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Minutes of the 3rd Meeting ofTraffic and Transport Committee (2014-15)

Central and Western District Council

Date : 19 June 2014 (Thursday)

Time : 2:30 pm

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

Present: ChairladyMs CHENG Lai-king*

Vice-ChairmanMr HUI Chi-fung*

MembersMr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP*Mr CHAN Choi-hi (2:30 pm – 6:24 pm)Mr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph (2:46 pm – 6:33 pm)Mr CHAN Hok-fung*Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan (2:40 pm – 3:20 pm)

(5:10 pm – end of the meeting)Mr CHEUNG Yick-hung, Jackie (2:30 pm – 6:28 pm)Mr IP Kwok-him, GBS, JP (3:12 pm – 4:39 pm)Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH*Dr Malcolm LAM (2:35 pm – 6:24 pm)Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney (2:36 pm – end of the meeting)Miss LO Yee-hang (2:45 pm – 6:33 pm)Miss SIU Ka-yi*Mr MAN Chi-wah, MH (3:38 pm – end of the meeting)Mr NG Siu-keung, Thomas, MH, JP (2:32 pm – 6:30 pm)Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP (2:30 pm – 6:23 pm)

Co-opted MembersMr CHAN Tsz-kwan*Mr CHAN Wing-ho*Mr LEE Ching-hang (2:30 pm – 3:23 pm)Mr LEUNG King-yue, Alex (2:30 pm – 6:41 pm)Mr WONG Sai-kit (2:30 pm – 6:41 pm)Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing*

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

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GuestsItem 4(i)Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu Senior Engineer 2/Central Wanchai Bypass,

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

Company LimitedMr LAU Wai-tang Project Manager, Leighton Contractors (Asia)

Limited

Item 4(ii)Mr NG Hon-lai, Patrick Chief Transport Officer/Bus and Railway

Branch, Transport DepartmentMr CHIU Ho-ming, Curtis Senior Transport Officer/Bus and Railway

Branch, Transport DepartmentMr Mistral SIN Manager (Planning), Citybus Limited/New

World First Bus Services LimitedMr Calvin WONG Planning Officer, Citybus Limited/New World

First Bus Services LimitedMs Penny CHUNG Public Affairs Officer, Citybus Limited/New

World First Bus Services LimitedMr Brian CHEUNG Manager (Community Affairs), The Kowloon

Motor Bus Co. (1933) LimitedMs Peggy WONG Assistant Manager (Planning and Development),

The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Limited

Item 5Mr LAU Wing-keung Senior Engineer/Consultants Management 6,

Water Supplies DepartmentMr LEE Kin-wai Engineer/Consultants Management 11, Water

Supplies DepartmentMr CHAN Wai-tong, Tommy Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia

Company LimitedMr CHOW Man-chung, Chris Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company

Limited

Item 6Mr CHAN Kin-kwong Deputy Project Team Leader/Universal

Accessibility Programme, Civil Engineering and Development Department

Mr LI Chi-wa Technical Director, Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Ltd

Item 7Mr LAM Shu-kee, Philip Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMr CHAN Kwong-ming Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 8

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Miss LEUNG Cheuk-lam, Shirley Engineer/Central and Western 3, Transport Department

Mr CHAN Kwong-ming Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 9Mr LOK Chun-chung, Francis Engineer/Central and Western 1,






Item 11Mr WAI Hon-kwok Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/

Southern and Peak, Transport DepartmentMr LO Kai-kwei, Richard Senior District Engineer/Hong Kong Northwest,

Highways Department

Item 12Mr LAM Shu-kee, Philip Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMr CHEUNG Chi-wai District Operations Officer (Central District),

Hong Kong Police ForceMr CHAN Kwong-ming Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr Anthony P. SOUGHAN Representative of Resident Concern Group of

Traffic on Lyttelton Road

Item 13Miss TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr David WONG Operations Manager, Hong Kong Tramways

Limited


Transport DepartmentMr Chapman LAM Director, MVA Hong Kong LimitedMr Benson POON Young Planners Group, Hong Kong Institute of

PlannersMs PONG Yuen-yee Hong Kong Institute of PlannersMr David WONG Operations Manager, Hong Kong Tramways

Limited

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In Attendance:Miss CHOW Ho-kiu, Cheryl, JP District Officer (Central and Western)Mr CHAN Yun-man, Winston Assistant District Officer (Central and Western)Ms WONG Ming-wai Senior Executive Officer (District Council),

Central and Western District OfficeMs YEUNG Lai-ching, Regent Senior Executive Officer (District Management),

Central and Western District OfficeMiss TSUI Shuk-ting, Yvonne Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMr LOK Chun-chung, Francis Engineer/Central and Western 1,

Transport DepartmentMr LAM Shu-kee, Philip Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMiss LEUNG Cheuk-lam, Shirley Engineer/Central and Western 3,

Transport DepartmentMr WAI Hon-kwok Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern

and Peak, Transport DepartmentMr LO Kai-kwei, Richard Senior District Engineer/Hong Kong Northwest,

Highways DepartmentMr CHAN King-sze, Gavin Engineer 7, Civil Engineering and Development

DepartmentMr CHAN Kwong-ming Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr LEE Jim-on District Operations Officer (Western District),

Hong Kong Police ForceMr LAU Wing-fu Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force

SecretaryMiss CHUNG Yeuk-hung Executive Officer (District Council) 2,

Central and Western District Office

Absent with Apologies:Mr WONG Kin-shingMr CHAN Chi-ming, Lawrence Senior Engineer/Central and Western, Transport

DepartmentMr CHEUNG Chi-wai District Operations Officer (Central District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Welcome Remarks

The Chairlady welcomed Members and representatives from government departments to the 3rd meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2014-15).

Item 1: Adoption of the Agenda

2. As there were no comments from Members, the agenda was adopted.

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Item 2: Confirmation of the Minutes of the 2nd TTC Meeting on 10 April 2014

3. The Committee confirmed the minutes of the 2nd meeting of the TTC.

Item 3: Chairlady’s Report

4. As regards the selected Minor Works Projects and their schedules (as of mid-May 2014), the Secretariat had distributed the report to Members for their perusal before the meeting and had forwarded the views of Members to the Transport Department (TD) and the Highways Department (HyD) for follow-up action.

Item 4(i): Standing item: Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link – Report on the Progress of the Central Interchange Project(C&W TTC Paper No. 25/2014)

(2:31 pm – 2:42 pm)

5. Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu, Senior Engineer 2/Central Wanchai Bypass of the HyD, reported on the works progress of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link - the Central Interchange project. He said that major works carried out in the past six months included works of the tunnel and its link roads, and the widening and construction of flyovers. The tunnel structure works were expected to complete by the end of 2014. The HyD expected that the original alignment of Man Yiu Street would resume and the eastern section of Man Po Street would re-open in the fourth quarter of 2014 while the two current temporary roads would be closed. He briefed Members on the layout design of the west ventilation building (WVB) and said that Members could refer to C&WDC FEHWC Paper no. 26/2011 for the detailed design.

6. The Chairlady invited discussion on the paper. The enquiries and views of Members were as follows:

(a) The Chairlady asked the HyD about the date of commissioning of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and the height of the WVB.

(b) Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that a ferris wheel would be constructed in the vicinity of the harbourfront and many activities would be held in Site 4. He proposed an extension of the existing pedestrian footbridge system to clear the pedestrian flow of at grade pedestrian crossings to facilitate public access.

(c) Mr CHAN Choi-hi opined that the HyD’s progress report was too brief and requested the department to provide the interim schedule of the works.

7. Mr CHIU Cheuk-siu said that the works of the Central Interchange were expected to complete in the third quarter of 2016, while the Central-Wan Chai Bypass was expected to open for traffic in 2017. He would provide the information about the actual height of the WVB after the meeting and undertook to provide the latest works schedule for Members’ perusal at the next meeting. He pointed out that Mr CHAN Hok-fung’s suggestion was not within the scope of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass project.

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8. The Chairlady thanked the guests for attending the meeting.Item 4(ii): Public Transportation Re-organisation Plans to tie in with the

Commissioning of the West Island Line(C&W TTC Paper No. 26/2014)

(2:42 pm – 3:23 pm)

9. Mr Patrick NG, Chief Transport Officer/Bus and Railway Branch of the TD, said that the TD had reported to Members the latest Public Transportation Re-organisation Plans (PT plans) to tie in with the commissioning of the West Island Line (WIL) and South Island Line (East) at the 2nd meeting of the TTC on 10 April 2014. The details were stated in C&W TTC Paper Nos. 18/2014 and 19/2014. The TD had discussed with the bus company Members’ views on the proposals under the PT plans after the 2nd meeting. The TD’s response was set out in C&W TTC Paper no. 26/2014.

10. Mr Curtis CHIU, Senior Transport Officer/Bus and Railway Branch of the TD, indicated that the TD would implement the PT plans by phases in accordance with the progress and the expected date of commissioning of the WIL. He briefed Members on the latest proposals of the PT plans as follows:

(i) Re-organisation of Routes 1, 5 and 5X The bus company would retain the proposal of providing three trips of route 5P running from Kennedy Town to Wan Chai North during the morning peak hours of weekdays. The bus frequency of route 5P would be strengthened or adjusted according to the actual situation in future. The TD proposed to extend route 1 to Mount Davis. Residents of Sai Ying Pun and Shek Tong Tsui could continue to use routes 1, 5B, 7 or 10 to travel to Central.

