(Translation) Minutes of the 3Rd Meeting of the Traffic and Transport

(Translation)

Minutes of the 3rd Meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (2018) of Kwai Tsing District Council

Date: 3 September 2018 Time: 2:30 p.m. – 4:42 p.m. Venue: K&T DO Conference Room

Attendee Time of Arrival Time of Departure (p.m.) (p.m.) Mr TSUI Hiu-kit (Chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon 2:42 End of Meeting Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice 2:42 4:21 Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman 2:35 3:38 Miss CHU Lai-ling 2:36 End of Meeting Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms LAU Mei-lo Start of Meeting 3:22 Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Chi-shing 2:54 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis 2:58 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Wai-man, MH Start of Meeting 3:26 Miss LO Yuen-ting Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr NG Ka-chiu 2:36 End of Meeting Mr PAU Ming-hong Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr POON Chi-shing, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms TAM Wai-chun, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr TANG Shui-wah, MH Start of Meeting 4:07 Mr WONG Bing-kuen Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr WONG Yiu-chung, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr WONG Yun-tat Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHOW Elson Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr HON Chun-yin Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr MAN Tsz-yan Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren Start of Meeting 4:22

In Attendance Mr TAM Lai-ming Senior Transport Officer/Kwai Tsing 1, Transport Department Miss LAW Hoi Ching, Janice Senior Transport Officer/Kwai Tsing 2, Transport Department Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter Engineer/Tsing Yi, Transport Department Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily Engineer/Kwai Chung, Transport Department Mr HUEN Ming-hei, Edmund Engineer (West), Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr CHOI Kin Man District Engineer/Works(SW), Highways Department Ms CHOW Hoi-yi District Engineer/KT(E), Highways Department Mr TSANG Yiu-tim OC District Traffic Team (Kwai Tsing), Hong Kong Police Force Mr WONG Siu-shan District Operations Officer (Kwai Tsing), Hong Kong Police Force Mr POON Jeff Manager (Operations), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Ms WONG Peggy Assistant Manager (Planning & Development), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Mr CHENG Kin, Kenneth, JP District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Kwai Tsing District Office Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie Assistant District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Kwai Tsing District Office Miss LEUNG Kit-ying, Crystal Executive Officer (District Council) 1, Kwai (Secretary) Tsing District Office

Absent with Apologies

Ms KWOK Fu-yung (Vice-chairman) (With prior notice) Mr HUI Kei-cheung (With prior notice) Mr LAM Siu-fai (With prior notice) Mr LAW King-shing, BBS, MH (With prior notice) Mr LEUNG Kam-wai (With prior notice) Mr LI Sai-lung (With prior notice) Mr NG Kim-sing (With prior notice) Mr CHOW Yick-hay, BBS, JP (Without prior notice) Ms WONG Hei-tung (Without prior notice)

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Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments and organisations to the 3rd meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2018) of Kwai Tsing District Council (K&T DC).

2. The Committee unanimously endorsed the application for absence by Ms KWOK Fu-yung, Mr HUI Kei-cheung, Mr LAM Siu-fai, Mr LAW King-shing, Mr LEUNG Kam-wai, Mr LI Sai-lung and Mr NG Kim-sing .

3. Mr LEE Sai-lung authorised Miss CHU Lai-ling to vote on his behalf at the meeting.

Confirmation of Minutes of the 2nd Meeting (2018) held on 14 June 2018

4. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman moved a motion to confirm the minutes. The motion was seconded by Ms TAM Wai-chun and Mr POON Chi-shing. Members endorsed the minutes unanimously.

Discussion Items

Discussion on the Inadequacy of Late Night Bus Services for Tsing Yi During Festive Occasions (Proposed by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren and Mr HON Chun-yin) (TTC Paper No. 23, 23a/D/2018)

5. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren introduced the paper.

6. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He was disappointed with the reply from the Transport Department (TD) and opined that the services of route no. N241 could not solve all the problems. Members had suggested reducing the number of stops for route no. N241, adding other bus route services and hoping that MTR would increase late night transportation service facilities, but these had not been implemented yet.

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(ii) He enquired whether MTR and TD had any difficulties which led to the inability to increase the service frequency of route no. 248M or 249M or extend the service routing of the buses.

