Minutes of the 2Nd Meeting of Traffic and Transport Committee, the 6Th Term Kwun Tong District Council

(Translation)

Minutes of the 2nd Meeting of Traffic and Transport Committee, the 6th Term Kwun Tong District Council

Date: 23 April 2020 (Thursday) Time: 9:30 a.m - 5:20 p.m. Venue: Conference Room, Kwun Tong District Office, Unit 05-07, 20/F Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon

Present Arrival Time Leaving Time Mr BUX Sheik Anthony (Chairman) 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr WANG Wai-lun (Vice-chairman) 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr CHAN Chris Ka-yin 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr CHAN Man-kin 9:35 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Mr CHAN Yik-shun Eason 9:54 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr CHAN Yiu-hung, Jimmy 9:30 a.m. 1:15 p.m. Mr CHENG Keng-ieong 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Man-fung 9:58 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Ms FU Pik-chun 9:30 a.m. 12:37 p.m. Mr FUNG Ka-lung 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr HSU Yau-wai 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr HUNG Chun-hin 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr IP Tsz-kit 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr KAN Ming-tung, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:15 p.m. Mr KUNG Chun-ki 9:35 a.m. 1:15 p.m. Ms LAI Po-kwai 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Mr LAM Wai 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr LEE Kwan-chak 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Ms LEUNG Jannelle Rosalynne 10:02 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr LEUNG Tang-fung 9:30 a.m. 12:27 p.m. Ms LEUNG Yik-ting Edith 9:53 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr LI Ka-tat 9:30 a.m. 1:09 p.m. Mr LI Wai-lam William 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Ms LI Wing-shan 9:35 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr LUI Tung-hai, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:15 p.m. Mr MOK Kin-shing 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr NGAN Man-yu 9:35 a.m. 12:24 p.m. Mr OR Chong-shing Wilson, MH 9:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Mr PANG Chi-sang 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr SO Koon-chung Kevin 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr TAM Siu-cheuk 9:35 a.m. 1:15 p.m. Mr TANG Wai-man Raymond 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Ms TSE Suk-chun 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr WAN Ka-him 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr WONG Chi-ken 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Ms WONG Ka-ying 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m. Mr WONG Kai-ming 9:30 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Representatives of Government Departments Miss CHOI Gi-lam, Britney Assistant District Officer (Kwun Tong)1 Ms CHEUNG Suk-ling, Cindy Senior Transportation Officer/Kwun Tong, Transport Department Miss SZE Suk-wai, Muriel Senior Transportation Officer/Kai Tak and Projects, Transport Department Mr HO Ming-him, Donald Engineer/Kwun Tong 1, Transport Department Ms CHAN Ka-yan Engineer/Kwun Tong 3, Transport Department Mr LEONG Man-hin, Jason District Engineer/Kwun Tong, Highways Department Mr TAM Yu-hei District Operations Officer (Kwun Tong), Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHU Chi-wai, Boris Officer-in-charge, District Traffic Team (Kwun Tong), Hong Kong Police Force Mr WONG Chun-wai District Operations Officer (Sau Mau Ping) Hong Kong Police Force Mr HO Chi-kin Officer-in-charge, District Traffic Team (Sau Mau Ping), Hong Kong Police Force

2 Mr KO Choar-que, Keith Acting Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Kwun Tong District Office Miss FOK Woon-on, Winnie (Secretary) Executive Officer (District Council)(4), Kwun Tong District Office

Absent Mr CHOY Chak-hung

Representatives Present to Assist Discussion of Agenda Items

Item II Bus Route Planning Programme 2020-2021 of Kwun Tong District Item III Reduction in Service Frequencies and Implementation of Cleaning Work in Public Transport under the Epidemic

Mr FU Ting-hong, Derek Senior Transport Officer/Bus/Kowloon, (II) Bus and Railway Branch, Transport Department Mr LEE Sui-kit, Donald Transport Officer/Bus/Kowloon, (II) Bus and Railway Branch, Transport Department Ms Christine WONG Manager, Planning and Development, (II and III) Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Mr Terry LO Manager, Operations, (II and III) Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Mr Douglas MAK Manager, Operations, (II and III) Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Mr Jeff TAM Manager, Public Affairs, (II and III) Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Mr Calvin WONG Chief Planning Officer, (II) Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited Ms Penny CHUNG Chief Public Affairs Officer, (II and III) Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited Miss Jessica LEUNG Senior Public Relations Executive – External Affairs, (III) Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited

3 Item IV Pedestrian Environment Improvement Works in Kwun Tong Business Area – Ngau Tau Kok Portion

Mr WONG Joseph Senior Project Coordinator/Kowloon 4, Works Division, Highways Department Ms LEUNG Yuen-han Engineer/Kowloon 4-1, Works Division, Highways Department Mr LI Kwok-hung Contract Senior Project Development Manager, Energizing Kowloon East Office, Development Bureau Mr CHAN Kam-chung, Tommy Senior Engineer, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members and departmental representatives to the meeting.

I. Confirmation of Minutes of Last Meeting

2. The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed without amendment.

II. Bus Route Planning Programme 2020-2021 of Kwun Tong District (KTDC TTC Paper No. 3/2020)

3. The Chairman welcomed the representatives of the Transport Department (“TD”), Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (“KMB”) and Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited (“CTB”) to the meeting.

4. The representatives of TD presented the paper.

5. In regard to this item, Members and the Chairman raised views and enquiries as follows:

5.1 Ms LI Wing-shan i) welcomed the frequency enhancement of bus route no.

4 619; ii) suggested extending bus route no. 14B to Chun Wah Road and enhancing its frequency during peak hours; and iii) suggested providing an additional bus-bus interchange concession to bus route no. 28;

5.2 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong expressed concern on the coverage of airport bus routes as areas such as Po Lok, Hip Hong, Yuet Wah, Tsui Ping, etc. were not covered by airport bus routes;

5.3 Mr Kevin SO i) supported the rationalisation of airport bus routes and hoped that the rationalisation could be implemented in the second quarter of the current year; ii) enquired about the service schedules of bus route nos. A26 and A28; iii) expressed concern on the frequency of bus route no. 619; iv) suggested providing morning special departures of bus route no. 14B; and v) suggested stepping up the publicity of bus route no. N213 and extending its service hours;

5.4 Mr WONG Chi-ken i) hoped that the rationalisation of airport bus routes could be expedited; ii) suggested advancing the departure time of bus route no. 619P or providing additional morning special departures of that route; and iii) hoped that additional bus routes travelling directly to Lam Tin or Yau Tong could be provided;

5.5 Mr WAN Ka-him i) expressed reservations about the arrangement of bus route no. 22, which would only increase the number of vehicles under that route without enhancing its frequency; ii) hoped the rationalisation of airport bus routes could be confirmed as soon as possible; iii) suggested enhancing bus services plying between Kwun Tong and North Lantau or Tung Chung; iv) welcomed the service enhancement of bus route nos. 111P and 74P and hoped the enhancement could be confirmed as soon as possible; and v) enquired about the impact on the number of original passengers after the relocation of the bus terminus of bus route no. 608;

5.6 Mr KAN Ming-tung i) remarked that using the current patronage figures for a statistical purpose could not reflect the reality as the current patronage figures were affected by the epidemic; ii) hoped bus companies and TD could adjust the frequencies of bus routes in accordance with the work resumption situation; and iii) expressed concern on the demand for routes travelling from Lam Tin via Kowloon Bay Business Area;

5.7 Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong i) hoped bus companies could resume the service frequencies of their bus routes back to a normal level having regard to the situation of work and school resumption; ii) expressed anger over the neglect of the needs of residents of Sau Mau Ping Estate and On Tat Estate for bus services in the paper; iii) requested the provision of a bus stop at Sau Ching House for the Hong Kong Island-bound service of bus route no. 619X; and iv) objected to the reduction of bus services for Sau Mau Ping under the rationalisation of airport bus routes and pointed out that it might affect residents of Sau Mau Ping South Estate and Po Tat Estate;

5.8 Ms TSE Suk-chun i) suggested continuing the use of double-decked buses for the operation of bus route no. 14B; ii) suggested bus route no. 33 provide services on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and extend its service hours to 12:00 midnight; iii) suggested bus route nos. 14D, 215P and E22P provide whole-day services; iv) suggested increasing the number of routes travelling from Yau Tong to Tseung Kwan O and Mong Kok; v) suggested bus route nos. 38, 42C, 88X, 89, 277E and W2 depart from Yau Tong; and vi) suggested solving the problem of road obstruction by concrete mixers faced by bus route no. 14X when passing Tung Yuen Street or relocating the bus terminus to Domain Mall;

5.9 Mr WONG Kai-ming pointed out that if additional bus routes proposed by Members passed Kwun Tong Road during peak hours, it might increase the burden on Kwun Tong Road roundabout;

5.10 Mr Chris CHAN i) suggested enhancing the frequency of bus route no. 619 and relocating its bus stop in Kwun Tong Town Centre to another location so as to avoid traffic congestion; ii) enquired whether bus companies would review the standard of six persons per square metre (“/m2”) on average for frequency enhancement;

5.11 Mr IP Tsz-kit enquired about the patronage volumes of bus route nos. 277E and 277X and suggested relocating the bus terminus of bus route no. 277E back to Ping Tin;

5.12 Ms FU Pik-chun i) expressed astonishment after learning that there were no plans for enhancing the frequencies of bus route nos. 26 and 27. She