(ii) Re-organisation of Routes 2, 18, 18P and 18X The TD would retain the amalgamation of route 18 with routes 2, 18P and 18X. Routes 2 and 18P would be re-routed. After the commissioning of the WIL, the service of the North Point-bound route 18P would be extended to 11 pm.

(iii) Re-organisation of Routes 3B, 12M and 13 The TD proposed to retain the amalgamation of route 3B with 12M and 13. Mid-Levels residents could take routes 12, 12M, 13 or 23 instead. The TD proposed to divert the Central-bound route 13 via the whole section of eastbound Robinson Road and to terminate the route at the Exchange Square. Nevertheless, the TD would collect views from the public and Members to consider the feasibility of other re-routeing options.

(iv) Re-organisation of Routes 40 and 40M The TD proposed to amalgamate route 40M with 40. To tie in with the arrangement, the Central-bound route 13 would be diverted via Robinson Road. The bus company would offer an Octopus bus-bus interchange concession (BBI concession) for passengers changing between routes 40 and 12M and between 12 and 12M to residents travel between the Mid-Levels and Central District.

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(v) Re-organisation of Routes 43X, 46X, 70, 70M and M47 As the extension of route 43M to Sheung Wan would impair its function as a feeder bus route and operational efficiency, the TD would retain the proposal of using the route as a circular route plying between Tin Wan and Shek Tong Tsui area. The bus company would also retain the provision of Octopus BBI concession for passengers of route 43M changing to routes 1, 5B and 10.

(vi) Re-organisation of Routes 104 and 113 The TD would retain the proposal of truncating routes 114 and 113 under which the two routes would terminate at Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal in Central. The TD had noted the requests of Members to strengthen the service of route 101X. The bus company was actively following up the proposal of strengthening the service of the route from the aspect of resource allocation.

(vii) Re-organisation of Routes 103 and 103P The TD proposed to retain route 103P and would discuss with the bus company the feasibility of adjusting the service hours of the route. As the catchment area of route 103 covered various districts, the TD would balance the needs of passengers of various districts and continue to study the feasibility for route 103 to bypass Causeway Bay.

11. Mr Curtis CHIU said that the TD was following up the feasibility of providing en-route stops for bus routes travelling to the vicinity of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park. The TD and the operator of green minibus (GMB) route 45A would monitor closely the service of the route upon commissioning of the WIL and would follow up as appropriate to cater for the needs of passengers.


(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung stressed that the PT plans must be implemented by phases only when the WIL was fully opened. He reiterated that the department must enhance the service of route 101X to whole-day service before terminating routes 104 and 113 at Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal in Central. Moreover, he suggested the department extend the service of route 43M to Shun Tak Centre and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park area in Sheung Wan to provide bus service to and from the Southern District for residents of Sai Ying Pun and Shek Tong Tsui.

(b) Mr KAM Nai-wai requested the TD to undertake to implement the PT plans having regard to the actual situation three months after the commissioning of the WIL. He referred to the results of the questionnaire survey he conducted in Sheung Wan. Seventy percent of the respondents objected to the cancellation of routes 5, 5S and 18 and the truncation of routes 104 and 113. He opined that the department should convince the public with actual data upon commissioning rather than anticipating in the abstract the change in the ridership of various routes.

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(c) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai agreed that the TD should relocate the terminus of route 13 to the Exchange Square. However, if the route was further adjusted so that the Mid-Levels-bound trips were diverted via Garden Road and Robinson Road, members of the public would not be able to travel to Kotewall Road or Conduit Road by taking route 13 at the MTR station on Bonham Road. Thus he had reservation about the proposal.

(d) Mr Sidney LEE pointed out that Members had repeatedly requested the TD to promise to implement the PT plans having regard to the actual situation only upon commissioning of the WIL, but the department had still failed to do so. He said that the TD had not amended the PT plans or introduced any corresponding measures having regard to the delay of WIL works. He requested the department to give further explanations.

(e) Mr CHAN Choi-hi opined that the TD was ambiguous in its position and requested the department to promise to implement the PT plans three to six months after the commissioning of the WIL. He objected to the cancellation of route 18 and requested that route 5X be diverted via the Shek Tong Tsui area and the original routes of routes 104 or 113 be retained to meet the traffic demand of residents in that area. He also requested the TD to make public the existing bus service data as soon as possible and submit the data after the commissioning of the WIL in late 2014 to Members for comparison.

(f) Miss SIU Ka-yi pointed out that she had repeatedly requested the TD to provide actual data to convince Members to accept the PT plans, but the department had yet to provide any data to date. She worried that residents in the vicinity of Caine Road and Bonham Road would be affected by the re-organisation of route 13. She requested the department to provide the number of people affected in the Mid-Levels area and provide alternative transport services to residents in the area, or else she would object to the re-organisation of route 13. She reiterated that there were already many bus routes in Causeway Bay travelling to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel at Hung Hom (CHT) at present. She urged the department to truncate route 103 so that residents of the Mid-levels could go to the CHT directly without travelling to Causeway Bay.

(g) Miss LO Yee-hang requested the TD to implement the PT plans only after the WIL was in full operation. She pointed out that both the residents of the Central and Western (C&W) District and Eastern District objected to the cancellation of route 18. She opined that route 18 could not be replaced by other bus service upon its cancellation and urged the department to consider retaining the route.

(h) Mr Jackie CHEUNG supported the truncation of route 13. He opined that short-working circular routes were needed for Mid-Levels residents to travel between the Mid-Levels and Central. However, as route 13 would not travel to the heart of Central after its re-organisation, he requested the TD to strengthen the services of routes 12 and 12M, or even consider operating a new short-working circular route travelling to the Central District via Caine

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Road so as to satisfy the transport needs of residents on Caine Road. He pointed out that the existing eastbound route 13 would travel to Castle Road and Caine Road. He urged the TD to ensure that residents at Caine Road would be compensated for other bus services after the re-organisation of route 13. He also requested that route 13 be diverted via Seymour Road to Robinson Road for the convenience of residents at Seymour Road. In addition, since route 13 would be truncated, he suggested that the bus company lower the fare of the route to $4.3 to put it on a par with routes 12 and 12M. Moreover, Mr CHEUNG again requested the TD to advance the departing time of the second trip of route 103P for 10 minutes so as to tally with the time residents going to work and to school. He also suggested truncating route 103, or making route 103P a regular circular route plying between the Mid-Levels and CHT. He requested the TD to implement the PT plans at least three months after the commissioning of the WIL.

(i) Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing indicated that the TD only said they would consider Members’ opinion without making any firm commitments. It did not put forward any compensation proposals for the proposed cancellation of route 43X to the affected residents either. He urged the TD to introduce a whole-day service for route 101X before terminating routes 104 and 113 at Hong Kong – Macau Ferry Terminal in Central and to implement the PT plans only after the full opening of the WIL.

(j) Dr Malcolm LAM was disappointed with the response of the TD that the department had ignored the opinion expressed by Members at the previous meeting. He requested the TD to conduct a three-month traffic survey after the commissioning of the WIL and implement the PT plans in accordance with the data collected. He stated that being a route along the tram route, route 18 had its specific passenger groups such as the elderly persons in the district. He urged the TD to formulate the PT plans with a human-oriented approach and to retain route 18.

(k) The Chairlady said that the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited had prepared backup plans for the delay in the works of the WIL, for instance, skipping Sai Ying Pun Station when the WIL opened. She enquired about the contingency plans and strategies of the TD and the bus company, and requested the TD to undertake not to implement the PT plans before the full commissioning of the WIL. In addition, she reiterated that Mid-Levels residents would not benefit from the WIL, so the bus routes for the Mid-Levels should not be cancelled due to the commissioning of the WIL. She objected to the amalgamation of routes 40 with 40M and the proposal that route 13 would skip the eastern section of Caine Road after re-organisation. She opined that the proposals would take the bus services from Queen Mary Hospital to the Mid-Levels and from the Mid-Levels to Caritas Community Centre - Caine Road respectively from Mid-Levels residents. She requested the TD to implement the PT plans by phases in light of the actual situation and data three to six months after the commissioning of the WIL in order to avoid messing up the traffic of the district.

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13. Mr Patrick NG referred to Annex 14 of C&W TTC Paper no. 18/2014, saying that all changes mentioned in the PT plans would be implemented by phases only after the commissioning of the WIL. In regard to the delay in the WIL works, he indicated that the TD understood Members’ request for implementing the PT plans after the full commissioning of the WIL and that they would review the implementation schedule of the PT plans with the bus company. He reiterated that the travelling demand and pattern of residents in the district would change after the commissioning of the WIL. Therefore, the TD had to reorganise the transport services of the district, retain some alternative services taken by passengers and provide BBI concessions. Even after the cancellation of some Mid-Levels bus routes, residents in the vicinity of Castle Road and Robinson Road could still travel between Pok Fu Lam and Southern District by taking buses with BBI concessions. He said that the TD had been discussing with the bus company how to optimise the service of route 13. The bus company would also proactively study deploying resources to enhance the service of route 101X.

14. In response to Mr CHAN Choi-hi’s views, Mr Patrick NG pointed out that the TD would conduct a survey on the services and passenger volume of buses and GMBs. Since the travelling pattern of the public during the summer holiday would change, the TD suggested conducting a survey for data collection before the commissioning of the WIL in due course. They would also conduct a transportation service survey after the commissioning of the WIL in order to compare the changes in traffic demand before and after the commissioning of the WIL. He said that the TD had noted Members’ opinion on the routeing of route 13 and would continue discussion with the bus company and the Councillors of the constituency concerned.