(iii) He enquired other Members about the traffic conditions of Cheung Wang Estate and Cheung Hang Estate.

7. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) K&T DC had repeatedly reflected on the issue of late night bus services. Apart from Tsing Yi, Kwai Chung also faced the problem of inadequate late night service of route no. N237.

(ii) The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. (KMB) replied that the bus frequency of route no. N237 had been reduced from the past every half hour a trip to the present every hour a trip due to inadequate passenger volume. However, the lack of passengers was because of buses after departing Mei Foo, they would travel through the entire Kwai Chung North East Area and Tai Wo Hau before heading to Kwai Chung Estate and Kwai Shing Estate. The entire journey took more than an hour. Many residents would rather choose to take a taxi at Mei Foo or travel to Kwai Chung Road and then walk to Kwai Shing Road.

(iii) He enquired KMB about the possibility of increasing late night bus services and changing the routing.

(iv) He suggested to split the bus route into two, one as the main route and the other as the secondary route, which could reduce the cost while increasing the passenger volume.

8. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) TD had not adopted the suggestions of Members. The passengers who took the last MTR train were not effectively dispersed after they arrived Tsing Yi because there were no relevant late night transport facilities.

(ii) He hoped that KMB would also extend the service of route no. 248M and

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249M to between 2:00 am and 3:00 am.

(iii) It took about 55 minutes for route no. N241 to travel from Tsing Yi to Cheung Wang Estate. Some residents would rather go to Mong Kok and transfer to more convenient means of transportation to return to Tsing Yi. He hoped that route no. N241 could shorten the routing in Lai King or Kowloon, and then split the existing route into two, going to the southwest and northeast of Tsing Yi respectively.

9. Miss LO Yuen-ting put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Route no. N241 had too many en-route stops in Tsing Yi and Kowloon, taking more than an hour to reach the destination. She said there were many bus routes in Kowloon for passengers to choose from, so the journey travelled by route no. N241 in Kowloon could be reduced. KMB needed to review whether there were other bus routes that could replace the service of route no. N241 in Kowloon.

(ii) Residents could take the bus routes prefixed by “N” in Kowloon or Kwai Fong to return to Cheung Hang Estate. However, some of routes were operated by Long Win Bus Company Limited (LWB) and residents might not choose to take them as the fare was more expensive.

(iii) Route no. 248M or 249M departed from MTR station to different places in Tsing Yi. However, the last bus of route no. 248M departed at 12:50 am, while the last MTR train arrived Tsing Yi at 1:05 am. Residents who took the last MTR train could not catch up the bus to get home and could only take taxi.

(iv) She hoped KMB could extend the service time of route no. 248M and 249M by 30 to 45 minutes so as to pick up those residents taking the last MTR train, or add routes to serve those residents returning home in the early hours.

10. The Chairman put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The issue of inadequate overnight bus services had been discussed for

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many years and still had not been solved. KMB had responded that there was insufficient flow of people in the early hours, so the service frequency of route no. N41X would not be increased. However, the current two bus trips were indeed inadequate. He suggested increasing the service frequency of route no. N41X and using single-decker buses to run as an express route.

(ii) The only late night bus route going to Tsing Yi was meandering, with many residents expressing their wish to take minibuses to Tsing Yi.

11. Miss LAW Hoi Ching, Janice, Senior Transport Officer/Kwai Tsing 2 of TD, gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD understood that residents wanted more point-to-point services, but as stated in the reply, late night services mainly provided strategic route services for residents to travel to and from their destinations through basic transportation during late night period. The department hoped that residents could make good use of the existing resources, and use the interchange services to improve the operational efficiency of public transportation services.

(ii) According to available information, the average passenger volume of KMB route no. N241 was less than 30%, there was still remaining capacity which could carry more passengers to and from Tsing Yi. TD also understood that residents might feel the prevailing route of KMB route no. N241 was not ideal as it travelled through the entire Tsing Yi which was indirect, thus TD had also reviewed the proposals to extend the service time of KMB route no. 248M and 249M in order to match with overnight service of MTR during festive occasions and the current interchange plan available for residents as stated in the paper. At present, residents of Tsing Yi could take MTR to Mei Foo station and interchange to KMB route no. N241 to reach Tsing Yi while MTR’s overnight service was available, and the above route took around 30 to 55 minutes from Causeway Bay / Mong Kok to Cheung Wang and Mayfair Gardens, which was similar to the duration required for the route taking MTR to Tsing Yi station and interchange KMB route no. 248M or 249M to Cheung Wang and Mayfair Gardens. The department considered that the current late

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night public transportation services were still reasonable.