6 pointed out that the patronage volumes of those two bus routes had exceeded the standard for frequency enhancement when she conducted inspections at the downstream section of Lee On Road; ii) pointed out that redeploying the resources of bus route no. 26 to bus route no. 26X should not be taken as a frequency enhancement of bus route no. 26X; iii) hoped that the frequency enhancement of bus route no. 619X proposed in 2019 could be fully implemented in 2020; and iv) suggested relocating the bus stop of bus route no. 619 outside On Kay Court to somewhere next to the minibus stop of minibus route no. 48;

5.13 Mr William LI i) remarked that the four trips of bus route no. 621 departing from Central between 5:50 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. could not meet actual demand and requested an extension of service hours or a frequency enhancement; and ii) suggested offering two-way section fares for the section from Yung Fung Shee Memorial Centre to Lam Tin (North) Bus Terminus under bus route no. E22; and iii) requested the trips of bus route no. 219X to be punctual;

5.14 Ms LAI Po-kwai suggested providing bus stops of bus route no. 111P at Choi Hung MTR Station and Choi Hing Court;

5.15 Mr LAM Wai i) reflected that residents of On Tai Estate often failed to get on board and had to walk to other bus stops to take buses; ii) remarked that the high fare and low frequency of bus route no. 213D had been forcing residents of On Tai Estate to walk to Sze Shun to take bus route no. 27, failing to divert the passenger flow; iii) hoped that section fares could be implemented at On Tai Estate; iv) hoped that ancillary infrastructure of the bus stop in On Tai Estate could be implemented as soon as possible; and v) hoped that additional en-route stops could be provided at Cheung Wo Court and Wo Lok Estate for the Kwun Tong-bound service of bus route no. 213B;

5.16 Ms WONG Ka-ying suggested: i) enhancing the frequency of bus route no. 14H and splitting that route; ii) offering two-way section fares for bus route no. E22 and using Yung Fung Shee Memorial Centre as a section fare station; and iii) providing an additional bus stop of bus route nos. 691 and 619 at Kai Tin Road as residents taking those bus routes at midnight could not travel to Kai Tin Road through the MTR station after getting off buses at the bus stop in Lam Tin;

5.17 Mr Eason CHAN i) pointed out that as the escalators connecting the uphill areas of Lam Tin would be closed around 1:00 a.m., residents getting off buses at the bus stop in Lam Tin had to go up the hill on foot; ii) suggested providing an additional bus stop of bus route no. N619 at Kai Tin Road; iii) suggested splitting bus route no. 14H into upstream and downstream sections so as to serve Pik Wan Road and Kai Tin Road respectively; iv) suggested arranging bus route no. 88X to terminate at Ping Tin and Fo Tan so as to provide more stable trips; and v) suggested extending the bus routes plying between New Territories East and New Territories West and terminating at Kwun Tong Ferry Pier by relocating their bus termini to Yau Tong;

5.18 Mr TAM Siu-cheuk welcomed and supported: i) the provision of additional bus routes passing Sam Choi, including airport bus routes providing whole-day services; ii) the frequency enhancement of bus route no. 111P; and iii) the provision of a bus stop for bus route no. 9 at Choi Hing and suggested offering an interchange concession;

5.19 Mr MOK Kin-shing i) enquired whether the frequency enhancement of bus route no. 619X would be implemented as the frequency enhancement mentioned in the previous year’s Bus Route Planning Programme had not been implemented yet; ii) requested an additional bus stop be provided at Shun On Estate after the rationalisation of airport bus routes; iii) suggested arranging all buses parked at Shun Tin Estate to be parked at Shun Tin Bus Terminus instead of the bus stop near Tin Wan House; iv) suggested enhancing the frequency of the Yau Tong-bound service of bus route no. 14D; and v) suggested reviewing bus route no. 14H;

5.20 Mr HSU Yau-wai i) enquired about the implementation timetable of the plan of extending bus route no. 11X to On Tat mentioned in the previous years’ Bus Route Planning Programme; ii) expressed concern on the impact on residents of On Tat Estate posed by the rationalisation of airport bus routes; iii) suggested providing additional routes travelling from On Tat and On Tai Estate to Kwun Tong to provide whole-day services ; iv) suggested resuming the interchange concessions for bus route nos. 213M and 213S; and v) suggested bus route nos. 213A and 213B provide whole-day services;

5.21 Mr FUNG Ka-lung i) enquired about the routes that passed Tseung Kwan O Tunnel Bus Interchange and their interchange concessions; and ii) pointed out that residents of Po Tat Estate had complained that they could not get on the buses travelling to Lam Tin MTR Station or Hong Kong Island as there were too many passengers. Therefore, he requested enhancement of frequencies of bus route nos. 214, 213X, 613, etc. or providing additional trips departing from en-route stops;

5.22 Mr LUI Tung-hai i) requested enhancement of frequencies of bus route nos. 14B, 14D, 14H, 33 and E22; ii) suggested extending the routes terminating at Kwun Tong Ferry Pier to Yau Tong; iii) pointed out that bus route no. 14X was very important to residents of Yau Tong and Members and residents of the concerned constituency should be consulted if there were any changes to that route; and iv) remarked that the traffic in Tung Yuen Street affected the operation of bus route no. 14X and opined that departments should maintain traffic order instead of adjusting the routeing of that route;

5.23 Mr NGAN Man-yui i) welcomed the provision of whole-day services of airport bus routes passing Chun Wah Road and Choi Ha Road and the provision of additional return trips of bus route no. 111P; ii) requested the provision of return trips of bus route no. 606A during afternoon peak hours; and iii) requested the implementation of an interchange concession of bus route no. 9 mentioned in the Bus Route Planning Programme as soon as possible so as to provide passengers travelling to the New Territories with an interchange concession at Choi Hung Estate;

5.24 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG i) remarked that residents had reflected that bus route nos. 11X and 11M had lost trip problems; and ii) requested an extension of the service hours of bus route no. 601P so that the bus route would provide services from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;

5.25 Mr WANG Wai-lun requested a reorganisation for bus route no. 98; and

5.26 The Chairman enquired: i) whether the journey time and waiting time of bus route no. 22 would be changed upon its diversion; and ii) about the number of passengers being affected by the diversion of bus route no. 608.

6. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of TD were as follows:

6.1 Regarding the suggestion of enhancing the frequency of bus route no. 619X mentioned in the previous Bus Route Planning Programme, the frequency would be enhanced having regard to the actual patronage volume;

6.2 In regard to the suggestion of extending bus route no. 11X from Sau Mau Ping (Upper) to On Tat and On Tai, TD remarked that residents had relayed that it might be difficult to get on board at en-route stops. TD had been negotiating with the bus company, hoping to balance different views by extending the route and enhancing the frequency at the same time;

6.3 The suggestion of arranging bus route no. 22 to pass Muk Tai Street would lengthen the journey time of that route. Therefore, the bus company suggested increasing the number of vehicles under that route to maintain the current frequency. TD noted Members’ views on enhancing the frequency of that route and would draw reference from the existing guidelines on frequency adjustment. TD would also conduct studies with the bus company as and when necessary;

6.4 Extending bus route no. 608 to Shau Kei Wan could benefit more people. The bus company agreed to provide a bus stop outside Tai Hong Street, which would only affect a few people. In regard to the bus terminus in Grand Promenade, about 7% of the total number of passengers would be affected in a day. TD would keep an eye on the situation and the bus company would also provide an additional stop along Shau Kei Wan Road;

6.5 Although bus companies had tried to cater for the needs of every area, it was difficult to operate airport bus routes in every area. Bus companies had to accommodate different demands with limited resources. Bus companies had planned to increase the number of vehicles in order to cater for the needs of different districts. After removing the bus stop at Sau Fai House, the bus company had suggested to provide an additional bus stop of bus route no. A28 at the bus terminus in Po Tat to cater for the needs of different areas. TD noted Members’ views and would consider those views together with views from relevant district councils upon consolidation;

6.6 TD noted Members’ suggestions on the provision of an additional bus stop of airport bus routes in Shun On and would consider those views together with views from relevant district councils upon consolidation;

6.7 In regard to the suggestion of arranging morning special departures of bus route no. 14D to pass Lok Wah, TD noted Members’ views and would further discuss it with the bus company;

6.8 In regard to Members’ suggestion of extending the service hours of bus route no. N213, as the route had been launched for only less than half a year and affected by the epidemic, the bus company could not gain an accurate picture of passenger demand under normal circumstances. The bus company would continue to promote that route;

6.9 TD had paid attention to the problem of illegal parking at Muk Tai Street, which bus route no. 22 had to pass. For example, Muk On Street, which bus route no. 20 had to pass, also had had the problem of illegal parking in the past but the situation there was getting better. As more drivers had noticed that buses would pass that street, the bus company had erected more signs there and TD and the Police had taken follow-up actions, the situation had improved. Also, TD and the bus company had suggested bus route no. 608 pass Muk Tai Street. However, if an additional bus stop could not be provided at Muk Tai Street, the bus company would consider providing it at Shing Kai Road near Muk Tai Street;

6.10 TD would continue to follow up on the suggestion of providing an additional bus stop of bus route no. 619X at Sau Ching House;

6.11 TD noted the suggestion of arranging bus route no. 33 to provide services on Saturdays and Sundays and would follow up on that with the bus company;

6.12 TD had been supporting and encouraging bus companies to provide different kinds of fare concessions, including two-way section fares, section fares and interchange discounts. However, whether fare concessions were provided depended on business decisions of bus companies and bus companies would make their decisions having regard to the actual business operating environment;