15. Mr Mistral SIN , Manager (Planning) of the Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited, said that the bus company would continue to collect the opinion of Members and the public on Mid-Levels bus services and study if their proposals were feasible. They would also study with the TD ways to revise the PT plans to try to satisfy the needs of Mid-Levels residents.

16. The Chairlady thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 5: Temporary Traffic Management Scheme for Water Mains Replacement Work at Bonham Road(C&W TTC Paper No. 27/2014)

(3:23 pm – 4:12 pm)

17. Mr LAU Wing-keung , Senior Engineer/Consultants Management 6 of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), indicated that after discussing with the departments concerned, the WSD considered that the traffic volume of the Bonham Road area was relatively low during the summer holiday and that Bonham Road could be closed under a 24-hour temporary traffic management scheme (TTMS) for the replacement of aged water mains in order to minimise the risk of main bursts in future. He pointed out that the proposed works included the replacement of a DN250 fresh water pipe and the laying of a new DN150 salt water pipe. It was expected that the works would last for approximately seven weeks from mid-July 2014 to late-August 2014. Stage 1 of the works involved the 180m carriageway of Bonham Road between Hing Hon Road and Western Street, with a construction period of approximately four weeks. Stage 2 involved the 90m carriageway of Bonham Road between Western Street and

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Good View Court, with a construction period of approximately three weeks.

18. Mr Chris CHOW , Resident Engineer of AECOM Asia Company Limited, briefed Members on the TTMS for the water mains replacement work at Bonham Road as follows:

(i) Signs would be erected at the junction of Des Voeux Road West and Western Street to divert vehicles to go southward via Pok Fu Lam Road, instead of going to Pok Fu Lam Road via Bonham Road

(ii) Signs would be erected at Pok Fu Lam Road near Yum Pak Building to divert vehicles to Central via the Hill Road flyover so as to reduce the traffic volume on Bonham Road.

(iii) Bonham Road would be converted to one-lane two-way traffic for the whole day during the works. Only GMBs or buses at Pok Fu Lam northbound were allowed to enter the Bonham Road flyover. Other vehicles including taxis had to go to Bonham Road or other places via Third Street and Western Street.

(iv) Heavy vehicles over 5.5 tonnes could travel to Queen’s Road West via Third Street (the section west of Pok Fu Lam Road), Kwong Fung Lane and Water Street.

(v) Signs would be erected at Babington Path to divert vehicles to the Western District via Lyttelton Road, Breezy Path, Hospital Road and Second Street so as to reduce the traffic volume of Honiton Road and Bonham Road. Signs would be erected to divert vehicles to Central via Lyttelton Road or Breezy Road.

(vi) If necessary, the traffic at the junction of Bonham Road/Pok Fu Lam Road, Pok Fu Lam Road/High Street, Third Street/Pok Fu Lam Road, Third Street/Western Street, and Bonham Road/Park Road would be controlled by manually-operated traffic lights or Go/Stop signs. The traffic signals at the junction of Bonham Road with Western Street and Honiton Road would be suspended and its traffic would be controlled by Go/Stop signs or temporary traffic lights manually on a 24-hour basis.

(vii) A 24-hour no-stopping restriction (NSR) would be imposed at Third Street (the section west of Water Street) and Western Street outside King’s College.

(viii) During stage 1 of the works, vehicles would be prohibited to enter Bonham Road from Honiton Road, East Gate of the University of Hong Kong or Prospect Place. Stops for buses and GMBs near East Gate of the University of Hong Kong would be relocated westward to St. Paul’s College at Bonham Road. A 24-hour NSR would be imposed at the one-lane two-way section of Bonham Road.

(ix) During stage 2 of the works, stops for buses and GMBs outside Good View Court would be relocated eastward to Bonham Road near Centre Street. A

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24-hour NSR would be imposed at the one-lane two-way section of Bonham Road.

19. Mr Chris CHOW indicated that the WSD would notify affected schools, property owners, shop tenants and residents in writing of the works and temporary traffic diversion. A Liaison Team and a Project Hotline would be set up to handle enquiries and complaints from the public.


(a) Mr KAM Nai-wai asked the WSD whether the works would be carried out round the clock and how to handle the noise problem during night time. He requested the WSD to clarify whether the section of Bonham Road in question would be closed completely or be converted to one-lane two-way traffic during the two stages of works. He also asked whether the impact of rainy days on the progress of the works had been considered in the formulation of the works schedule.

(b) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai understood that there was an immediate need to replace aged water mains. He requested the WSD to complete the works before 1 September 2014 and to minimise the noise emitted from the works during night time. He urged the WSD to handle the TTMS flexibly during the works to ensure that residents could have access to the information about the works if necessary.

(c) Mr Sidney LEE indicated that some Members and representatives of departments concerned had talked about the works at a residents’ meeting. At that time, the WSD pointed out that the works would be completed within six weeks. He did not understand why the works period was prolonged to seven weeks and he worried that the works would be left unfinished even on 1 September. He pointed out that the WSD had promised three things during the residents’ meeting. First, no matter whether the works were finished or not, the WSD would resurface Bonham Road by 1 September and the original traffic arrangement would resume. Second, the WSD would announce the works schedule and try their best to mitigate the noise impact on residents nearby. Residents could contact the persons in charge of works through the 24-hour Project Hotline to deal with noise nuisance or other works related issues. Third, the works period could be shortened by five working days if there was no rain. Moreover, he noted that there would also be water mains works from Bonham Road to Third Street near Water Street during the summer holiday. He requested the WSD to coordinate the TTMSs of the two projects.

(d) Mr CHAN Choi-hi asked whether the WSD had formulated any contingency plans if there were mains bursts again during the works. He worried that the traffic at the Mid-Levels would be paralysed if traffic accidents occurred near Bonham Road. He requested the WSD to provide the mobile phone numbers of the persons in charge of works as hotline numbers to ensure that public

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enquiries could be instantly answered and handled.

(e) Miss SIU Ka-yi asked what the WSD would do if the works were not completed by 1 September and requested the WSD to provide their contingency plan for Members’ perusal. It was mentioned in the paper that the WSD had appointed a traffic consultant to conduct a Traffic Impact Assessment, but it did not make the data available. She doubted if the WSD was trying to conceal the impact of the works on the traffic of Bonham Road. She urged the WSD to report the assessment result.

(f) Mr Alex LEUNG suggested the WSD impose an NSR on Third Street (the section between Water Street and Eastern Street). He worried that the banksman might not know the traffic condition at other junctions when directing vehicle movement and would therefore cause traffic congestion or even chaos. He requested the WSD to ensure a smooth traffic at the junction of Queen’s Road West and Western Street so that the tailback would not extend to Connaught Road West and the entrance of the Western Harbour Crossing. He asked the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) how to monitor the impact of the works on the traffic of the district.

(g) Mr YIP Wing-shing opined that the water mains replacement works were inevitable and he requested the WSD to regularly report the works progress to Members through short message service.

(h) Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that besides the water mains works on Third Street and the WIL works, there would also be other works at the University of Hong Kong and by the Hongkong Electric Company Limited during the summer holiday. However, the WSD did not take account of those works in the district in formulating the TTMS. He urged the WSD to strengthen coordination with other government departments and private/public organisations and to devise a contingency plan.

(i) Mr IP Kwok-him agreed that the WSD should promptly replace aged water mains. He opined that on-site control and command of the works were very important and the WSD should regularly report the works progress to Members. He urged the WSD to strengthen communication with the building management offices concerned to update residents on the progress and arrangement of the works.

21. Mr LAU Wing-keung reiterated that the works would last for 47 days (approximately seven weeks) from mid-July and to late August. In the light of the traffic flow at Bonham Road, the WSD had to carry out the works round the clock during the summer holiday and processes with less noise would be carried out at night. He pointed out that the WSD had considered the impact of the rainy season on the works. The hotline would be answered by resident site staff to instantly handle public enquiries and complaints. The WSD would see if it was feasible to regularly report the works progress to Members by short messages. The WSD had held a special meeting earlier with the TD and bus companies to discuss the traffic arrangement during the works. The WSD would try its best to coordinate the works concurrently carried out in the district through the Liaison Team to prevent serious traffic

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problems.

22. Mr Chris CHOW reiterated that the WSD would close the section of Bonham Road between Hing Hon Road and Western Street and a carriageway of Bonham Road between Western Street and Good View Court during stage 1 and stage 2 of the works respectively. The WSD would discuss with the TD the feasibility of imposing an NSR on Third Street. He pointed out that the WSD would deploy officers at five junctions to flexibly coordinate and control the traffic according to the actual situation.

23. The Chairman asked the HyD how to coordinate the works project in the district. He also asked the HKPF how to monitor the traffic condition in the vicinity of the works.

24. Mr Richard LO , Senior District Engineer/Hong Kong Northwest of the HyD, indicated that departments or organisations had to apply for an excavation permit for any excavation works on the streets under the maintenance of the HyD. The HyD had a mechanism to require the departments concerned to coordinate the works nearby in the approval of the permit.

25. Mr LAU Wing-fu , Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Western District) of the HKPF, indicated that the Road Management Office of the HKPF would review the TTMS of the excavation works and monitor the actual operation at the site.