(iii) TD noted the opinions put forth by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren and Mr HON Chun-yin and would review whether there were other feasible options to improve the late night bus services under currently available resources.

(iv) TD also noted the opinions of DC Members regarding late night public transportation services in Kwai Tsing, the department would continue to monitor the needs for late night public transportation services in Kwai Tsing and communicate timely with different public transportation services providers to improve the existing late night public transportation services.

12. Ms WONG Peggy, Assistant Manager (Planning & Development) of KMB, gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) There was a Member who mentioned that the service frequency of route no. N237 was one hour a trip. KMB clarified that service frequency should be 30 minutes a trip, and the service time was from 1 am to 5 am.

(ii) Members mentioned that the current routing of route no. N237 and N241 was quite meandering, but she hoped Members understood that the demand of residents for late night services was relatively low, the operation was to provide basic services.

(iii) KMB would review the cost-effectiveness of shortening or splitting the routes before deciding whether to implement it.

(iv) The two bus trips of route no. N41X were additionally established in response to Members’ suggestions. It was mentioned that route no. N241 travel from Hung Hom via Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok (Yau Tsim Mong) up to Lai King Hill before returning to Tsing Yi, making it a circuitous journey. In view of this, the setting of route no. N41X was from Hung Hom via Yau Tsim Mong and then directly travel through Expressway to Tsing Yi. At present, KMB was still observing the demand for route no. N41X, and would review the feasibility of increasing service frequency or using single-decker buses.

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(v) The main passenger source and passenger volume of overnight bus service was concentrated between 12 mid-night and 1 am. KMB believed that route no. N41X and route no. N241 could satisfy passengers’ demand.

(vi) KMB promised to keep reviewing the current service level, including adequacy of the service frequency of route no. N41X from 12:45 am to 1:10 am, and whether the departure time needed to be adjusted to meet the needs of residents etc.

13. Mr LEUNG Wai-man said route no. 248M and 249M were very important for Tsing Yi, but the departure time of the last buses were earlier than the time the last MTR train arrived at Tsing Yi. Those passengers who could not catch up the last bus could only choose to take taxi, and many taxis were not willing to pick up passengers to places within Tsing Yi. He suggested that KMB adjusted the service frequency of route no. 248M and 249M to match the time the last MTR train arrived Tsing Yi.

14. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) If MTR was the main means of public transportation, TD had the responsibility to regulate KMB and minibuses, making the transportation network more complete and convenient for the public.

(ii) He hoped that the night bus services during holidays could be extended to between 2 am and 3 am in the morning, and at the same time he hoped that TD would approve the late night service time.

(iii) KMB and TD needed to review the reasons for the low passenger volume of route no. N241. He suggested to collect statistics at taxi stands at Mong Kok, to calculate the population, the number of people taking taxis and the successful pick-up rate, and interview the taxi passengers to understand the reasons why they did not choose other means of transportation.

15. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Members requested an extension of service time of route no. 248M and

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249M to tie in with the service time of MTR through moving a motion before, but TD and KMB had not made a commitment. If the bus service time could be extended by 20 minutes, most of the problems could be solved. There was less traffic demand from 3 am to 4 am in the late night, so there was no need to increase the service frequency, otherwise, it would in turn create noise harassment to residents.

(ii) Setting up new late night minibus services could be considered. As the current passenger volume of route no. N241 was only 30%, minibuses could meet up the demand. The use of buses was more a nuisance to residents and also a waste of resources.

(iii) There was a need to review the flow of people at late night. If the late night service demand was high, MTR might also need to extend the last train time. MTR and bus services should both be extended to 2 am if necessary.

16. Mr CHOW Elson pointed out that the representative of TD said the passenger volume of the N-route buses had only 30%. It was indeed because the routing was excessively meandering, and the service frequency was sparse. It took 1 to 2 hours for residents to wait and ride on the bus. As a result, residents did not choose to take N-route buses, leading to the current low passenger volume. He pointed out that bus routing and service frequency were the areas that needed to be improved most, to improve the practicability and then increase the passenger volume.