6.13 There was an illegal parking problem at the bus terminus of bus route no. 14X. TD would follow up on that with the Police. The impact on local residents had to be taken into consideration when relocating the bus terminus;

6.14 As bus route no. 98 (Tseung Kwan O-bound) would travel along Tseung Kwan O Tunnel and Tseung Kwan O Tunnel Road, buses under that route could travel to Wan Po Road directly, thereby saving journey time. However, TD was still carrying out consultations at the current stage and would consolidate views from relevant district councils before deciding on the final solution;

6.15 TD would continue to study and review with bus companies the locations of bus stops of bus route nos. 619 and 619X at Kwun Tong Town Centre;

6.16 The frequency of the return trips of bus route no. 38P during afternoon peak hours was similar to the frequency of its trips departing from Kwai Tsing in the morning. As bus route no. 38P was under bus route no. 38, bus route no. 38P would operate with the resources of bus route no. 38. Similarly, bus route nos. 111 and 111P had a similar arrangement. Two trips under bus route no. 111 had been changed to trips under bus route no. 111P and the service headway of bus route no. 111 had been slightly lengthened by about one minute;

6.17 TD noted Members’ suggestions on the bus stop arrangements for Ping Shek Estate and Choi Hung Estate;

6.18 In regard to the standard for enhancing service frequency, the maximum capacity of buses was regulated by law. Operationally, as passengers might fail to fully utilise the space of train carriages, patronage volumes might fail to reach 100%. If buses were shown as “Full” or waiting passengers were not able to get on board during inspections, those buses would be treated as fully occupied;

6.19 The patronage volume of bus route no. 14H during its busiest hours was 55%. In regard to the splitting of the route, TD had to conduct further studies with the bus company;

6.20 TD noted the suggestions on the provision of an additional bus stop of bus route nos. 213A and 213B (Kwun Tong-bound) near Wo Lok Estate;

6.21 TD would continue to discuss with bus companies about the interchange concessions for Sam Choi and Lok Wah; and

6.22 Bus route no. 606A had ten trips in the morning at the moment. About 40 people would get on board at the bus stop in Sam Choi. As for whether bus route no. 606 would be adjusted to pass areas around Amoy Gardens, TD had to carry out further studies on the impact on existing passengers carefully.

7. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of KMB were as follows:

7.1 KMB would pay close attention to the population intake at Anderson Road and would make prompt adjustments to individual trips of bus route nos. 619, 619X and 619P. If the patronage volumes reached the standard for frequency improvement, KMB would enhance the overall frequency upon TD’s request;

7.2 If suggestions on the locations of bus stops could enhance efficiency and would not cause huge impacts on passengers, KMB would also actively consider those suggestions and discuss it with TD;

7.3 KMB would consider developing bus routes travelling from business areas in Kowloon East to the New Territories depending on the actual situation as there were routes passing the two business areas at the moment;

7.4 KMB expressed gratitude to Members for their positive comments on bus route no. 111P. KMB would consider providing bus stops near Choi Hung Estate and Choi Hing Court when implementing that bus route. In addition, KMB noted the needs of residents of Sam Choi for crossing the harbour. KMB would consider enhancing its services having regard to the situation upon the implementation of bus route no. 111P;

7.5 KMB had introduced a whole-day interchange concession for bus route no. 9 on 20 April. Members of the public could interchange to the Hong Kong Island-bound buses of bus route no. 108 for almost free;

7.6 KMB had been paying attention to the newly-provided services on Anderson Road. New services arrangements, such as whole-day services of bus route nos. 213A, 213B, 213X, 214P and 290X had been launched the previous year. Bus route no. 11X would be provided the following year to expand the service scope. Upon its implementation, bus route no. 11X could travel to various areas in Kowloon and Tsuen Wan, the New Territories directly. KMB hoped that that bus route could upgrade the current service level;

7.7 KMB would consider offering section fares proposed by Members having regard to the situation;

7.8 KMB would consider extending routes terminating at the bus terminus in Kwun Tong to Yau Tong having regard to the situation. However, KMB had to consider whether the space of the current terminus in Yau Tong could accommodate the relevant routes;

7.9 KMB attached great importance to the service of bus route no. 14X in Lei Yue Mun. It also paid much attention to the traffic conditions at Tung Yuen Street at Sam Ka Tsuen. KMB would continue to reflect the problem to TD and the Hong Kong Police Force. Although the road section in Tung Yuen Street had been modified in late March the current year, the condition had not been improved and there were still complaints about it. In regard to the suggestions on the routeing, KMB noted the relevant views;

7.10 KMB would reconsider the request for special trips of bus route no. 14B and would study the feasibility of allocating current resources to support bus route no. 14B or extending the trips of routes currently terminating at the bus terminus in Ngau Tau Kok, minimising the impact on existing passengers;

7.11 In regard to the suggestion on relocating bus route no. 277 to Ping Tin, as bus routes under bus route series no. 277 were long-haul routes which took more than one hour for each journey, coupled with the unsatisfactory traffic conditions at Kwun Tong Road, an extension of the route would affect the current service level. Bus route no. 277 had been offering an interchange concession currently. Passengers taking bus route no. 15 could interchange to bus route no. 277 for free;

7.12 In regard to the concerns on the lifts in Lam Tin, KMB would reconsider the location of the bus stop of bus route nos. N691 and N619; and

7.13 KMB would consider the feasibility of postponing the afternoon peak hours of bus route no. 621 based on its patronage volume.

8. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of CTB were as follows:

8.1 The headway of bus route no. A26 departing from Yau Tong from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. was 30 minutes. The headway of bus route no. A26 departing from Yau Tong starting from 7:30 a.m. and the headway of that bus route departing from the airport were both 60 minutes;

8.2 Bus route no. A29P would change its no. to A28 and its frequency starting from 9:35 a.m. would be strengthened to a headway of 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the frequency of that bus route departing from the airport would be strengthened to a headway of 30 minutes throughout the day;

8.3 The headways of bus route nos. A29P and A26 serving areas around Sau Mau Ping South and Po Tat Estate were both 60 minutes. Upon rationalisation, the headway of bus route no. A28 would be 30 minutes;

8.4 In regard to the arrangements for the rationalisation of airport bus routes, CTB noted the views on the bus termini at Shun On Estate and Shun Tin Estate;

8.5 CTB noted the suggestions on the provision of two-way section fares for bus route no. E22;

8.6 As Muk Tai Street had not been opened yet, CTB could not provide the actual extra journey time of bus route no. 22 if the bus route was going to pass Muk Tai Street. However, the current journey time of bus route no. 22 was around 40 to 45 minutes. If it was confirmed that bus route no. 22 was going to pass Muk Tai Street, CTB would closely monitor its journey time, especially the journey time during morning peak hours, and would explore the feasibility of slightly adjusting its departure time; and

8.7 About 7% of passengers taking bus route no. 608 would alight from the buses at Grand Promenade. CTB would collect views from other district councils and would then examine with TD the feasibility of its amendments.

9. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

9.1 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong remarked that he did not object to the extension of bus route no. 11X to Anderson Road. However, he opined that the provision of two additional trips was not enough. Downhill residents might not be able to get on board;

9.2 Mr Kevin SO remarked that: i) residents of areas around Chun Wah Street and Choi Ha Road welcomed the provision of whole-day airport bus services; ii) the frequency of bus route no. A26 at 6:00 a.m. might not be able to cater for the needs as airport staff worked on shifts and many passengers had to arrive at the airport from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. People might be late for work. Therefore, he hoped that the service could start earlier; and iii) as airport bus routes did not provide overnight express services, passengers might need to walk to Kwun Tong Road in order to get on board. He hoped that the service hours could start at 5:30 a.m.;

9.3 Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong objected to the rationalisation of airport bus routes as the bus stop at Sau Fai House would be removed. He also objected to the reduction of one of the original routes in Po Tat Estate;

9.4 Mr Raymond TANG i) enquired about the progress of installing display panels at bus stops in Sau Mau Ping; ii) enquired about the feasibility of providing whole-day services of bus route no. 619X and suggested providing bus stops at Sau Hong House, Sau Ching House or Sau Fai House for its return trips; iii) enquired whether a frequency enhancement for bus route no. 14D during morning peak hours could be made; iv) suggested providing bus route no. 601X under bus route no. 601, which would terminate at Hiu Lai Court. He suggested that route follow the routeing of bus route no. 601, which would first travel to Po Tat and then Hong Kong Island or terminate at Po Tat after arriving at the bus stop at Sau Ching House or Sau Fai Estate, or travel to Hong Kong Island from Tseung Kwan O Road after passing Sau Ming House in accordance with the routeing of bus route no. 601; and v)

16 opposed the relocation of the bus stops of bus route no. 11X if the bus company could not cater for the needs of residents;

9.5 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung suggested providing an additional airport bus route to pass Po Tat. He suggested buses under that route to depart from Tsui Ping, pass Sau Mau Ping and Po Tat and travel to Kai Yip following the routeing of bus route no. 13X;

9.6 Mr Chris CHAN requested TD to review the calculation method of bus patronage rates. He pointed out that the MTR Corporation Limited (“MTRCL”) had renewed its standard to four persons/m2 on average;

9.7 Ms FU Pik-chun i) remarked that due to the geographic location, residents of Sze Shun could not choose to leave on foot even if the waiting time was too long; ii) requested a frequency enhancement for bus route nos. 26 and 27 in the morning; iii) enquired about the timetable of departures for bus route no. A28; and iv) hoped residents of Sze Shun could benefit from the bus services for On Tat Estate and On Tai Estate. If the routes would pass Clear Water Bay Road, she suggested providing an additional bus stop outside Jordan Valley Park;