26. Mr LEE Jim-on , District Operations Officer (Western District) of the HKPF, urged the WSD to consider how to let residents drive back to the car parks of their buildings after closing one of the carriageways of Bonham Road. He also suggested the WSD fine-tune the control of vehicle movement by banksmen. He indicated that the current traffic of Water Street had almost reached saturation point and worried that the traffic diversion would further overload the concerned section. He urged the WSD to improve the TTMS and to forward the improved plans to the police for information and follow-up.


(a) Mr YIP Wing-shing suggested that the WSD could brief Members on the works progress regularly in the light of the actual situation for Members’ examination.

(b) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai requested the WSD to explain the noise abatement measures implemented during the period of works. He said that the WSD had consulted Members and the Road Management Office of the HKPF on the TTMS and suggested that the Committee convene an informal inter-departmental meeting one week after the commencement of the works in order to review the TTMS of the works.

(c) Mr Sidney LEE reiterated that even if the WSD could not complete the works by 31 August, it must cease the works and resurface Bonham Road. He agreed to convene a meeting one week after the commencement of the works. He also suggested conducting a review on the traffic and noise issues of the works at the meeting of Food, Environment, Hygiene and Works Committee

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to be held on 24 July.

(d) Mr CHAN Hok-fung suggested that the WSD conduct a trial for the TTMS before the commencement of the works.

(e) Mr IP Kwok-him said that if the WSD could not complete the works in the summer holiday, it could only continue the remaining works during Christmas holiday.

28. Mr LAU Wing-keung said that the WSD was discussing with the Environmental Protection Department and the noise consultant the arrangement of using noise enclosures and would use noise enclosures to minimise the noise impact on residents during the execution of the works. He assured Members that the WSD would conduct a trial for the TTMS before the commencement of the works and resurface Bonham Road before 1 September. He added that the WSD was confident that the water mains replacement works could complete during the summer holiday unless there were unforeseen incidents. He welcomed the convening of a review meeting for the works by Members.


Item 6: “Universal Accessibility” Programme: Provision of Lift Facilities to Three Footbridges in C&W District(C&W TTC Paper No. 28/2014)

(4:12 pm – 4:49 pm)

30. Mr CHAN Kin-kwong , Deputy Project Team Leader/Universal Accessibility Programme of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), said that after the first meeting of the TTC, the CEDD had studied the feasibility of retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF46 at the west of Possession Street in accordance with Members’ opinion, but the result of the proposal was unsatisfactory. With the consent of the Councillors of the constituency concerned, the CEDD conducted a public consultation in May 2014 regarding the original proposal for retrofitting lifts at footbridges HF46 and HF135, and then issued the project brief to nearby commercial tenants, housing estates and local rehabilitation organisations. The department had also displayed banners to inform the public about the programme. He added that the HyD was consulting the public about the initial proposal for retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF142 (the footbridge across Connaught Road West near Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park).

31. Mr LI Chi-wa , Technical Director of Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Ltd, briefed Members on the public consultation result of the provision of barrier-free access facilities for the following two footbridges:

(i) F ootbridge across Possession Street near Lower Lascar Row (Structure No.: HF46)The proposal was supported by Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong and Caritas Elderly Centre – Central District. However, a citizen indicated that the utilisation rate of the footbridge was low, so retrofitting a lift would be a waste of resources. The consultant had replied that the lift was provided to enable the needy to use the footbridge.

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(ii) Footbridge along Cochrane Street near Tun Wo Lane (Structure No.: HF135) The residents of Cheung Fai Building and Caritas Elderly Centre – Central District objected to the programme. Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong was opposed to the demolition of staircase of the footbridge for the provision of a lift. The HyD had met the representatives of the concerned centres, residents and residents to explain the projects and address their concerns. The department also replied to Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong by e-mail.

32. Mr LI Chi-wa called on Members to support the initial proposal for provision of lifts at footbridges HF46 and HF135 so that the HyD could proceed with the gazetting procedure.


(a) Mr KAM Nai-wai opined that as the utilisation rate of footbridge HF46 was low, retrofitting a lift might cause wastage of resources. He suggested that the HyD retrofit lifts at other footbridges in the C&W District with such needs. He understood that there would be practical difficulties of relocating the lift to the site near Arion Commercial Centre which was opposite to Fook Sing Court, but he was concerned that a lot of residents would raise objection if the HyD gazetted the original proposal.

(b) Miss LO Yee-hang pointed out that she had conducted site visits at footbridge H142 with the representatives of the HyD half a year before. At that time, the residents of the building at no. 180 Connaught Road West were opposed to the project. She urged the HyD to fine-tune the design of the lifts and provide the works schedule of the provision of lifts for footbridge HF142.

(c) Mr Jackie CHEUNG opined that it was not necessary for the department to demolish the existing staircase of footbridge HF135 for lift construction. He stressed that the lift to be retrofitted could not handle the existing pedestrian flow of the staircase. The public also had no other ways to access the footbridge should the lift break down, so he suggested the department retrofit the lift at other locations in need in the district. He pointed out that the TTC had passed a motion of requesting the department to retrofit a lift to link the existing escalator at Mosque Junction and Robinson Road at a previous meeting. He urged the department to follow up the proposal concerned as soon as possible and consult Members about the preliminary proposal of lift retrofitting at the next meeting.

(d) The Vice-chairman said that both Members and the public opined that the number of beneficiaries under the “Universal Accessibility Programme” (UAP) was limited and considered the formulation and implementation process of the programme sloppy. Members had put forward some proposals at the meeting but they could not be entertained swiftly due to procedural and bureaucratic problems. He stressed that retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF135 could not help the disabled because the footbridge itself could not become a barrier-free facility as there were steps on the bridge deck. He opined that the lift concerned could only benefit the elderly and those moving heavy objects.

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He requested the department to improve the connection between Queen’s Road Central and Hollywood Road and considered opening the escalator of Hollywood Terrace for public use.

(e) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that though some Members were doubtful about the effectiveness of the UAP, it was the consensus of all Members that lifts should be retrofitted at footbridge HF142. He urged the department to retrofit lifts at footbridge HF142 as soon as possible to facilitate the use of leisure facilities in the vicinity by the public. He also requested the department to reconsider whether it should go ahead with the proposal of retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF135.

(f) Miss SIU Ka-yi said that she had received views from many elderly people that they supported retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF46. She asked whether the HyD had consulted residents of Po Thai Building, Lascar Court and Fook Sing Court about the proposal. Moreover, she asked the department whether it had included St. James’ Settlement and Tung Wah Hospital in the consultation exercise and urged the department not to neglect the views of district organisations in the vicinity.

(g) Mr CHAN Choi-hi indicated that Members had urged the department to conduct a public consultation about the proposal of retrofitting lifts at footbridge HF142 as soon as possible at previous meetings but the consultation had yet to finish to date. He requested the department to report the consultation results to Members as soon as possible.

34. Mr CHAN Kin-kwong said that the aim of the UAP was to help the elderly and other persons in need to get around. Members had been consulted in early 2013 to select three footbridges in the district for feasibility studies of lift retrofitting, after which the TTC would decide whether to continue with the retrofitting works at the locations concerned. He said that the consultation of footbridge HF142 was conducted by the HyD and believed that the HyD would submit the results to Members for their reference as soon as possible upon completion of the consultation. He reiterated that Members had earlier determined the scope of the UAP and the proposal of retrofitting a lift to link the existing escalator at Mosque Junction and Robinson Road was beyond the scope of the UAP. He believed that the HyD had noted Members’ proposal and would follow it up accordingly.

35. Mr LI Chi-wa said that other than the buildings in the vicinity of the footbridges, the department would also consult the rehabilitation organisations and elderly centres in the district on the list provided by the SWD.

36. Mr CHAN Kin-kwong added that the CEDD had not received any views from buildings owners or commercial tenants in the vicinity of footbridge HF46 during the course of consultation. Mr KAM Nai-wai had assisted the department to organise a residents’ meeting but no one showed up on that day.

37. The Chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The enquiries and views of Members were as follows:

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(a) Mr KAM Nai-wai said that the pedestrian flow of footbridges HF135 and HF46 was low and had reservation about the department’s proposal to spend a huge sum of money to retrofit lifts for the two footbridges. He suggested the department first carry out the retrofitting works for footbridge HF142 at the current stage. The works of the remaining two footbridges should be suspended and the decision of whether lifts would be retrofitted at other locations in the district with a greater need for lifts should be left to Members.

(b) Mr Jackie CHEUNG objected to retrofitting a lift at footbridge HF135 and opined that there was a more pressing need for a lift to link the existing escalator at Mosque Junction and Robinson Road.

(c) The Vice-chairman enquired whether the works progress of the lift at footbridge HF142 would be affected should Members object to the proposals of retrofitting lifts at footbridges HF135 and HF46.

(d) Miss SIU Ka-yi opined that as the UAP gained support from some rehabilitation organisations and lift retrofitting would only be advantageous to the promotion of a barrier-free environment, she supported the department to continue with the lift installation works should it consider that there were no other better locations.

(e) The Chairman requested the department to provide the works schedule of lift installation for the footbridges concerned.

38. Mr CHAN Kin-kwong said that the department would draw up the detailed design and gazette the works only after obtaining Members’ consent for the preliminary proposal of lift installation. If there was no objection from the local community to the project, it would commence in 2015 and would last for two years.

39. The Vice-Chairman said that as suspending the lift installation works at footbridges HF135 and HF46 would not expedite the lift installation at footbridge HF142, he suggested the department continue the lift installation at footbridges HF135 and HF46.