17. Mr HON Chun-yin put forth opinions as follows:

(i) He hoped that service extension for route no. 248M and 249M could be implemented in Mid-Autumn Festival or other holidays this year.

(ii) All residents hoped that there were bus services that could send them home directly, but opined that the journey of route no. N241 was too long. He agreed with the Chairman’s suggestion to use single-decker buses to carry the passengers.

(iii) Residents chose to take illegal “carpooling” taxis to get home because there were inadequate late night transport facilities.

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18. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired about the reason why the passenger volume for route no. N241 had only 30%.

(ii) Apart from the young people who were hanging out at late night, many grassroots residents needed to go to work in the early hours of the morning. Some residents might get off from work after the time of the last MTR train. Their needs should be taken into consideration. He hoped that KMB should shorten the routing so that residents did not have to spend more than an hour to return home.

(iii) This discussion mainly hoped to fight for more buses to serve residents during the festive occasions. As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching and MTR would provide overnight services, he enquired what arrangements KMB would have.

(iv) The reply of TD was quite perfunctory and did not value the consultation and monitoring work of the District Council (DC) Members

19. Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) KMB was requested to tie in with the stop service time of MTR.

(ii) If KMB could not tie in with the stop service time of MTR, whether green minibus services could be established to serve the residents during the time of the last MTR train so as to disperse passengers taking the last train.

(iii) If KMB or TD could not implement the above two suggestions, he enquired whether TD could open up to allow non-scheduled minubuses to pick up passengers from Mong Kok to Tsing Yi.

20. The Chairman put forth opinions as follows:

(i) KMB could take the initiative to apply to TD for extending the service time of route no. 248M and 249M on about five days of holidays such as

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Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, Christmas and New Year.

(ii) Should try to extend the service time of Route no. N41X during the above holidays and observe the flow of people and passenger volume as a way to understand the market demand.

(iii) If KMB failed to meet the needs of residents, this would allow minibuses and “carpooling” taxis to monopolize the market. He hoped that KMB would actively fight for extending the bus service time.

21. Ms WONG Peggy gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) Within the transportation network, apart from the needs of Tsing Yi and Kwai Chung residents, KMB also needed to take into account the needs of other districts. KMB was still handling the traffic arrangements for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. In the short term, there would be a finalised proposal and would apply to TD. She believed that TD would support services which provide convenience to the public. The company would inform Members and residents of the latest news.

(ii) The company would consider the suggestion of extending the bus service time in order to tie in with the time of the last MTR train. As other districts included in the KMB bus network were facing similar situation, KMB needed some time to study the concerned service arrangement.

(iii) KMB noted that the present closing time of Tsing Yi Station was 1:13 am, while the departure time of the last bus of route no. 248M and 249M were 12:50 am, with a time difference of 10 to 20 minutes. KMB would discuss with TD again on whether the time of the last bus could be adjusted to meet the needs of residents.

22. Miss LAW Hoi Ching, Janice gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) With regard to the opinion on extending the last bus service of KMB route no. 248M and 249M to fit in with last train of MTR, as KMB had just responded, TD would seriously study the feasibility of the relevant proposal with KMB.

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(ii) If KMB had applied to TD to extend bus service hours during festive occasions, the department would process the application as soon as possible.

(iii) TD noted the views of setting up late night minibus services to residents of Tsing Yi.

23. Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon said that as non-scheduled minibuses could not enter Tsing Yi, there were no breakthrough in the late night minibus and transportation services for Tsing Yi. It was mentioned in the reply that TD would consider the establishment of late night minibus services. He enquired whether it referred to allowing non-scheduled minibuses to enter Tsing Yi at certain time periods, such as late night or special festivals.

24. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan said the regulation prohibiting non-scheduled minibuses from entering Tsing Yi had become effective a few decades ago because roads in Tsing Yi were narrow at that time and were prone to traffic congestions. However, the situation had changed and relevant regulation should be reviewed to see whether it was still applicable. Allowing non-scheduled minibuses to enter Tsing Yi to provide late night services should also be considered.