9.8 Mr Eason CHAN i) enquired if the bus company could not relocate the bus stop back to Ping Tin, whether MTRCL could extend the service hours of its hillside escalators so as to provide convenience to residents; and ii) enquired whether the lanes at Lei Yue Mun Road near the fire station where works were underway would be more congested upon the frequency enhancement of buses;

9.9 Mr FUNG Ka-lung i) enquired about the list of bus routes that would pass the interchange in Tseung Kwan O upon its completion and the timetable of such routes; and ii) enquired whether the bus company would conduct trial runs to learn about the actual road conditions so that the bus company could study the necessity of frequency enhancement based on the future patronage volumes as the bus terminus at Po Tat Estate, which bus route no. A28 would pass, was relatively narrow;

9.10 Mr PANG Chi-sang: i) hoped TD could publicise the service details of the interchange at Tseung Kwan O upon its completion; ii) enquired whether TD

17 had considered the service of bus route no. 14X before implementing the road closure arrangement at Tung Yuen Street; and iii) enquired about the utilisation rate of the parking spaces in the car park at Tung Yuen Street;

9.11 Mr WONG Chi-ken requested: i) TD to give a reply on whether additional special departures could be provided during morning peak hours; and ii) requested the progress chart of installing electronic panels and seats at bus stops;

9.12 Mr KAN Ming-tung i) suggested extending bus route no. 277X to Ping Tin; and ii) suggested considering the views raised by Members in regard to bus route no. 14H;

9.13 Mr HUNG Chun-hin welcomed the suggestion related to the provision of additional airport bus routes which would depart from Tsui Ping and pass Sau Mau Ping; and

9.14 Ms WONG Ka-ying hoped TD could request MTRCL to open the hillside escalators at Ping Tin for 24 hours a day.

10. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of TD were as follows:

10.1 Bus route no. A28 would operate in accordance with the timetable included in the paper from 5:25 a.m. to 9:35 a.m., and the headway after 9:35 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. was 30 minutes. The headway of trips departing from the airport was 30 minutes. Residents of Po Tat had changed from waiting for two bus routes each with a headway of 60 minutes to one bus route with a headway of 30 minutes. TD noted Members’ concerns over the impact on Sau Fai House posed by the suggestions;

10.2 TD noted Members’ suggestions on providing additional airport bus routes departing from Tsui Ping and passing Sau Mau Ping. However, as the scope of airport bus routes was relatively large, which involved the resources of areas such as Kowloon East, Tseung Kwan O, etc., TD had to give due consideration to that;

10.3 TD would review the standards for patronage volumes from time to time;

10.4 TD noted the suggestions on the provision of an additional bus stop in Jordan Valley;

10.5 TD noted the suggestions on the frequency enhancement of bus route nos. 26 and 27 and would take follow-up actions with colleagues in various areas. TD would also explore with bus companies the feasibility of service enhancement based on relevant guidelines as and when necessary;

10.6 TD would reflect to MTRCL the suggestions on the provision of whole-day services of hillside escalators at Ping Tin;

10.7 TD’s standing representatives at various areas would follow up on the concerns over Tung Yuen Street;

10.8 In regard to the enquiries on the interchange at Tseung Kwan O, TD would discuss with the bus companies. Most bus routes proposed to pass the toll plaza would offer interchange concessions. Bus route nos. 98 and 797 would also pass Tseung Kwan O Tunnel;

10.9 In regard to the provision of additional special departures in the morning, TD noted the suggestion and would pay attention to the service quality and passenger demand of that route. TD would also carry out studies with bus companies as and when necessary; and

10.10 TD noted the suggestion in regard to the relocation of bus route no. 277X back to Ping Tin and would follow up on that.

11. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of KMB were as follows:

11.1 In regard to bus route no. 14X, road closure had been implemented at Tung Yuen Street. The bus route had to travel to Shung Tak Wai even after the implementation of road closure. However, the current road conditions (such as the illegal parking problem) caused potential road safety problems. Bus route no. 14X would only move out from Shung Tak Wai if the situation did not allow; and

11.2 In regard to bus stop facilities, the Government had been providing

19 subsidies for those facilities and would also provide bus companies with a timetable to execute the details. The timetable was subject to adjustments having regard to the actual works condition. KMB could further discuss the details with Members after the meeting.

12. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of CTB were as follows:

12.1 CTB noted the views on bus route no. A26 and would conduct further studies;

12.2 Passengers could take buses under bus route no. N26 to the airport before the departure of the first bus of bus route no. A26;

12.3 CTB noted Members’ concerns over the bus terminus at Po Tat and would pay close attention to it after the implementation of bus routes;

12.4 CTB paid attention to the passengers who took airport bus routes at Sau Ming Road. Residents currently taking bus route no. A29P, which had a headway of 60 minutes, around Sau Ming House and Sau Mau Ping Shopping Centre could take bus route no. A26, which also had a headway of 60 minutes, to the airport instead. Residents currently taking bus route no. A26, which had a headway of 60 minutes, around Sau Fai House could take bus route no. A28, which had a headway of 30 minutes, at the bus terminus at Po Tat Estate;

12.5 Trial runs of bus route no. 22 could be conducted upon the opening of Muk Tai Street and discussion with TD; and

12.6 CTB would review bus route no. 608 with TD after consulting other district councils.

13. The Chairman concluded that even a small change to bus routes would affect members of the public. He hoped TD and bus companies could maintain close communication with Members after the meeting.

14. Members noted the paper.

III. Reduction in Service Frequencies and Implementation of Cleaning Work in Public Transport under the Epidemic

15. The Chairman welcomed the representatives of MTRCL to the meeting.

16. The representatives of KMB, CTB and MTRCL reported on matters related to the frequency reduction of public transport in light of the epidemic and cleaning work in public transport.

17. In regard to this item, Members and the Chairman raised views and enquiries as follows:

17.1 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong enquired about the improvement measures for cleaning vehicle compartments after trains of East Rail Line and West Rail Line and buses returned to termini;

17.2 Mr Wilson OR enquired: i) how operators could evaluate the necessity of frequency enhancement with an objective mechanism after the frequency reduction due to the epidemic; ii) whether the frequencies during peak hours could be enhanced as reduction of frequencies could not reduce the number of passengers effectively; and iii) whether operators had recognised the work of frontline cleaning staff;

17.3 Mr WAN Ka-him i) pointed out that mobile applications failed to reflect the arrival time of buses accurately; ii) pointed out that frequency reduction of buses would lead to gathering of waiting passengers or an increase in the passenger number in vehicle compartments, causing public health risks; and iii) enquired whether MTRCL would carry out cleaning work for vehicle compartments after trains returned to termini after peak hours;

17.4 Mr HUNG Chun-hin i) would like to maintain close communication with bus companies and hoped bus companies could inform district councilors if there was any frequency reduction; and ii) hoped that services could be resumed to a normal level as soon as possible;

17.5 Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong enquired about the timetable for resuming public transport services;

17.6 Ms TSE Suk-chun remarked that: i) as Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination was about to begin, enhancing only the frequencies of buses passing examination venues might not be able to fulfill the needs of candidates; and ii) as the epidemic situation had stabilised, resumption of public transport services to a normal level was really important;

17.7 Mr WONG Kai-ming pointed out that the air circulation of confined vehicle compartments could be enhanced;

17.8 Mr Raymond TANG i) enquired whether drivers of bus companies would refuse passengers without masks to board their buses; and ii) remarked that there had been passengers without masks vomiting on buses during their journeys and the buses had to first return to termini for cleaning and then return to depots for more thorough cleaning. He hoped bus companies could give an account to the public on the cleaning procedure;

17.9 Mr MOK Kin-shing i) enquired about the cleanliness condition of bus stops, bus termini and public transport interchanges, especially the ventilation systems of those places; and ii) remarked that residents had reflected that frequency reduction was not conducted in accordance with the timetable and enquired about its monitoring system; and iii) suggested TD review the requests for frequency reduction with a stringent standard;

17.10 Mr FUNG Ka-lung enquired: i) how KMB evaluated which routes needed additional provision of hand sanitisers and whether CTB had similar measures; and ii) enquired about TD’s mechanism of approving requests for frequency reduction;

17.11 Mr LAM Wai i) enquired whether trial runs could be conducted for bus route no. 11X before calculating its demand; and ii) requested bus companies to consider offering section fares; and

17.12 The Chairman enquired: i) whether TD had provided any cleaning guidelines to minibus companies and what action TD would take if minibus drivers were found not wearing masks; and ii) enquired about TD’s mechanism for approving the requests for frequency reduction of buses and its procedure.