40. Mr KAM Nai-wai did not oppose to the gazetting of the proposal of lift installation at the two footbridges first. He thought that the department could handle the objections received during the gazettal later, if any.

41. The Chairlady concluded that the TTC agreed to the department’s gazetting of the lift installation at footbridges HF135 and HF46 and thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 7: Proposed Provision of “Double Yellow Lines” on the Road Section off No. 2 Lower Albert Road, Central(C&W TTC Paper No. 29/2014)

(4:49 pm - 4:54 pm)

42. The Chairlady invited discussion on the paper. The enquiries and views of Members

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were as follows:

(a) Mr CHAN Choi-hi asked the department when the works of establishing a 24-hour NSR zone on Ice House Street would commence and finish. He in-dicated that illegal parking was frequent outside the Fringe Club, which had caused traffic congestion. He thus urged the HKPF to step up law enforce-ment and requested the TD to submit a review report six months after the in-troduction of a 24-hour NSR zone on Ice House Street for Members’ perusal.

(b) Mr Alex LEUNG opined that designating more places as NSR zones was not an effective solution to traffic problems. He suggested the department identify appropriate places for parking and waiting purpose, and increase the amount of penalty for traffic offences specifically in the Central District.

(c) Mr Jackie CHEUNG supported the provision of double yellow lines on Ice House Street to reduce the occurrence of illegal parking there and thereby re-lieving the traffic congestion at the Mid-Levels.

(d) The Chairlady enquired of the TD about the actual commencement date of the works of establishing a 24-hour NSR zone on Ice House Street.

43. Mr Philip LAM , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, said that the department had already issued a works order to the HyD in February 2014. It was expected that the works would complete in due course. At present, no. 2 Lower Albert Road was an NSR zone during peak hours. The department would closely monitor the traffic condition of the road and would consider amending the NSR time to 7 am - 7 pm if necessary.

44. Mr CHAN Kwong-ming , Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, said the Police would step up law enforcement in the area as suggested by the TD.


Item 8: Request for Provision of Pedestrian Crossing Facilities off the Sai Ying Pun Jockey Club Polyclinic on Hospital Road(C&W TTC Paper No. 30/2014)

(4:54 pm- 5:05 pm)


(a) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that there were Tsan Yuk Hospital, Sai Ying Pun Jockey Club Polyclinic, The Prince Philip Dental Hospital and David Trench Rehabilitation Centre in the vicinity of the crossing in question. In addition, teachers and students of the Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College as well as the public to and from the King George V Memorial Park would also use the road, leading to a high pedestrian flow there. He opined that the actual util-isation of the crossing could not be reflected in his site visit with the TD and

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the TD’s subsequent traffic survey because of the time when the visit and sur-vey were conducted. He enquired of the TD about the minimum volume of pedestrian and vehicular flow required for the provision of a zebra crossing and requested the department to conduct another site visit in that location with residents. He enquired about the difference between the current vehicu-lar flow at Hospital Road and the volume required for providing a zebra crossing. Besides, he agreed that a long-term traffic light in that crossing was not necessary and a pedestrian-actuated signal would suffice. He added that there were many trees in the location and had caused insufficient lighting at the junction. Therefore, the installation of traffic lights could reduce the oc-currence of traffic accidents.

(b) Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that it was difficult for drivers to be aware of the traffic condition of the bend when they were driving downhill. Some minibus drivers would speed downhill on Hospital Road, posing a great threat to pedestrians. He said that unless the TD install railings on the whole Hos-pital Road to prevent pedestrians from crossing the road, pedestrian-actuated signals should be installed in the junction to safeguard the safety of pedestri-ans. He cited the statistics of the TD and said that the vehicular flow was not high, so there would not be traffic congestion even if a pedestrian-actuated signal was installed.

(c) Mr MAN Chi-wah reiterated that the speed of the vehicles on the down ramp of the Hospital Road was relatively high and there were elders and patients using that crossing. He thought that traffic lights should be installed farther away from the junction to let drivers prepare in advance.

(d) Mr Thomas NG agreed with Mr MAN Chi-wah and suggested the department provide road markings on the ramp of the Hospital Road to remind drivers to slow down in advance to avoid the risk of sudden braking.

(e) Mr YIP Wing-shing pointed out that the road bends were quite wide in the location concerned, so he worried that drivers might further accelerate that night. He opined that the installation of traffic lights could remind them to pay attention to the driving speed and safety of pedestrians. He thus sugges-ted the department finalise the improvement measures as soon as possible.

47. Miss Shirley LEUNG, Engineer/Central and Western 3 of the TD, pointed out that the TD’s traffic survey was conducted on a Friday in early May 2014 in different time slots: from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm and from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The collected data showed that the pedestrian and vehicular flows during the period from 8:00 am to 9:00 am were the highest. Even so, they did not meet the minimum requirement for the provision of a zebra crossing. Besides, the said location was at a down ramp with a gradient steeper than 4%. The TD considered it inappropriate to provide a zebra crossing at the location based on road safety and traffic flow considerations. Nevertheless, the TD would study the feasibility of installing a pedestrian-actuated signal there. In response to the enquiry of Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, she indicated that the TD would only consider providing zebra crossings at places where the pedestrian and vehicular flows had reached at least 270 and 600 per hour respectively. She pointed out that the yellow line road markings proposed by Mr

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Thomas NG could only be used at tunnel exits and there were already many “slow” signs in the vicinity of the crossing. She said that the TD would add appropriate signs to alert motorists to traffic lights ahead if the TD decided to install traffic lights there.

48. The Chairlady thanked the guests for attending the meeting. The Vice-chairman chaired the discussion on the next item.

Item 9: Concern over the Impact of the “Occupy Central” Movement on the Traffic in Central(C&W TTC Paper No. 31/2014)

(5:05 pm – 6:20 pm)

49. The Vice-chairman invited discussion on the paper. The questions and views of Members were as follows:

(a) Mr Jackie CHEUNG condemned the organisers of the “Occupy Central” movement (the movement) for attempting to paralyse the traffic in Central and disrupt the daily life of some 600 000 residents in the district. He wor-ried that violent acts, such as the earlier storming of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Complex by groups opposing the North East New Territories devel-opment, might took place during the movement. He urged the organisers of the movement to express their views peacefully and refrain from conveying a wrong message to the young participants that they could achieve a goal by all means.

(b) The Vice-chairman requested Members to focus their speech on the impact of the movement on the traffic in Central and related contingency measures.

(c) Miss LO Yee-hang indicated that the offices of many law firms were situated in Central. She was worried about the adverse effects of the movement on Hong Kong in case the delivery of time-sensitive legal documents to be pro-cessed by law firms or courts was delayed.

(d) Miss SIU Ka-yi indicated that the occupation of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Re-gion and police station by protesters on Saturdays and Sundays had already disrupted the life of residents in Sai Ying Pun. Conceivably, the movement would have a profound impact on the public in Hong Kong. She objected to the movement on the grounds that it would affect the livelihoods of all people across the territory. She took the view that the movement might not be as peaceful as envisioned by the media due to the inability of the organisers to keep radical participants under control. She urged the advocates of the move-ment to give it a second thought.

(e) Mr CHAN Choi-hi pointed out that the C&WDC had passed a motion object-ing to the movement at an earlier meeting. Citing the example of the storm-ing of the LegCo Complex by groups opposing the North East New Territor-ies development, he considered that the movement might turn violent. He

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took the view that apart from operating the Emergency Transport Co-ordina-tion Centre, the TD and HKPF had to conduct drills and devise contingency plans.

(f) Mr Sidney LEE stated that all Members of the C&WDC attached great im-portance to transport issues. The TTC would definitely object to any propos-als involving works or activities that might have a substantial impact on the traffic in the district. Therefore, he appealed for Members to support the mo-tion in the paper. He asked whether the Members who planned to vote against the motion would take the blame and resign if the movement para-lysed the traffic in the district.

(g) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that the rule of law was a core value of Hong Kong. The movement, whether peaceful or not, was an illegal act that would damage the city’s core value. He enquired of the HKPF about the risk assess-ment on the movement, whether it would issue a Letter of No Objection to the initiators of the movement and how to remove the traffic barriers al-legedly put up by the participants as early as possible.

(h) Mr MAN Chi-wah referred to the water mains replacement works at Bonham Road and pointed out that Members would give their consent to the works only if the departments concerned could provide detailed traffic diversion and contingency plans. By the same token, the organisers of the movement who attempted to paralyse the traffic in Central should have provided contingency plans and consulted residents in the district in advance. He indicated that whenever there was congestion at Garden Road, the traffic queues would ex-tend to North Point. It was therefore not an overstatement that three million people would be affected by the movement as shown in a survey.

(i) Mr KAM Nai-wai indicated that as the movement had not yet taken place, the accusation in the paper that participants would push roadside facilities over and used them as barricades was completely unsubstantiated. The organisers had made clear that they would organise the movement with love and peace. He believed that they would follow the guidelines of the departments con-cerned as far as possible. He explained that Bonham Road would be closed for water mains replacement works, but occupying Central was a pursuit of democracy and freedom of expression. He appealed for the public’s under-standing. He went on to stress that even though the HKPF closed Gloucester Road during the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Or-ganisation due to the demonstrations of Korean farmers, the number of people affected did not reach three million. He concluded that it was inappropriate to condemn all peaceful protests and demonstrations on the grounds that they would affect the traffic.