25. The Chairman said that the bus connecting the last MTR train should depart about 10 to 15 minutes after the last MTR train arrived at Tsing Yi, as it took time for members of the public to walk from MTR to the bus stop.

Extempore motion: “Strongly request the Transport Department to enhance the late TD night bus services for Tsing Yi during festive occasions.” KMB (Moved by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren and seconded by Mr HON Chun-yin)

26. The Chairman put the acceptance of the extempore motion to the vote. TTC unanimously accepted the extempore motion.

27. The Chairman put the endorsement of the extempore motion to the vote. TTC unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

Extempore motion: “Strongly request to tie in the stop service time of KMB route no. TD 249M and 248M and minibuses with the last train time of MTR for the convenience KMB 12

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of residents returning home.” (Moved by Miss LO Yuen-ting, Mr POON Chi-shing, Mr LEUNG Wai-man, Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon, Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, Ms TAM Wai-chun and Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy; and seconded by Miss CHU Lai-ling and Mr PAU Ming-hong.)

28. The Chairman put the acceptance of the extempore motion to the vote. TTC unanimously accepted the extempore motion.

29. The Chairman put the endorsement of the extempore motion to the vote. TTC unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

(Post-meeting note: TD had submitted written reply to the two extempore motions above. Details please refer to TTC Circulation Paper No. 28/2018 issued on 24 September 2018.)

No Prior District Consultation on the Addition of a Bus Stop Beside Ching Wang Court on Tsing King Road (Proposed by Ms TAM Wai-chun) (TTC Paper No. 24, 24a/D/2018)

30. Ms TAM Wai-chun introduced the paper.

31. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren said when he learned that a bus stop (the stop) was to be added beside Ching Wang Court on Tsing King Road, he had asked TD whether the relevant traffic assessment had been completed and the bus routes which would stop there. TD’s reply indicated that it had made assessment and review of the traffic conditions and the routing of 279X calling the stop. However, K&T DC Members were not informed and therefore could not follow up the traffic assessment. He enquired TD when changing any bus stop or traffic arrangements, what criteria would TD base on with regard whether to inform the local communities and DC Members.

32. Mr MAN Tsz-yan put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) In the past, the affairs relevant to districts needed to be notified and communicated with the local stakeholders in advance. When adding a bus stop, advance notice would be given in general. However, the department had not conducted district consultation when adding the stop.

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(ii) He enquired about the reasons for not informing the DC Members on the arrangement. The incident made people queried whether there were difficulties in communication among the departments.

33. Mr CHOW Elson put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired when did TD conduct the traffic impact assessment, and whether did it include non-busy hours and busy hours.

(ii) He enquired about the standard and indicator for the distance between two bus stops.

(iii) He said if TD had visited the site for inspections and assessments, it should be aware that the people flow at that location was high and the traffic was very busy.

34. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) It usually took a long time for TD to commence a project, so he did not understand why TD had not conducted district consultation on the addition of the stop.

(ii) The addition of the stop was also inconsistent with TD’s standard. The bus stops in that region were too crowded which could easily lead to traffic congestion.

(iii) Although residents had a need for this bus stop, it was also necessary to look at the big picture. An appropriate distance should be kept between bus stops, not keeping them too close.

(iv) He hoped that TD could provide substantive data on the traffic impact assessment for Members’ reference, such as the extent of impact on nearby traffic. If the Government could not provide the relevant data for public reference and forced start the project, it would be difficult to receive support.

(v) TD indicated that it would monitor the traffic flow in the vicinity of the bus

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stop and would make additional assessments and related arrangements. The department should not reverse the procedures and carry out the works and assess later. He opined that the department’s practice did not respect the K&T DC Members and the residents.

35. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) In the past, TD had said that a bus stop could not be set in front of the traffic lights as to meet the minimum safety distance. However, the concerned bus stop was set right in front of the traffic lights.

(ii) The average speed for a bus calling at a bus stop to set down and pick up passengers took about 35 seconds on average, while the longest time took 1 minute and 5 seconds. Since that road section was only allowed to travel straight, the straight-line travelling vehicles would have to wait until the bus finished setting down and picking up passengers before they could continue driving, which was likely to cause traffic congestion.

(iii) At present, there was only one lane at that location that vehicles could drive in straight line. TD needed to change the right lane that allowed turning right to allow driving in straight line or turning right, or moved the entire bus stop ahead in order to reduce traffic congestion.