18. The response given by the representatives of KMB were as follows:

18.1 KMB had resumed the frequency during peak hours. In regard to the frequency of non-peak hours, as the travelling mode of members of the public had changed, demand dropped drastically and there was a long way to go before restoring the service level back to the previous level. KMB would pay close attention to the situation;

18.2 Due to the restrictions of the number of waiting passengers and time, the cleaning progress of buses after returning to depots had to depend on the actual situation. If time allowed, KMB would use more time to clean vehicle compartments;

18.3 KMB had been conducting weekly reviews on frequencies of bus routes and providing TD with data related to patronage volumes for further discussion;

18.4 In regard to frontline staff, KMB would provide masks to its drivers. If frequencies were to be enhanced, KMB would provide subsidies in accordance with its established standards. In addition, KMB would also pay attention to the protective measures for its contract cleaning staff;

18.5 The mobile application of KMB had room for improvement. KMB was conducting improvement work, hoping the performance of its mobile application could be enhanced in the future;

18.6 In regard to timely announcement of frequency reduction, the present incident was a valuable lesson. KMB hoped to enhance its communication with district councilors in the future;

18.7 After the commencement of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, KMB would deploy more field staff to provide assistance to and monitor the operation of buses so as to reflect the actual situation and make corresponding adjustments to operational arrangements;

18.8 Improvement work had been conducted for the ventilation system of bus compartments, including the provision of additional air vents. About 100 buses running in Kowloon had undergone improvement work;

18.9 The current law did not grant bus drivers the power to refuse passengers without masks to get on board. Nevertheless, there were broadcasts on buses advising passengers to put on masks; and

18.10 Due to the restrictions on the fleet size and resources, KMB would provide hand sanitisers based on the patronage volumes and journey time of routes.

19. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of CTB were as follows:

19.1 CTB had instructed contractors to step up cleaning for bus termini and disinfect approaching buses;

19.2 CTB had provided hand sanitisers for frontline workers at their workplaces;

19.3 Contractors would provide masks to its workers and CTB would also carry out inspections;

19.4 The current law did not grant bus drivers the power to refuse passengers without masks to get on board. If relevant measures were launched by the Government, CTB would complement the implementation;

19.5 In regard to frequency arrangements, CTB had been paying attention to the patronage volumes of all routes and deploying frontline staff to carry out inspections at major bus stops. CTB would make flexible adjustments to the frequencies if the number of passengers of routes rebounded. In light of the commencement of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, besides partially resuming services of routes serving schools, CTB would also enhance the frequencies of routes passing schools and examination venues having regard to patronage volumes; and

19.6 CTB had adjusted updated information of bus frequency schedules of its computer system having regard to the frequency adjustments so as to enable passengers to check the latest departure time through the real-time arrival enquiry service.

20. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of MTRCL were as follows:

24 20.1 In regard to the adjustments to train services, MTRCL had been carrying out evaluations with government departments. By the end of March, its patronage volumes had recorded an average year-on-year decrease of more than 40%, among which the patronage volumes of Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line had recorded a decrease of 80%. MTRCL had been closely monitoring its patronage volumes and the corresponding frequencies of various MTR lines would be maintained. Services would be enhanced accordingly in light of the commencement of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination;

20.2 The current frequency during peak hours remained unchanged. The waiting time during non-peak hours was about half to two minutes longer than usual;

20.3 In regard to cleaning, MTRCL would provide masks, goggles, gloves, etc. Contractors would also provide protective measures to its staff. If there were any extra needs, MTRCL would further discuss them with its contractors;

20.4 In regard to the cleaning of train cabinets, MTRCL would reflect to its staff the need of enhancing the cleaning of train compartments after the trains returned to terminal points;

20.5 MTRCL would use vapourised hydrogen peroxide robots to conduct cleaning in train compartments after trains returned to depots. It took about four hours to complete the cleaning of an eight-car train. In addition, regular cleaning of train compartments would be enhanced too. Train captains would also check the train compartments in advance before driving the trains out of the depots; and

20.6 In view of the epidemic situation, the ventilation systems at MTR stations had been enhanced so as to improve the air circulation. Filters of air-conditioners were replaced more frequently.

21. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of TD were as follows:

21.1 TD had approved the bus companies’ applications for frequency adjustments to bus routes in view of the epidemic. The approval was valid for seven days. When examining the applications for service adjustments submitted

25 by bus companies, TD would consider factors such as declining rates of passenger numbers, occupancy rates of bus routes, impacts of frequency adjustments on waiting time, resources allocation of buses, public acceptability, etc. TD would review data related to passenger capacities submitted by bus companies every week and would carry out reviews with bus companies so as to ensure that bus services after adjustment could cater for passengers’ commuting needs;

21.2 Under the latest arrangement, TD would not approve applications for frequency reduction during peak hours. As for non-peak hours, TD would not accept applications for frequency reduction if the patronage volume was more than 30%. TD would consider the special features of individual routes when reviewing applications for frequency reduction;

21.3 In regard to the standards for approving temporary service adjustments, headways should not be extended for more than 5 minutes, headways of non-peak hours after extension should not exceed 30 minutes;

21.4 TD had reminded bus companies that bus compartments should not be too crowded; and

21.5 As for minibuses, TD had been working to tie in with the anti-epidemic work of the Government’s health department by disseminating information on how to prevent infectious diseases and requesting operators to adopt relevant measures to step up the cleaning of minibus compartments, minibus stops, etc. TD would continue to communicate with the operators.

22. Members noted the item.

IV. Pedestrian Environment Improvement Works in Kwun Tong Business Area – Ngau Tau Kok Portion (KTDC TTC Paper No. 4/2020)

23. The Chairman welcomed the representatives of the Highways Department (“HyD”), Energizing Kowloon East Office (“EKEO”) under Development Bureau and the consultancy to the meeting.

26 24. The representatives of HyD presented the paper. 25. In regard to this item, Members and the Chairman raised views and enquiries as follows:

25.1 Ms LI Wing-shan i) opposed the greening plans stated in the paper as greening zones were prone to rubbish accumulation and rodent infestation; ii) enquired which departments would be responsible for managing greening zones and about the frequency of regular cleaning work; and iii) disapproved of the effectiveness of the existing greening zones in the district;

25.2 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong i) remarked that the government had to be careful when providing greening zones and hoped greening zones would not cause management and cleaning problems; and ii) enquired about the feasibility of constructing a pedestrian subway directly connecting Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station with the Promenade;

25.3 Mr Kevin SO i) expressed concern over the long closure of the park as the park had to undergo beautification works stated in option 1. He enquired whether nearby staircase facilities would be improved too; ii) supported option 3 and hoped it could be implemented as soon as possible; iii) opined that option 4 had room for improvement; iv) remarked that the construction of flower beds should be duly considered and opined that greening work should not be limited to flower beds, small trees and bushes; and v) hoped the subway at How Ming Lane could be renewed as soon as possible;

25.4 Mr HUNG Chun-hin suggested that option 8 only required road re-surfacing but not greening;

25.5 Mr WONG Kai-ming i) remarked that he supported making large-scale improvement in general; ii) supported and suggested the prompt implementation of works related to the pedestrian crossings at Ngau Tau Kok Road and Elegance Road, which did not have to implement together with other plans; iii) supported the prompt improvement of the subway at Tsun Yip Street; and iv) supported the widening of the pathway outside Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station and suggested the safety island should be moved to somewhere near the MTR Station so as to avoid gathering of crowds;

25.6 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung i) opposed the greening proposal stated in option 9 and suggested directly removing the existing greening zones; ii) supported the road re-surfacing work in option 8 and suggested providing additional seats to replace plants; iii) suggested removing the small trees of the staircases under option 5 and providing seats or upper covers to cater for the needs of passengers waiting for buses; iv) opined that subways proposed in option 4 and option 1 could adopt non-slip bricks or bricks that were easy to clean; and v) enquired about the feasibility of constructing a subway directly connecting Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station with the Promenade;

25.7 Mr Chris CHAN i) supported the suggestion of widening the footpath proposed in option 5, but he expressed reservations about the existing flower beds as they might cause hygiene problems. He suggested changing the staircases into a display corner of art installations; ii) suggested relocating the safety island outside Ngau Tau Kok to somewhere near Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station; and iii) enquired whether the trees proposed to be planted in option 7 would replace existing trees. If seats were provided at nearby staircases, he suggested planting trees without fruits. If rubbish bins were to be provided there, departments had to consider the possibility of passers-by breathing in second-hand smoke;

25.8 Mr IP Tsz-kit enquired about the aim of option 4 and suggested directly connecting Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station with the Promenade with a subway as the current design was inconvenient;

25.9 Mr Eason CHAN i) enquired about the estimated effectiveness of the whole project, such as the traffic time saved by vehicles travelling on the road; and ii) hoped HyD could carefully consider relevant greening works;

25.10 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG i) supported providing additional lighting facilities and carrying out road re-surfacing work for subways and suggested providing the same kind of facilities at Shun Yip Lane; ii) enquired about the utilisation rate of Kwun Tong Road Sitting-out Area; iii) opposed the implementation of option 4 if Ngau Tau Kok MTR station and the Promenade could not be connected with only one subway; iv) suggested replacing flower beds proposed in option 5 with barrier-free facilities that

28 connected the MTR stations and Kwun Tong Road directly; and v) opined that option 8 could not benefit users and pointed out that HyD could first carry out road re-surfacing work for locations that were currently covered by asphalt instead of bricks;

25.11 Ms Edith LEUNG i) thanked HyD for answering their demands and enquired about the current progress of option 3; ii) enquired whether the waiting time would be changed after the slip-road in option 6 was cancelled and whether the safety island would be expanded; iii) enquired whether there would be any compensation for the removal of the existing park proposed in option 7; iv) reflected that the crossing time of traffic lights in the industrial areas in Kwun Tong were insufficient and enquired about the feasibility of providing pedestrian crossings at other locations in the district; v) enquired whether the problem of illegal parking in the industrial areas in Kwun Tong could be solved by road design; and vi) hoped that the greening proposal could be replaced by tree-planting ; and

25.12 The Chairman expressed concern on subway safety and hoped that a balance between the appearance and safety could be striken.