(j) Mr CHAN Hok-fung doubted whether Mr KAM Nai-wai had read the con-tents of the website of “Occupy Central with Love and Peace” in detail. He quoted a paragraph from the website and the English translation was: “By oc-cupying Central, participants will go to the major roads in Central and ob-struct the vehicular traffic. Actions of such a nature are aimed at attacking the weakness of opponents. Paralysing the financial centre of Hong Kong

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through occupation was to disrupt its operation. Other illegal acts such as burning the regional flag might not be able to create the required political pressure to generate enough political power”. He said that the organisers of the movement staged the movement under the banner of democracy but what they would do was actually against democracy. He believed that “paralysing the financial centre of Hong Kong through occupation” was illegal. He said that the organisers of the movement were not justified in pursuing democracy for Hong Kong citizens after they had violated the rule of law. He enquired whether the TD and the HKPF had any plans to prevent the movement and assess its impact on Hong Kong people and the economy. He considered that the organisers of the movement might have engaged in abetment. He reques-ted the departments concerned to explain why they had not actively investig-ated and arrested the relevant persons.

(k) Mr YIP Wing-shing expressed his deep concern over Occupy Central. He said that with the onset of the movement, people living and working in the C&W District would definitely be affected. He said that he personally did not hope that the movement would happen, but the departments concerned had to assess the impact of the movement in advance and give an account of the as-sessment result to Members for relaying to the public.

(l) Mr WONG Sai-kit pointed out that a lot of commercial organisations in Cent-ral had prepared for the movement and rented offices in Kowloon and the New Territories in case of emergency. He urged the HKPF and other govern-ment departments to publicise their preparation plans, so that the public could acquaint themselves with the Government’s contingency measures for the movement. The Government should also encourage the public to respect the rule of law.

(m) Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing indicated that occupying Central with peace was noth-ing more than a slogan. There had been only violence instead of peace in the storming of the LegCo Complex by groups opposing the North East New Ter-ritories development. He quoted the report put forward by “Silent Majority”, pointing out that participants of the movement would obstruct three cross-har-bour tunnels within an hour. Residents of the C&W District would fall victim to the movement. He was worried that they would not be able to use the emergency services provided by the Fire Services Department and hospitals.

(n) Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan said that the organisers had to paralyse the traffic of the Central District in order to exert the influence of the movement. On top of that, the recent storming of the LegCo Complex by the groups oppos-ing the North East New Territories development had made citizens even more concerned about the impact of the movement on Hong Kong. He opined that “love and peace” and “paralysing Central” were extremely contradictory. “Love and peace” was a slogan newly added by the organisers of the move-ment due to criticism from society in the later stage. He considered that all Members should express their views on the motions of the paper in the con-text of traffic.

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(o) Mr Thomas NG said that if there were participants of Occupy Central dashing onto the carriageway, the HKPF and the departments concerned had to con-sider how to ensure the normal operation of railways as well as maintaining a smooth surface land transport service. He requested the departments con-cerned to respond to the arrangements for railway services during the move-ment.

(p) Dr Malcolm LAM asked the Members in support of the movement who would be to blame if someone died because they were not able to go home to take medicines for heart disease, diabetes or asthma. He opined that the re-sponsible person should be sentenced for manslaughter. He doubted if the Members supporting the movement had conscience.

(q) The Chairlady said that the TTC could discuss and express views about the traffic matters of the district. As the Chairlady of the Committee, she agreed to put the paper on the agenda to let all Members discuss the impact of the movement on the traffic of the Central District on an open platform. She pointed out that the constitutional reform had developed from “talk and listen” to “definitive”. In addition, the issuance of the White Paper by the Central government had made closed the door to taking constitutional reform forward. The organisers of the movement had to resort to occupy Central with love and peace. She stressed that the movement had not happened yet. If the Government would listen to public opinion after the polling activity held by civil organisations, including civic nomination and party nomination in the nominating procedures of universal suffrage and broadening the base of the Nominating Committee, the movement would become unnecessary.

(r) The Vice-chairman admitted that the movement would affect the traffic of the Central District. However, he considered that when intellectuals such as jur-isprudents and religious leaders also opted to join the movement, it was ne-cessary for the public to reflect whether there was no other means to pursue values such as justice and democracy except civil disobedience.

50. Members of the public sitting in on the meeting failed to keep quiet. The Vice-chairman announced to adjourn the meeting for five minutes as the orderly conduct of the meeting was disrupted.

51. The TTC meeting resumed at 5:48 pm.

52. The Vice-chairman continued his speech after the meeting resumed. He urged Members not to smear the peaceful movement of Occupy Central. He stressed that the aim of the movement was not to occupy the Central District per se and the principle was to ensure the uninterrupted operation of emergency service. Thus he did not worry that the movement would cause a long-term impact on Hong Kong. What made him worried was that the civil movement could not awaken Hong Kong people to the importance of democracy. He expressed his support for the movement and indicated that he would participate in the movement. He would explain the movement to residents of Central and lead them to make preparations for and arrangements on transport.

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53. The TD and the Police had nothing to add. The Vice-chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The enquiries and views of Members were as follows:

(a) Mr Jackie CHEUNG stressed that the aim of the movement was to paralyse the traffic of Central and therefore did not consider that the organisers of the movement would discuss transport arrangements with government departments. As the organisers could not guarantee that there would not be violent or radical acts, he urged them to realise their aspirations through peaceful means in the light of the future of Hong Kong.

(b) Mr Sidney LEE opined that the TTC only criticised departments for lacking risk awareness and failing to prepare comprehensive contingency plans in the past. He was shocked with the remarks of the Chairman, the Vice-chairman and Mr KAM Nai-wai that no preparation was needed as the movement had yet to take place. He further asked Members who supported the movement whether they would take the blame and resign should the traffic of Central be paralysed by the movement. He said that if the Vice-chairman voted against or abstained from voting on the motion and if the problems mentioned by Members did arise subsequently, he would request the Vice-chairman to apologise, give an account to his voters and take the blame and resign.

(c) Mr MAN Chi-wah said that the second motion in the paper requested the Government to formulate comprehensive and efficient plans and arrangements to prevent and cope with the illegal activities that would occur in the central business district of the C&W District arising out of the movement. It was a traffic issue and should not be mixed up with political issues.

(d) Dr Malcolm LAM was discontented with the remarks of the Vice-chairman and opined that his remarks did not represent the views of everyone. He stressed that the number of votes the Vice-chairman obtained in the DC election was only a few hundred more than that of the Chief Executive.

(e) Mr CHAN Hok-fung was discontented with the Vice-chairman who accepted that it was not necessary for departments to respond to Members’ enquiries. He was also dissatisfied with the departments for having evaded Members’ questions. He thought that the public should not breach the law for the sake of the so called “noble values”. He urged the Vice-chairman to take responsibility for his remarks in promoting the illegal act and requested him to state clearly the consequences of breaking the law. Mr CHAN Hok-fung opined that the “6.22 Civil Referendum” was indeed a small circle election in which vague proposals selected by a minority of people were put to public vote. There was even an option of abstention for voters to choose from and the entire voting pattern was odd. He requested the Chairman of the TTC to step down if she thought that there was nothing wrong with paralysing the traffic.

(f) Mr WONG Sai-kit said that the TTC had always been discussing various hypothetical traffic proposals and held that Members should not refrain from discussing something that had not happened. He opined that there was a

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logical problem in the remarks and that the Member concerned was trying to play down the consequences of the movement.

(g) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai pointed out that he had raised three questions in the first round of discussion and requested the Police to respond to them.

(h) The Vice-chairman said that he supported the movement in his capacity as both a DC member of Chung Wan constituency and the Vice-chairman of the TTC. He would participate in the movement in quest of a democratic universal suffrage out of conscience. He believed that the public would judge whether he was suitable for holding the positions.

54. Mr CHAN Kwong-ming , Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, said that the Police would not respond to questions other than those relating to traffic as it was a TTC meeting. He said that the required manpower and corresponding actions of the Police, and the scenarios mentioned by Members had been considered in the risk assessment. He stressed that the Police would take resolute actions against any acts of disrupting traffic.

55. Mr Francis LOK , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that he would relay the views of Members to the relevant division of the TD and the department had nothing to add.

56. In response to the request of Members, the Vice-chairman commenced the third round of discussion. The enquiries and views of Members were as follows:

(a) Mr Jackie CHEUNG opined that the Vice-chairman was not qualified to continue to take up the position of the Vice-chairman of the TTC should he vote against the motion. He appealed to the Vice-chairman to support the motions or else he would suggest the DC initiate a sign campaign to publicly condemn Members who voted against the motions.

(b) Mr Sidney LEE learned from the response of the Vice-chairman that even if the movement paralysed the traffic in Central, he would insist on continuing with his remaining term as a DC member until the next DC election when voters could decide whether to vote him in or vote him down. He also would not consult Central residents on the movement. If that was the case, his support for and participation in the movement did not represent the views of residents in the district. As the Vice-chairman agreed to resorting to paralysing traffic in order to pursue what they thought was “a must”, Mr Sidney LEE considered him unsuitable for holding the position of the TTC Vice-chairman. Moreover, Mr Sidney LEE was discontented with the responses of departments and opined that they did not take seriously the impact of the movement on Hong Kong. He requested the TTC to write to the departments concerned and the Secretary to put Members’ views in detail on record.

(c) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai opined that while only an extreme minority supported the movement, the majority would suffer from the movement. He agreed to write to the relevant departments in order to express Members’ concern over

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the movement and request the HKPF to implement contingency measures with courage and determination so as to minimise the impact of the movement.