(iv) As there was already a bus stop at the bend about 100 metres ahead of the bus stop, he said it was not necessary to add a bus stop at the traffic lights.

(v) There was a safer stopping location near Easeful Court, which was also convenient for residents of Cheung On Estate to take the buses. He said TD should consider adding a bus stop there.

(vi) He enquired TD about the criteria for adding a bus stop there.

36. Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice said she had hanged banners there and the contractor later informed her that it was necessary to arrange for dismantling the banners. Hence, she was aware of the addition of the bus stop earlier than other K&T DC Members. She enquired TD about the reasons for adding the stop and whether it involved political factor.

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37. Ms TAM Wai-chun put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) In an email in 2013, TD stated that it would not add bus stop at that location. She also had negotiated with the then Commissioner for Transport and was sent a letter stating that no bus stop would be added there.

(ii) Regardless of the decision of TD, it should first conduct consultation. There were many residents in that area and many elderly people used the zebra crossing near that location. The buses might cause traffic congestion by setting down and picking up passengers, preventing residents from using the zebra crossing effectively and safely.

(iii) At present, the duration of green light of the pedestrian light stayed on was just long enough for residents to cross the road. She said that TD should not adjust the time of the green light to stay on in order to accommodate the travelling buses.

(iv) According to observations, as long as three large vehicles such as large buses or tourist coaches stayed in that road section, even if the pedestrian lights were green, residents could not cross the road because of the blocking vehicles.

(v) She did not object the addition of the bus stop, which was convenient for residents, but it should not cause traffic congestion.

(vi) Consultation had been conducted before establishing route no. 279X and 44M, and route no. 279X was established after TD adopted the views of DC Members.

(vii) Route no. 279X carried a large number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong, most of them carrying large luggage, leading to a longer time to get on and off the bus.

(viii) She hoped that TD would provide its traffic impact assessment to Members for reference.

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(ix) This location was the must visit passage for those taking MTR. She hoped that TD would investigate clearly whether the addition of the stop would block the street.

38. Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) If adding a 279X bus stop beside Ching Wang Court, it could provide convenience to residents of Cheung On Estate Phase I & Phase II.

(ii) The bus stop opposite to On Mei House had the same design as that of the stop. It was also in the direction of turning left ahead of the traffic lights before entering Cheung On Estate Phase I & Phase II. There was no traffic congestion at the bus stop opposite to On Mei House.

(iii) She believed in the professional decision of TD and opined that the addition of the stop would not cause traffic congestion.

(iv) She enquired that route no. 279X had a bus stop en route after it departed from Ching Wang stop to Nga Ying Chau Garden. The distance was only 50 to 100 meters. It would be disturbing to the bus drivers to call at two bus stops successively in a short time.

(v) If a bus stop was added beside Ching Wang Court, fewer people would choose to board the buses at Nga Ying Chau Garden, while residents of Villa Esplanada would not alight there.

(vi) She enquired whether TD would cancel the bus stop at Nga Ying Chau Garden after adding the stop.

39. Miss LO Yuen-ting put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) She suspected that the department had not checked the traffic conditions at that location during peak hours. Residents taking route no. 248M pointed out that the bus route opposite that location often had congestion caused by the traffic lights directing the traffic.

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(ii) She hoped that the department would provide relevant traffic assessment data in a more transparent manner.

(iii) She did not object to the addition of the bus stop, but hoped that TD could adjust the traffic arrangements to alleviate the traffic congestion problem.

(iv) The addition of a bus stop was as an important decision, but not notifying the DC Members of the concerned area in advance was unreasonable. She said serving as a DC Member for 3 years, she had only received relevant notice from TD once. She hoped that the department would communicate more with the DC Members in the future.

40. Mr POON Chi-shing said that TD’s initiative was commendable, but district consultation was essential, at least informing the DC Members responsible for the affairs in that area. TD should provide data to the DC Members and consult with them for relevant opinions. He enquired if there was a problem after the stop started using, what corresponding solution the department would have.

41. Mr TAM Lai-ming, Senior Transport Officer/Kwai Tsing 1 of TD, gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) As the stop set up this time did not involve changing the bus route of 279X, it would not affect the operation of the route. TD would closely monitor the traffic conditions in the vicinity once the en-route stop was put into operation and would review relevant arrangement when necessary.