26. The highlights of response given by the representatives of HyD were as follows:

26.1 In regard to option 1, HyD did not have the information in the utilisation rate of Kwun Tong Road Sitting-Out Area. However, HyD pointed out that the sitting-out area would be enlarged upon reconstruction, providing a better environment and increasing its attractiveness. The existing staircases next to the sitting-out area were not included under the proposed works. Therefore, the staircases would not be affected during the construction period. As for the widening of staircases, further studies could be conducted; and

26.2 There would be more space after the upper cover of the other side of the subway at Kwun Tong Road was removed. If Members did not suggest adopting the greening proposal, EKEO would use Greening Master Plan as the foundation of the overall goal and make further consideration.

27. The highlights of response given by the representatives of EKEO were as follows:

27.1 In regard to option 1, the existing sitting-out area on the ramp outside the northern means of access of the subway obstructed pedestrians travelling between Ting On Street and bus stops at Kwun Tong Road or pedestrians on the pathway. After removing the ramp, space could be released for the expansion of the pathway. Although the staircases at the northern and southern means of access of the sitting-out area were not under the scope of the proposed works, its original design and accessibility would be kept;

27.2 EKEO noted Members’ views on the greening proposal. CEDD had started to formulate and implement the Greening Master Plan for urban areas in 2004 and had completed relevant work in 2011, including the confirmation of greening themes for every district (including Kwun Tong) and the selection of greening areas at suitable locations. EKEO understood that Members would like to plant more trees. However, planting trees at roadsides was difficult, and the choices of plant species had to depend on the environment. The project in question suggested providing greening at suitable sites. The plant species would draw reference from the suggestions of the Greening Master Plan. For works projects and greening works under the project, relevant departments could receive money for their recurrent expenditure on repair and maintenance so as to solve relevant problems related to resources. If greening works were not carried out under the project, departments responsible for repair and maintenance would not receive the funds they needed when greening works were to be carried out at suitable locations in the form of minor works. If greening works had problems of repair and maintenance, that might arise from the above reason. If greening was not provided because of repair and maintenance problems, it would be a pity; and

27.3 EKEO agreed with Members’ views on the greening project under option 8 and opined that it might cause hygiene problems. However, EKEO hoped that Members could carefully consider other greening options. EKEO also pointed out that the plans mentioned in the paper were only preliminary designs and could be further improved when conducting detailed designs. EKEO also suggested collecting Members’ views in regard to the implementation of each option.

28. Members and the Chairman raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

28.1 The Chairman hoped that departments could collect Members views in regard to the implementation of each option, as suggested by EKEO, so as to respect the views of district councilors of the concerned constituencies;

28.2 Ms Edith LEUNG, as a district councilor of the concerned constituency, suggested departments attend meetings again to submit more options for Members to choose. Members’ views might also change;

28.3 Mr WAN Ka-him suggested distributing questionnaires to Members to collect their views and passing the completed questionnaires to departments afterwards;

28.4 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG remarked that having a better design meant little;

28.5 Mr MOK Kin-shing pointed out that past experience and actual operation had shown that the handling method of departments responsible for repair and maintenance was not ideal. He would only agree with the suggestions if departments could provide a way to improve their repair and maintenance method;

28.6 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung remarked that he did not oppose roadside greenery, but he opined that greening plans should mainly consider actual operation. Departments should consider how to maintain the cleanliness of greening zones;

28.7 Ms LI Wing-shan remarked that departments could discuss plant species;

28.8 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong remarked that if greening zones were to be complemented, departments responsible for management should be invited to the meetings;

28.9 Mr Kevin SO remarked that EKEO had done a better job in local consultations and was willing to listen to views. Views raised by Members were based on observation. If works were to be implemented, it might cause nuisances to residents of Ting On Street as the works period

31 would be relatively long. Members understood that specific plant species had to be confirmed until detailed designs were made. However, based on experience, using maintenance resources immediately might not be able to ensure the cleanliness of greening zones. Members hoped that EKEO could continue to listen to Members’ views. He pointed out that Members were trying to improve the plans instead of opposing them. Members suggested the Chairman collect views and pass those views to departments for consolidation. Members also welcomed departments to attend meetings again after specific designs were ready;

28.10 Mr WONG Kai-ming remarked that he was not fully opposed to greening. However, he opposed the implementation of greening work under option 8 after consideration. Conversely, she supported greening plans located in the middle of roads where few pedestrians went to;

28.11 Mr William LI enquired whether the practices of other places had been explored when EKEO conducted greening planning. He remarked that Singapore was a city with relatively good performance in greening and suggested departments follow Singapore in regard to repair and maintenance; and

28.12 Mr Eason CHAN remarked that most Members did not really oppose greening. They had raised the above enquiries and views as they had learnt from past experience that greening did require careful consideration before implementation. He pointed out that the problems had mainly arisen from users and could not be solved within a short period of time. He requested departments to submit a convincing plan which included the repair and maintenance arrangements for the coming few years. In addition, he enquired about data showing that how traffic could be improved upon the completion of works.

29. The representatives of TD responded that the main purpose of improving subways as stated in the paper were improving the walking environment of pedestrians and had no direct relation with road traffic and traffic lights.

30. The highlights of response given by the representatives of EKEO were as follows:

30.1 Greening designs had been suggested by the consultancy based on the

32 themes stated in the Greening Master Plan; 30.2 The main use of proposed subways S1 and S2 was to connect Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station with areas around the Promenade and provide a barrier-free path. Departments understood Members were discontent with the connectivity of International Trade Tower. However, it met the requirements of the land lease. EKEO hoped that International Trade Tower could provide better feeder services, such as providing escalators. In addition, the proposed subway could effectively reduce the conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles; and

30.3 The local consultations for pedestrian crossings at Ngau Tau Kok Road and Elegance Road had been completed recently. If the arrangement for temporary road diversions of HyD were passed, the works could be launched by the end of the current year.

31. The representatives of HyD responded that subway S1 proposed in option 4 would be twisted because there were box culverts and sewers under the ground of Lai Yip Street, making it technically infeasible to construct a subway connecting Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station with the Kwun Tong Promenade.

32. The Chairman summarised that TTC under KTDC could not recognise nor pass the greening plans of EKEO stated in option 9 as EKEO had failed to provide sufficient information. The Secretariat would issue questionnaires to collect Members’ views later and pass the completed questionnaires to departments for their reference. After collecting views, departments and relevant departments, such as CEDD, would be invited to meetings to explain the greening plans.

33. The representatives of EKEO explained that CEDD was not responsible for the implementation of the project. Nevertheless, the proposed species would be chosen with reference to the themes and suggestions made by CEDD for Kwun Tong in the Greening Master Plan. The detailed information of the proposed greening plans under the project had not been provided by EKEO. That information had been gathered from the inspections and preliminary designs carried out by the consultancy engaged by HyD. EKEO was mainly responsible for monitoring the direction of the project, which included raising suggestions on sites suitable for beatification and greening. HyD and its consultancy would then raise specific plans after carrying out studies.

34. Mr William LI pointed out that the reply from EKEO was confusing. He enquired: i) which department led the project and who had decided on the greening suggestions; and ii) when CEDD had formulated the guidelines; and iii) if the departments had drawn reference from

33 examples of other places when conducting greening planning and how they had referred to the guidelines.

35. The Chairman requested appropriate departments to explain proposed greening plans at the coming meetings.

36. The highlights of the supplementary response given by the representatives of HyD were as follows:

36.1 In regard to option 1, HyD was studying the level of slip resistance, durability and appearance of bricks and no conclusion had been made so far. HyD would, taking views of users and Members into consideration, make decisions with the maintenance department when conducting detailed designs and give priority to safety;

36.2 The main purpose of option 4 was improving pedestrian connectivity. Amendments to traffic lights or traffic time were not considered. In regard to the complicated design of International Trade Tower, as the connection point was located in the basement, which was used as a car park, it was not suitable for the provision of pedestrian links;

36.3 In regard to option 5, HyD noted Members’ views on planting. In regard to the planting of plants at the stairs, the provision of seats or display of art installations, there was room for improvement. In regard to Members’ views of providing additional zebra crossings within the bus stop, although the provision was not included in the plan of investigations, the provision of zebra crossing would involve safety concern since the crossing was relatively far away from an engineering perspective. Therefore, that amendment was not recommended;

36.4 In regard to option 6, only the left-turning slip lane could be cancelled due to the traffic volume. As the pedestrian crossing mentioned by Members was not under the scope of the works, it was not considered at the moment;

36.5 In regard to option 7, there would be space for planting trees after the original park was removed. Original trees in the park which would be affected by the works would be retained in-situ as far as possible while some of them would be replanted or transplanted;

34 36.6 In regard to option 8, HyD, after taking into account Members’ views and obtaining EKEO’s consent, would cancel the part related to greening. However, as the road surface was not even at the moment, re-surfacing was needed;

36.7 In regard to option 9, HyD would conduct further studies after collecting views; and

36.8 Investigations and basic designs were completed. The next stage was to gazette the works projects. Before publishing the projects by gazette, the views from KTDC would be consulted. The works for the next stage would only be carried out if no objection was received.

37. In regard to the provision of pedestrian crossings at other locations in the district, the representatives of EKEO responded that an additional pedestrian crossing across Wai Yip Street would be provided at Shun Yip Street. The works would commence in April.

38. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

38.1 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong hoped that the works related to the pedestrian crossing proposed in option 3 could be implemented first;

38.2 Mr LEE Kwan-chak enquired whether wheelchair users could return to Ngau Tau Kok by taking subway S1 proposed in option 4;

38.3 Mr Chris CHAN enquired whether the widening of the footpath under option 5 could be implemented as soon as possible in the form of minor works. As for the provision of additional staircases, it could be conducted at the next stage; and

38.4 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG i) remarked that in regard to option 2, if the utilisation rate of the sitting-out area was unknown, the effectiveness of it would also be unknown after the improvement; and ii) enquired about the relevant data showing that the subway proposed in option 4 could help pedestrians.

35 39. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of HyD were as follows:

39.1 Subway S1 proposed in option 4 was equipped with lifts to provide convenience to wheelchair users. Wheelchair users could use the subway to travel to International Trade Tower. As MTRCL was responsible for the management and maintenance of the existing subway outside Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station, the subway was not under the purview of HyD. Wheelchair users had to make use of the footbridge of Millennium City 2 in order to cross Kwun Tong Road. EKEO was communicating with MTRCL at the moment, hoping to provide barrier-free facilities in the existing subway for the connection with the barrier-free facilities in subway S1;

39.2 The utilisation rate of the sitting-out area proposed in option 2 had not been covered in the study. Therefore, HyD was unable to answer relevant enquiries. Nevertheless, certain lands in every district would be reserved for the provision of sitting-out areas in accordance with the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (“HKPSG”); and

39.3 The subway stated in option 4 had been designed based on the alignment set by the feasibility study conducted earlier. As bus stops were provided at the two ends of Lai Yip Street, the subway could help divert the pedestrian flow. The investigation had mainly taken into consideration the accessibility of pedestrians. Instead of improving the traffic flow, the aim of the investigation was to bring pedestrians coming out from Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station to International Trade Tower and areas around the Promenade through subways S1 and S2;

40. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of HyD were as follows:

40.1 In regard to the works related to the provision of additional pedestrian crossings proposed in option 3, as the works were quite urgent, it was expected to be commenced at the end of the year in the form of minor works upon HyD’s approval of the temporary traffic diversion;

40.2 In regard to the provision of barrier-free facilities in the subway outside Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station, as the works would be conducted near the MTR station, EKEO had to carefully evaluate and consider the risks and technical problems related to the operation of the railway. HyD was communicating

36 with MTRCL and studying the feasibility at the moment; and 40.3 HyD could try to communicate with executive departments to see whether the works under option 5 could be implemented in the form of minor works as soon as possible so as to widen the footpath.

41. The Chairman concluded that as most Members having spoken in the meeting had expressed reservations about the greening proposals under option 9, he suggested the Secretariat collect Members’ enquiries and views about the proposals on behalf of TTC and reflect those enquiries and views to government departments present at the meeting so that departments could consult TTC again about the proposals after taking follow-up actions. As for the other parts of the paper, Members raised no objection.

(Post-meeting note: the Secretariat wrote to Members on 27 April 2020 to collect their views on the greening proposals.)

42. Members noted the paper.

V. Progress Report on Road Projects in Kwun Tong (KTDC TTC Paper No. 5/2020)

43. Members had no comment on the projects.

44. Members noted the paper.

VI. List and Timetable of Major Traffic Improvement Works Completed, Being Implemented or Planned by TD / HyD in the Last Two Months (KTDC TTC Paper No. 6/2020)

45. Members had no comment on the projects.

46. Members noted the paper.

37 VII. Establishment of a Working Group under the TTC (KTDC TTC Paper No. 7/2020)

47. The Secretary presented the paper.

48. The Chairman suggested Members approve setting the tenure of the working group to be the same as that of TTC.

49. Members endorsed the paper.

50. The Assistant District Officer (Kwun Tong)1 (“ADO”) pointed out that the Secretariat would write to invite Members to join the working group later.

(Post-meeting note: the Secretariat wrote to invite Members to join the working group on 27 April 2020.)

51. The Chairman nominated the Vice-chairman as the convener of the working group and suggested electing the chairman of the working group at a meeting of the working group.

VIII. Proposed Outline for 2020/21 Programmes under the TTC (KTDC TTC Paper No. 8/2020)

52. The Secretary presented that paper.

53. The Chairman requested a brief introduction of activities held in the past.

54. ADO pointed out that road safety campaigns held in the past included putting up signs in the district to remind members of the public of the locations of traffic black spots, organising talks related to road safety for the elderly, electing model drivers and pedestrians and organising road safety carnivals to promote road safety messages. Kwun Tong District Transportation Guide was a booklet which included an introduction of local tourist spots, street maps, service information of public transports, etc. The booklet had been well-received by some members of the public. The abovementioned activities had been the activities held by TTC the previous year. The activities to be held the current year could be discussed at meetings of the working group.

55. The Chairman pointed out that the outline was about the work done by TTC in the past and the activities to be held during the current term did not have to be the same as the activities held in

38 the past. The Chairman suggested handling the matter along two directions: i) deciding whether the paper should be endorsed after discussion; and ii) allowing Members to fill in questionnaires, discussing the matter in meetings of the working group and subsequently making decisions after consulting TTC.

56. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

56.1 Ms LI Wing-shan enquired about the printing volume of the previous year’s Kwun Tong District Transportation Guide;

56.2 Mr WONG Chi-ken remarked that based on past experience, the number of people collecting Kwun Tong District Transportation Guide was limited. He suggested reducing the printing volume of the guide and suggested individual Members tell the Secretariat the number of copies needed having regard to the needs of their concerned constituencies. In addition, he expressed reservations about the elections of model drivers and pedestrians and suggested allocating the funds to organise other activities;

56.3 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung enquired about the number of the previous year’s remaining copies of the guide after distribution and suggested providing those remaining copies of the guide at home affairs enquiry centres so that the public in need could get copies of them. In regard to road safety campaigns, he enquired whether there were any new suggestions for activities;

56.4 Mr Eason CHAN expressed reservations about the production of the guide and enquired about the cost of designing it. He suggested discussing the details of activities at meetings of the working group;

56.5 Mr WANG Wai-lun pointed out that the actual expenses of the working group in the past had mainly been expenses on activities. He suggested using the funds on conducting regional traffic research, engaging independent third parties, such as academic institutions, to explore regional plans for bus route rationalisation or solutions to traffic congestion problems at Kwun Tong Town Centre; and

56.6 Mr Kevin SO agreed to discuss the outline of activities at meetings of the working group before submitting it to TTC for approval.

39 57. The Secretary responded that the printing volume of the previous year’s guide had been 40 000 and every Member had received 800 copies for public distribution. The remaining copies were stored at home affairs enquiry centres for public distribution. In addition, besides distributing the copies to local owners’ corporations by post, some non-governmental organisations had also taken the initiative to call the Secretariat to ask for the copies so that they could distribute them to the elderly. The copies of the guide were still in stock. The future printing volume could be further discussed at meetings of TTC. In regard to the expenses, quotations might vary depending on actual printing volumes.

58. The Chairman concluded that as Members had different views on the funding, he suggested the Secretariat write to invite Members to join the working group and consult Members’ views on the activities. He suggested submitting the paper to TTC for approval only after discussing it at meetings of the working group.

(Post-meeting note: the Secretariat wrote to Members on 27 April 2020 to invite them to join the working group.)

59. Members noted the arrangement.

IX. Any Other Business

60. The Chairman asked Members to refer to the letter tabled related to rules of the procedure of meetings and hoped that Members could draw reference from it so that meetings could be conducted smoothly. In addition, the Chairman remarked that two papers, submitted by Mr LEE Kwan-chak and Mr WANG Wai-lun respectively, had been received and tabled.

61. Mr LEE Kwan-chak remarked that HyD’s reply on the matter related to the maintenance of public footpaths had been received. Therefore, he abandoned his enquiries and decided not to carry out discussions on that matter.

Concern on the progress of maintenance of damaged traffic lights in Kwun Tong and numbers of roadside car parking spaces in Kwun Tong

62. Mr WANG Wai-lun presented the paper.

63. The highlights of views and enquiries raised by Members were as follows:

40 63.1 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung pointed out the problem of illegal parking at Hiu Kwong Street was very serious. He suggested providing formal metered parking spaces so as to remove illegally parked vehicles and spare spaces for other vehicles to park;

63.2 Mr MOK Kin-shing pointed out that some traffic lights could not signal as the buttons of those traffic lights had been damaged. Members of the public had been forced to cross the road by other methods. He hoped departments could follow up on the situation of the maintenance of traffic lights so that members of the public could cross the road safely;

63.3 Mr LEE Kwan-chak pointed out motorcycle parking spaces in the district were insufficient and enquired about the number of motorcycle parking spaces in Kwun Tong. In addition, he enquired whether some vacant lands in the district would be used as car parks;

63.4 Mr Kevin SO remarked that some traffic lights at busy locations in the district had been damaged for a long time and had not been repaired yet, causing danger to the public. He enquired about the situation of damaged traffic lights in the district and the time required to complete the maintenance work;

63.5 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong i) expressed reservations about the reply made by the Secretary for Transport and Housing (“STH”) in regard to the situation of damaged traffic lights. According to his understanding, the maintenance work for the traffic light near the junction of Hip Wo Street and Mut Wah Street had only started recently, which was different from the reply of STH as STH had pointed out that the maintenance work of traffic lights damaged from June to December the previous year would be completed in January the current year; ii) suggested providing more public car parks as the population of residential, industrial and business areas in Kwun Tong had been increasing; and iii) questioned whether departments had shelved the maintenance work of railings as they were afraid that the railings would be damaged again due to social movements. He hoped that HyD would not repair the railings only after accidents occurred at locations with unrepaired railings;