(d) Mr CHAN Hok-fung suggested that the TTC should convene special meetings to solve the traffic problems in the Central District upon outbreak of the movement. He requested the Vice-chairman to state his stance on the suggestion and give an account of the reasons in case he considered it unnecessary to convene special meetings.

(e) In response to Mr CHAN Hok-fung’s suggestion, the Chairlady said that when the traffic of the Central District was paralysed due to serious traffic accidents or other reasons, she would discuss with the Chairman of the C&WDC whether it would be necessary to convene meetings.

57. The Vice-chairman asked Members to vote on the motion. The following motions proposed by Mr YIP Wing-shing, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr Sidney LEE, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, Miss LO Yee-hang, Miss SIU Ka-yi, Dr Malcolm LAM, Mr Joseph CHAN, Mr MAN Chi-wah and Mr Thomas NG were passed:

Motions: 1. To strongly reprimand the “Occupy Central” movement aiming at paralysing the traffic in Central as a means of struggle which, being an attempt to violate the public order, disturb the order in Central and cause obstruction to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, will have serious adverse effects on the people of and tourists visiting Hong Kong.

2. To request the Government to formulate comprehensive and efficient plans and arrangements to prevent and cope with the illegal activities to be occurred in the central business district of the C&W District arising out of the “Occupy Central” movement.

(Twenty Members voted for the motion: Mr YIP Wing-shing, Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Mr IP Kwok-him (authorised Mr CHAN Hok-fung to vote on his behalf), Mr MAN Chi-wah, Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr Sidney LEE, Mr CHAN Choi-hi, Mr Joseph CHAN (authorised Mr Alex LEUNG to vote on his behalf), Dr Malcolm LAM, Miss SIU Ka-yi, Miss LO Yee-hang, Mr Jackie CHEUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, Mr Thomas NG, Mr CHAN Tsz-kwan, Mr CHAN Wing-ho, Mr LEE Ching-hang (authorised Miss SIU Ka-yi to vote on his behalf), Mr Alex LEUNG, Mr WONG Sai-kit and Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing)

(Four Members voted against the motion: Ms CHENG Lai-king, Mr HUI Chi-fung, Mr KAM Nai-wai and Mr WONG Kin-shing (authorised Ms CHENG Lai-king to vote on his behalf))

(No Member abstained from voting)

58. The Vice-chairman concluded that the meeting requested the Secretariat to write to the Commissioner of Police and Commissioner of Transport to express Members’ concern

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over the movement. He then thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 10: Request for Improvements to the Traffic Congestion Caused by Vehicles Parking on the Road off China Insurance Group Building on Des Voeux Road Central(C&W TTC Paper No. 32/2014)

(6:20 pm – 6:26 pm)


(a) Miss SIU Ka-yi said that there was often illegal parking of vehicles on the road off China Insurance Group Building on Des Voeux Road, seriously obstructing the eastbound traffic of Des Voeux Road. She pointed out that the number of Fixed Penalty Tickets issued by the HKPF had increased by almost three times than that of three years before. She opined that the TD should improve the traffic arrangements for the location as soon as possible.

(b) Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that there were often trucks parking on the nearside carriageway at the location, with private cars and taxis parking on the other carriageway. As a result, there was double parking which had obstructed the movement of buses and trams. He urged the HKPF to step up enforcement action there. He also suggested the TD extend the NSR time period to 7 am - 7 pm so as to maintain smooth traffic flow on Des Voeux Road and consider allowing loading/unloading activities at other road sections. In addition, Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that there was frequent occupation of the pavement and carriageway by trucks loading and unloading distilled water. He asked under what circumstances the HKPF would drive the relevant vehicles out.

60. Mr Francis LOK , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that the department would conduct a district consultation on the extension of the NSR period to 7 am - 7 pm.

61. Mr CHAN Kwong-ming , Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, said that the HKPF noted Members’ opinion and would consider stepping up enforcement action there. In response to Mr CHAN Hok-fung’s enquiry, he indicated that unless drivers had special excuse, the HKPF would immediately prosecute the drivers who parked their vehicles at the NSR zone during the time of NSR shown on the sign.


Item 11: Request for Improvements to the Arrangement and Maintenance of Road Signs and Traffic Signs in the District(C&W TTC Paper No. 33/2014)

(6:26pm – 6:33 pm)

63. The Chairlady invited discussion on the paper. Mr Joseph CHAN indicated that as the roads on the Peak were more hidden and narrow, it was necessary to provide clear road signs and traffic signs to guide drivers. However, some road signs and traffic signs in the district were unclear or inappropriately located. As a result, drivers had to make sudden stops

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and U-turns often, which was very dangerous to drivers. For instance, drivers driving along Plantation Road often entered a dead end as it was hard to notice the traffic signs at Pollock’s Path, resulting in U-turns and subsequently traffic congestion as well as danger. In addition, the signs guiding drivers to Clovelly Path via May Road westbound was not clearly displayed and therefore warranted improvement. The signs at Peak Road guiding pedestrians to the Peak via Gough Hill Road were hidden in the bushes, posing a danger to the pedestrians who were misled to walk to the Peak via narrow carriageways. In this connection, he requested the departments concerned to improve and review the arrangement of the road signs and traffic signs in the district regularly.

64. Mr WAI Hon-kwok , Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern and Peak of the TD, indicated that the TD would proactively consider moving the pedestrian signs at 60-62 Peak Road and the “Caution: Children” sign at Old Peak Road to appropriate locations.

65. Mr Richard LO , Senior District Engineer/Hong Kong Northwest of the HyD, indicated that the HyD would carry out improvement works to the signs at Pollock’s Path and Clovelly Path having regard to the site condition. The works were expected to complete by the end of July 2014.

66. The Chairlady asked Members to vote on the motion. The following motion proposed by Mr Joseph CHAN and Mr Alex LEUNG was passed:

Motion: To request the government departments concerned to conduct a comprehensive review of and make improvements to the arrangement of road signs and traffic signs in the district as well as enhance the maintenance of road signs currently in use.

(Eighteen Members voted for the motion: Ms CHENG Lai-king, Mr HUI Chi-fung, Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Mr IP Kwok-him (authorised Mr CHAN Hok-fung to vote on his behalf), Mr MAN Chi-wah, Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr Sidney LEE, Mr Joseph CHAN, Miss SIU Ka-yi, Miss LO Yee-hang, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, Mr WONG Kin-shing (authorised Ms CHENG Lai-king to vote on his behalf), Mr CHAN Tsz-kwan, Mr CHAN Wing-ho, Mr LEE Ching-hang (authorised Miss SIU Ka-yi to vote on his behalf), Mr Alex LEUNG, Mr WONG Sai-kit and Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing)

(No Member voted against the motion)

(No Member abstained from voting)


Item 12: A Serious Traffic Accident Occurred on Lyttelton Road(C&W TTC Paper No. 34/2014)

(6:33 pm – 6:52 pm)

68. The Chairlady indicated that in accordance with Order 15(1) of the C&WDC Standing Orders, the TTC invited Mr Anthony P. SOUGHAN, representative of the Resident Concern Group of Traffic on Lyttelton Road, to the meeting.

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69. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai briefly explained a traffic accident happened on 17 April 2014. He indicated that Lyttelton Road was narrow with two wide bends. Coupled with rampant illegal parking, the 210-metre long road became a traffic black spot. He said that residents in the vicinity of Lyttelton Road requested the departments concerned to reduce the speed limit for the road to 30 km per hour to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

70. Mr Anthony P. SOUGHAN said that the report compiled by the Community for Road Safety included detailed speed survey data. It suggested reducing the speed limit at Lyttelton Road from 50 km to 30 km per hour and install speed tables (not speed bumps) at suitable locations. He pointed out that Section 6.4.2.5 of Volume 6 of the Transport Planning and Design Manual was outdated. Cities like London, Paris and New York had set the speed limit for residential areas at 30 km per hour. He thus urged the departments concerned to update the related guidelines in accordance with international standards. He expressed that the Resident Concern Group of Traffic on Lyttelton Road had collected the signatures of 136 residents in support of the improvement measures. He requested the TD representative to conduct a site visit with the residents and discuss the proposed improvement measures concerning the traffic at Lyttelton Road.


(a) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai thanked the Resident Group for commissioning the study, which highlighted the importance of setting the speed limit at 30 km per hour with reference to the practices in other countries like Britain and Australia. As the mean driving speed of vehicles on Lyttelton Road was ap-proximately 33 km per hour, he believed that reducing the limit to 30 km would have insignificant impact on residents. He stated that the speed table proposed by residents, unlike a speed bump, would neither generate noise nuisance nor cause damage to vehicles. He therefore requested the TD to consider providing speed tables at both the entrance and exit of Lyttelton Road. However, he had reservation about residents’ suggestion of prohibiting minibuses from turning from Oaklands Avenue to Lyttelton Road after 9 pm.

(b) Mr Sidney LEE requested the TD to respond to the contents and recommend-ations of the report. He took the view that the TD had not duly consulted the TTC and residents before designating a peak-hour NSR at the said location.

(c) Mr KAM Nai-wai declared interest as a resident in the vicinity of Lyttelton Road. He pointed out that the problem of illegal parking at Lyttelton Road was the most serious at noon. The NSR time periods of 8 am – 10 am and 5 pm – 7 pm to be introduced by the TD could not address the problem. As a resident in the vicinity, he had never received any consultation circular from the TD.

