one escalator was under maintenance, the running direction of the other available escalator could be set upward, as walking up the stairs was more wearing for residents. He hoped that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) could flexibly arrange the running directions of the escalators so as to facilitate the public. He opined that the MTRCL should put up more signs and deploy more staff to

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guide passengers.

c. Mr LEE Chi-hang said that the public was highly concerned about the safety issue of lifts and escalators. However, the Government was rather passive in monitoring relevant maintenance matters. For example, the responsible person for a lift or escalator had to take the initiative to notify the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) in writing within 24 hours after an incident came to the person’s knowledge. He opined that the EMSD should proactively inspect lifts and escalators in Hong Kong to ensure they were safe. The public had very high expectations on lift and escalator safety. In case of incidents, the responsible person should immediately notify the EMSD. In addition, the EMSD should have a clear grasp of lift and escalator suspension and maintenance matters. He hoped the department could step up efforts in monitoring the examinations of lifts and escalators, with a view to ensuring that lifts and escalators were safe for use.

d. The Chairman asked whether the EMSD had performance pledges. He opined that upon receipt of an incident report, the department should proactively find out the cause of the incident. Furthermore, he asked whether the MTRCL had sufficient manpower to carry out escalator maintenance works in all MTR stations. He hoped that the MTRCL would consider increasing manpower to enhance the efficiency in maintaining the escalators if necessary.

97. Ms Dorothy LAU , Assistant Public Relations Manager – External Affairs of the MTRCL, explained why the maintenance works of the escalator at MTR Sai Ying Pun Station Exit A took longer time in September the previous year. She said when examining the escalator, the contractor found that a large component had to be removed from the escalator and sent to workshop for repair. As the repair works were rather complicated, to be prudent and to avoid affecting the operations of the escalators nearby, the works were scheduled to take place during non-service hours. The escalator had resumed service on 4 October in the same year. During the period, the MTRCL had set the nearby escalator to running upward, posted notices and deployed staff to direct passengers to use the adjacent escalators, stairs and lifts for leaving or entering the station. In addition, regarding Members’ comments about providing more details on the notice of suspension of escalator service and changing the running direction of escalators, she said she would relay them to the colleagues who worked in the station. She added that the MTRCL had in place a stringent repair and maintenance regime to ensure the railway and the facilities inside the network,

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including lifts and escalators in the stations, were in safe working order. Furthermore, all lifts and escalators within the MTRCL network were provided, installed, maintained and regularly examined by registered contractors recognised by the Government. They would undergo routine inspection and maintenance conducted by the contractors every two weeks and would be regularly examined, so as to fulfill statutory requirements and ensure the facilities were safe and reliable. She said when the MTRCL staff learnt that incidents related to the lifts and escalators within the network occurred, or the aforesaid facilities required maintenance, they would immediately inform frontline staff to monitor the situation and enclose the scene. At the same time, contractors would be arranged to examine relevant facilities.

98. Mr FOO Hang-hing , Senior Engineer/General Legislation 2 of the EMSD, said that there were over 66 000 lifts and over 9 000 escalators in Hong Kong. Quoting last year as an example, 400-odd lift incidents happened and most of them were caused by passenger behaviour; only eight incidents involved equipment failure. On the other hand, there were 1 600-odd escalator incidents and the main cause was passenger behaviour; only 19 incidents were due to equipment failure. He further said the law stipulated that the responsible person for a lift or escalator must notify the EMSD within 24 hours after the occurrence of an incident. In case of more serious incidents, the Hong Kong Police Force or the Fire Services Department would also notify the EMSD; therefore, the EMSD could usually arrive at the scene shortly after an incident happened and could conduct investigations to see if the incident was caused by equipment failure or by human negligence. In case of major incidents, the EMSD would carry out in-depth investigations.


Item 16: Traffic Hazards Posed by the Sharp Bend of Borrett Road(C&W TTC Written Question No. 4/2018)(7:32 pm)

100. The Chairman said that the relevant departments had provided written responses to the written question for the meeting. Members were invited to note the relevant documents.

Item 17: Follow up on the Problem of Driving Offences and Illegal Parking Involving Motorcycles of Delivery Companies(C&W TTC Written Question No. 5/2018)

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(7:32 pm)

101. The Chairman said that the Hong Kong Police Force had provided written response to the written question for the meeting. Members were invited to note the relevant document.

Item 18: Any Other Business(7:32 pm)

102. Ms CHENG Lai-king said that when confirming the minutes of meetings earlier, she had missed some details in the minutes. She wished to amend “frequency improvement of GMB Route 23B” to “Route 3” on page 21, as there was no GMB Route 23B at present; and to amend “Entertainment Lane ( 娛樂巷 )” to “Entertainment Building (娛樂行)” in paragraph 5(m) on page 7.

103. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming pointed out that Mr HUI had requested discussing 15 papers in each TTC meeting at the beginning of the meeting. However, ten papers were tabled at the present meeting and the discussion already lasted till 7:30 pm; while for multiple times, Mr HUI had left right after the papers he submitted had been discussed. As such, Mr YEUNG opined that adding agenda items was unfair to other Members, as Members also had other public commitments to attend to after the meeting, such as meetings with residents. He hoped other Members could voice their opinions regarding whether 15 papers should be discussed as requested by Mr HUI, having regard to the circumstance that Mr HUI left the meeting early.

104. Mr CHAN Hok-fung agreed with Mr YEUNG Hok-ming and asked how the Chairman would handle the situation. He said Mr HUI wanted to extend the duration of the meeting but was absent from the scene, so he suggested that the meeting be adjourned if Mr HUI was not present.

105. The Chairman said the requirement of quorum must be met before commencing or continuing a meeting. Furthermore, discussion on a paper could only be held with the presence of the Member who submitted the paper.

106. Mr LEE Chi-hang hoped that the Chairman would make reference to past meetings and consider whether so many items could be discussed in one single TTC meeting. He also suggested combining related issues. In addition, he opined that the Chairman should consider whether it was necessary to reserve 45 minutes to discuss

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every paper submitted by a government department, because if the department could provide sufficient information, time spent on presenting the paper could be shortened.

107. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming opined that thorough discussion was necessary but the meeting should not be extended on account of a request raised by a Member who left early. He opined that it was unfair to ask other Members, colleagues from the government departments and the District Office to attend the extended meeting just to satisfy the request of a Member who was not present. Since Mr HUI left the meeting early, he did not accept Mr HUI’s proposal of adding agenda items. He invited the Chairman to make a decision.

108. The Chairman said he was unable to control whether a Member would stay at the meeting and he would relay Mr YEUNG Hok-ming’s comment to Mr HUI.

109. Mr CHAN Hok-fung suggested that papers submitted by Mr HUI should only be discussed towards the end of the meeting.

110. The Chairman said he would advise Mr HUI to attend meetings. He announced that the next TTC meeting would be held on 7 June 2018. The paper submission deadline for government departments would be 16 May 2018, while that for Members would be 23 May 2018.

111. The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 pm.

The minutes were confirmed on 7 June 2018

Chairman: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, MH

Secretary: Miss HUANG Hsiao-ching, Yuki

Central and Western District Council Secretariat

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June 2018

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