63.6 Mr Raymond TANG enquired about the feasibility of providing additional motorcycle parking spaces near Sau Ming Road Park;

41 63.7 Ms WONG Ka-ying hoped that TD could seriously explore the feasibility of providing metered parking spaces along the road from Sin Fat Road near Exit D of Lam Tin MTR Station to the uphill areas of Lam Tin;

63.8 Mr Eason CHAN remarked that the traffic lights and railings in Ping Tin were the most seriously damaged. He pointed out that TD had said that although it was replacing the parts of those damaged facilities, there was a lack of other components, such as audible devices. As those traffic lights could not generate any sounds, disabled people had to take a long way around or cross the road by other methods. He enquired about the actual dates of obtaining relevant components and installing railings;

63.9 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG i) noticed that the traffic lights at Hip Wo Street (Yuet Wah Street-bound) sometimes operated normally in the morning, but they malfunctioned in the afternoon or at night. She asked the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (“EMSD”) or HyD about the details of that matter; ii) opined that using red plastic chains to replace railings was very dangerous to members of the public. If traffic accidents occurred unfortunately, plastic chains might not be able to prevent traffic accidents; and iii) remarked that there were sufficient motorcycle parking spaces at Yuet Wah Street. However, there were many long-unclaimed vehicles parked there, occupying parking spaces or even footpaths. She had reflected that problem to the Police in August 2019. The problem had been passed to HyD for follow-up actions. HyD had then passed the problem to LandsD for further actions. She pointed out that the problem was still unsolved at the moment;

63.10 Mr HSU Yau-wai i) hoped that he could carry out inspections with relevant staff in order to adjust the signal timing of traffic lights; and ii) suggested departments provide additional motorcycle parking spaces and parking spaces in car parks in On Tat Estate and On Tai Estate;

63.11 Ms Edith LEUNG enquired about the number of parking spaces in the district, including the total number of parking spaces in the district. As the number of parking spaces could affect the situation of illegal parking, if the number was significantly lower than the demand, departments should consider reserving spaces for the provision of car parks;

42 63.12 Mr PANG Chi-sang remarked that he had written to TD to reflect the situation of closures of a few temporary car parks in Yau Tong. However, the parking spaces provided for remedy were far less than the parking spaces provided by those closed car parks, resulting in serious illegal parking problem there. As there might be public housing estates or other developments in Yau Tong in the future, he enquired how many public parking facilities in Yau Tong would be reserved for public use;

63.13 Mr LAM Wai: i) remarked that he had been requesting the provision of additional traffic lights at the location outside Kam Tai House at On Sau Road as there was a sharp bend and fatal accidents had occurred when members of the public had tried to cross the road there. He hoped that relevant staff could carry out on-site inspections and explore the feasibility of providing additional traffic lights there to protect pedestrian safety; ii) enquired about the progress of the maintenance of traffic lights at On Yan Street, which had malfunctioned for a few months; and

63.14 Mr WAN Ka-him i) remarked that members of the public were forced to park their vehicles illegally due to the lack of parking spaces in the district. However, no enforcement actions targeting illegal parking had been taken, resulting in the situation of vehicles being parked side-by-side at Kai Lok Street, thereby forcing vehicles to run in an opposite direction; ii) enquired whether the number of parking spaces was in compliance with HKPSG and whether HKPSG were in tune with the times; iii) enquired about the time required for repairing the traffic lights or damaged metal railings; and iv) enquired whether departments had plans for replacing all plastic chains used as railings at the moment.

64. The representatives of HyD responded that the number of damaged railings was relatively large and TD had been carrying out maintenance work gradually. TD would first install railings at locations with the need of road safety. HyD would then gradually install railings at other locations having regard to the needs after discussing with relevant departments and put up plastic chains at locations pending maintenance at the same time to warn pedestrians to cross the road at suitable locations. Also, HyD had been testing the improved designs which had strengthened the connections between railings. Relevant tests were still underway.

43 65. The highlights of the response given by the representatives of TD were as follows:

65.1 According to the latest information provided after EMSD had completed the inspections on the damage situation of parts of traffic lights in various districts in March. 125 sets of traffic lights in Kwun Tong had been damaged to different extents. The damage included that made to the surfaces of the lights, covers, buttons etc. of traffic lights. The lights of 106 sets of traffic lights had been repaired and the lights of the remaining 19 sets of traffic lights would be repaired within April. Besides, other new equipment and components were expected to arrive by the end of May. TD expected that all maintenance work would be completed around June;

65.2 The total number of roadside parking spaces in Kwun Tong in February 2017 stated in the paper had been 1 187. As at March 2020, the number of roadside parking spaces had been 1 324. Proposed roadside parking spaces would be provided at Wang Kwong Road near Kai Yan Street under the current planning. There would be eight motorcycle parking spaces. The works were expected to be completed in July 2020. TD would follow up on Members’ views related to the provision of parking meters at Hiu Kwong Street, the matter of light covers and the situation of malfunctioned light buttons mentioned by Members;

65.3 According to the data, the number of motorcycle parking spaces was 741;

65.4 TD had been adopting short-or mid- and long-term measures to solve the problem of the supply of parking spaces in order to reduce the situation of illegal parking. In regard to short-term measures, TD had been hoping to provide additional roadside parking spaces at suitable locations without compromising road safety or affecting other road users. TD had been maintaining communication with LandsD to identify some suitable vacant government lands for the provision of temporary car parks. In regard to mid- and long-term measures, TD had been determining the number of parking spaces to be provided under a development project by adopting a relatively high parameter for parking spaces stated in HKPSG. Moreover, if temporary car parks had to be closed because of developments, TD would ask developers to provide extra public parking spaces. Based on the principle of “single site, multiple uses”, TD would provide additional public parking spaces at Government, Institution or Community facilities

44 sites and public open spaces, hoping to optimise land use;

65.5 TD would refer relevant staff to follow up on the suggestions related to the provision of additional motorcycle parking spaces at Sau Ming Road and additional roadside parking spaces at Sin Fat Road; 65.6 TD would refer relevant staff to follow up on the situation of the traffic lights near the pedestrian crossing at Hip Wo Street and Yuet Wah Street;

65.7 TD would take follow-up actions in regard to the provision of additional motorcycle parking spaces in On Tat Estate;

65.8 Regarding the development of Yau Tong Area, TD would suggest the numbers of parking spaces to be provided by developers based on the development parameters. According to the policies of TD, developers had to provide parking spaces in accordance with the higher parameter stated in HKPSG. Besides some attached parking spaces in car parks, TD would also request developers to provide extra public parking spaces;

65.9 In regard to the provision of additional traffic lights at Kam Tai House, TD would invite Members to inspect the environment after the meeting;

65.10 TD would ask LandsD about the situation of the temporary car park at Anderson Road. Relevant colleagues would give a reply to Members; and

65.11 In regard to Members’ enquiry about whether parking spaces in buildings were included in the total number of parking spaces, TD would provide relevant figures after the meeting if the answer to that question was yes.

66. Members raised supplementary views and enquiries as follows:

66.1 Mr PANG Chi-sang added that in regard to the parking spaces at the car parks in Yau Mei Court and Yau Chui Court, the ratio of people waiting for those parking spaces to the number of parking spaces had reached 400%. When developers carried out new developments in Yau Tong in the future, he opined that the Government should ask developers to provide extra parking spaces in addition to the parking spaces as required by HKPSG. He hoped that TD could provide additional parking spaces in a timely manner if there would be any public housing estate development in the

45 future. If TD failed to do so, residents would be forced to park their vehicles illegally; and

66.2 Mr WANG Wai-lun i) remarked that residents nearby had parked their vehicles illegally as there were not enough parking spaces and residents did not know which car park had available parking spaces. He noticed that there were two mobile applications at the moment, including: 1) My Kowloon East (“MyKE”), which was an integrated mobile application designed by EKEO; and 2) HKeMobility, which was an all-in-one mobile application designed by the TD; ii) pointed out that MyKE could provide real-time parking vacancy data, providing convenience to drivers so that they could find available parking spaces at nearby car parks to park their vehicles. However, the number of users of that mobile application was only around 1 000, which were quite limited. HKeMobility designed by TD was relatively popular and had been downloaded by around a million people. However, HKeMobility did not provide real-time information on parking spaces; and iii) suggested TD draw reference from the real-time system of MyKE, provide subsidies to car parks to install systems providing real-time parking vacancy data, thereby helping drivers to find nearby parking spaces and alleviate illegal parking problems in Kwun Tong.

67. The Chairman thanked Members for their views. He hoped that the Government could increase the number of parking spaces in Kwun Tong. The Chairman remarked that the last two terms of the KTDC had discussed invitation to LandsD for asking it to assign representatives to meetings so that Members could ask LandsD whether there were any vacant lands or temporary sites for the provision of car parks. The Chairman suggested listing that matter as one of the agenda items so as to invite LandsD to join the discussions in relation to the provision of additional parking spaces. He remarked that Members could first pay attention to the locations of vacant lands and raise views to LandsD when it came.

68. Members noted the paper.

X. Date of Next Meeting

69. The next meeting was scheduled to be held at 9:30 a.m. on 28 May 2020 (Thursday).

46 70. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m.

The minutes of the meeting were confirmed on 24 September 2020.

Kwun Tong District Council Secretariat May 2020