72. Mr Philip LAM , Engineer/Central and Western 2 of the TD, said that the HKPF was investigating the traffic accident happened on 17 April 2014. The TD would follow up and study traffic improvement measures in accordance with the investigation result. He indicated that Mr CHAN Chit-kwai had earlier conducted a site visit with the representatives of the TD and requested the provision of double yellow lines on the road. The department then conducted a consultation on the suggestion. In addition to the lack of parking spaces or

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loading and unloading facilities in the nearby housing estates, the C&WDO reflected views of some residents that the proposed designation of an NSR from 7 am to 7 pm was too harsh. Hence, only peak hours were set as the NSR time period. He indicated that personally he did not object to the introduction of an NSR from 7 am to 7 pm on Lyttelton Road because the HKPF could still prosecute drivers for parking at roadside according to the legislation regardless of whether there were NSR zones or not. He said that the department had only received the report from the resident concern group two days prior to the meeting. Since the report involved many legal issues, the TD’s guidelines and design standards, the department needed more time to go through the report in detail. He pointed out that the maximum speed limit on roads without a posted speed limit was 50 km per hour. Drivers should adjust their driving speed according to the road condition. The department was worried that there would be potential risks if speed tables were installed on roads without a posted speed limit, thus they had reservation about the suggestion.

73. Mr CHAN Kwong-ming , Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, said that they had been closely monitoring the traffic condition of the road section and would step up law enforcement during peak hours as suggested by Members. He agreed that introducing an NSR from 7 am to 7 pm there could facilitate the HKPF’s enforcement action and relieve the problem of illegal parking.

74. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that there were measures similar to the speed tables in Sham Shui Po. He requested the TD to visit the site together with residents and to seriously consider the suggestion of the resident concern group.


Item 13: Failure of Passengers Waiting at the Bus Stop near Western Market to Get on Buses during Rush Hours in the Evening(C&W TTC Paper No. 35/2014)

(6:52 pm - 7:03 pm)


(a) Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that it was difficult for passengers to get on buses of routes 1 and 5B at the bus stop of Western Market on Connaught Road West of Sheung Wan during evening peak hours. He doubted if the informa-tion provided by the TD was valid because he had experienced a long waiting time of 20 minutes. He suggested the Hong Kong Tramways Limited (HKTL) provide a short working tram service plying from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town as an alternative of transportation service for residents of Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town.

(b) Miss SIU Ka-yi said that the occupancy rate of routes 1 and 5B from 5:45 pm to 6:30 pm was very high and suggested the bus companies provide special trips to clear the backlog of passengers.

(c) Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that passengers on the Hong Kong Island were not willing to take route 113 to the Western District because the bus fare was higher than that of other local routes. He suggested the TD and bus compan-

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ies make use of cross-harbour buses to help serve passengers not crossing the harbour by adjusting the fare of those routes after passing through the harbour crossings.

77. Miss Yvonne TSUI , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, said that the department conducted an on-site survey on the service of routes 1 and 5B from 5 pm to 8 pm on 11 June 2014. Statistics showed that the average occupancy rates of routes 1 and 5B during evening peak hours were 50% and 65% respectively. The department would continue to closely monitor the service demand for the two routes and would study with the bus companies to make appropriate adjustments when necessary. She said that while the adjustment of fare was the business decision of bus companies, the department would encourage them to try to offer special concessions to passengers according to their business environment.

78. Mr David WONG , Operations Manager of the HKTL, said that the average occupancy rate of tram during that period of time was 56%, which showed that there was spare capacity to accommodate more passengers. The HKTL had enhanced the service between Sheung Wan and the Western District to accede to passengers’ demands. However, the stability of frequency was undermined by the increasingly severe traffic congestion in recent years. The HKTL was studying with relevant government departments the ways to improve traffic management. It was hoped that those measures could be implemented as early as possible. On the other hand, the upcoming opening of the WIL, South Island Line and Central-Wanchai Bypass would have a certain impact on the demand for tram service and the road traffic condition. The HKTL had to carefully review the situation.

79. Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that the westbound traffic was not busy during the evening peak hours and the impact on tram service was limited. He opined that the HKTL could enhance frequency during autumn and winter to attract the public to go to the Western District by tram.

80. Mr David WONG explained that the operation mode of trams had made it impossible to provide additional trips running from Sheung Wan to the Western District. He stressed that trams must go to Sheung Wan first and then turn around to the Western District. The traffic congestion in Sheung Wan had restricted the feasibility of the proposal.

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

Item 14: Discussion on the Development of the Road Section of Des Voeux Road Central between Morrison Street and Pedder Street to a Greening Zone Giving Out Fresh and Clean Air(C&W TTC Paper No. 36/2014)

(7:03 pm – 7:23 pm)

82. The Chairman said that according to Order 15(1) of the C&W DC Standing Orders, the TTC invited Mr Chapman LAM, Director of the MVA Hong Kong Limited, Mr Benson POON of Young Planners Group of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and Ms POON Yuen-yee of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners to attend the meeting.

83. Mr Benson POON indicated that though the vehicular flow of Connaught Road Central was higher than that of Des Voeux Road Central, the unfavourable wind environment

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of Des Voeux Road Central had created a canyon effect, which led to more serious air pollution than Connaught Road Central. With the successive completion of various railways and highways, there would be more room to re-organise bus service, and thereby improving the air quality improvement in Central. He said that recommendations in the first stage included the conversion of a section of Des Voeux Road Central between Morrison Street and Rumsey Street into a tram and bus only access, relocation of bus stops, prohibition of vehicles on Pottinger Street from turning right to Des Voeux Road Central, broadening of existing pavements and provision of pedestrian crossings. The impact of such changes on the existing eastbound bus routes would be minimal and only slight re-routeing would be required for westbound bus routes. Other than providing a safe and comfortable environment for pedestrians and alleviating serious air pollution and traffic congestion, the proposal could also enhance the image of Central so that it could live up to its reputation as a core financial business district.

84. Ms POON Yuen-yee said that as the Central-Wan Chai Bypass would be opened in 2017, the Government should seize the valuable opportunity to improve the traffic condition in Central by conducting a timely planning and consultation.

85. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The enquiries and views of Members were as follows:

(a) Mr CHAN Chit-kwai thanked the Hong Kong Institute of Planners for developing a blueprint for a greening zone in Central. While he agreed that it was necessary to enhance the air quality of Des Voeux Road Central, the needs of business organisations and shops in the district also had to be considered.

(b) Mr Sidney LEE made reference to the situation of Nanjing Road in Shanghai to explain the importance of traffic planning. He worried that the vehicular flow in Central would only increase, but no effective measures for diversion of vehicular flow to other roads in the district were mentioned in the report. He asked the TD whether it would conduct feasibility studies on the proposed greening zone and opined that the Committee should continue with the discussion on the issue in future meetings.

(c) The Vice-chairman supported the proposal. He said that the proposal was very creative and opined that measures therein were worth trying. He hoped the organisations concerned could continue the study. He considered the written reply of the department too brief and urged the department to follow up actively, to implement the measures in the first stage on a trial basis in the near future, and to conduct a long term study on the traffic arrangement of the entire Des Voeux Road Central later.

(d) Mr MAN Chi-wah said although the ideas of the proposal were bold, they were not infeasible as could be seen in the example of the reduction of a carriageway of Queen’s Road Central as long as thorough preparation was made. However, given that the traffic of Central, including the arrangements of bus routes and loading/unloading activities, was very complicated, he had reservation about the proposed diversion of traffic to Wing Lok Street. He opined that the proposals could not be implemented overnight.

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(e) Mr CHAN Hok-fung considered that the organisations concerned had underestimated the difficulty of taking the proposal forward. He stressed that even if the WIL was put into operation, bus service could not be cut or buses could not be prohibited from running along Des Voeux Road Central abruptly. Moreover, he opined that changing the travel pattern of the public was the most difficult part, followed by convincing the public to accept the bus route re-organisation proposal. Furthermore, illegal parking of private cars was common at locations such as the eastbound Des Voeux Road Central and the taxi stand outside the Landmark. He opined that the department should step up education and publicity in addition to improving ancillary transport facilities.

(f) The Chairlady declared interest that her office was in the vicinity of Des Voeux Road Central. She said that the air pollution problem in Hong Kong had scared away many investors and therefore supported the proposal of a green tram precinct to improve the air quality in Central.

86. Mr Francis LOK , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that the proposal would have an impact on the daily life of the community in varying degrees. A number of government departments would also be involved under the proposal. The TD was studying the paper at the current stage and would respond to the measures of the proposal in due course.

87. Mr David WONG , Operations Manager of the HKTL, said the company had noted the contents of the proposal and supported the concept of the plan.

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

Item 15: Action Checklists on Matters Arising from the Last Meeting(C&W TTC Paper No. 37/2014)

(7:23 pm)

89. The Committee noted the paper.

Item 16: Any Other Business(7:23 pm)

90. There was no other business.

Item 17: Date of the Next Meeting(7:24 pm)

91. The Chairlady announced that the next TTC meeting would be held on 11 September 2014. The paper submission deadline for government departments would be 20 August 2014, while the deadline for Members would be 26 August 2014.

92. The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 pm.

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The minutes were confirmed on 11 September 2014

Chairlady: Ms CHENG Lai-king

Secretary: Miss CHUNG Yeuk-hung

Secretariat of the Central and Western District CouncilSeptember 2014

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