(ii) Suggestion of KMB Route no. 44M to change the location of terminal station to Tsing Yi Station Bus Terminal involved issues such as routing change, therefore the department consult DC for advice at the last year meeting when discussing on the Bus Route Programme.

(iii) TD apologized for not informing DC before commencing works, and would strengthen communication with Members and various departments in the future.

42. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter, Engineer/Tsing Yi of TD, gave a consolidated response as follows:

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(i) Tsing King Road had two lanes combined into one after passing the junction of Nga Ying Chau Street, thus there was only one lane at the end.

(ii) The service frequency of route no. 279X during the peak hours was about one trip every 9-10 minutes, the number of trips was not too crowded.

(iii) The peak hours for the buses were not the same as the peak hours on the roads. The current peak hours for the buses were 6 to 7 am in the morning and 4 to 5 pm in the afternoon.

(iv) TD had assigned staff to record the duration required for setting down and picking up of passengers of buses during peak hours, which took about 32 seconds on average.

(v) Members pointed out that Nga Ying Chau Garden was very close to the stop and might cause traffic congestion. However, the department expected that the flow of people at these two stops would be split into about half, and the time for setting down and picking up passengers at both stops would be shortened to about 16 seconds.

(vi) Since that bus stop was only an alighting stop, it would not cause the problem of setting down and picking up passengers. The problem would be limited considering the spot was for dropping off only.

(vii) Since the service frequency of 279X was only one trip every 9-10 minutes, with about 16 seconds for dropping off passengers, the department believed that it would not cause much problems.

43. Ms CHOW Hoi-yi, District Engineer/KT (E) of the Highways Department (HyD), gave a consolidated response and said TD had responded to questions about consultation and traffic assessment. HyD would remind the contractor again to inform the concerned DC Members before the commencement of works.

44. The Chairman said that HyD had mentioned in previous committee meetings that it was necessary to notify the DC Members of the area before the commencement of the works. At that time, it was mentioned that the DC Members could not be notified by

Responsible Department e-mail or fax only, but by phone or in person. He expressed the hope that HyD would supervise the contractors and avoid similar incidents from happening.

45. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth enquires as follows:

(i) Whether the stop was only for the use of route no. 279X.

(ii) After the stop was constructed, would the alighting stop at Nga Ying Chau Garden be retained.

(iii) Would there be further assessment on the operation after construction of the stop.

(iv) If traffic congestion problem was found, what backup plans the department had, and whether the stop would be restored to solve the problem.

46. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired whether setting up the stop was in conflict with the current policy. Members had always advocated reducing the number of bus stops, but now a bus stop was added.

(ii) HyD should not neglect the importance of district consultation. Bus stops should not be added at will, but required consideration in many aspects.

(iii) He enquired whether the construction was too urgent that district consultation was omitted.

47. Mr MAN Tsz-yan put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Other departments would consult DC Members before making any changes in the district. Therefore, it was unreasonable to reply that consultation was ignored because only an en-route stop was added. According to the standard of TD, the addition of a bus stop would affect the service frequency and journey time, so it should also conduct consultation.

Responsible Department

(ii) In addition to route no. 279X, route no. 249X also used that road section to travel to Tsing Yi. If adding an en-route stop for route no. 279X would not increase the loading on Tsing King Road, it could not rule out that the department would add bus stops again to that road section in the future.

48. Mr CHOW Elson enquired about the standard distance of each bus stop and what were the criteria for adding a bus stop.

49. Mr TAM Lai-ming gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD did not have plans to delete the en-route stop of route no. 279X at Nga Ying Chau Garden stop at the moment, when the stop outside Ching Wang Court was put into operation; TD would closely monitor the traffic condition in the vicinity and review relevant arrangement when necessary.

(ii) As the new stop located near the end of the concerned route, thus it was expected to be used by drop-off passengers to divert passengers who currently dropped off at Nga Ying Chau Garden stop. Overall, the journey time and service frequency of the route would not be affected. .

(iii) If applications were received from other routes to use the stop, the department would re-assess the situation and make decisions based on the situation. New routes would not be added if there was impact on the traffic. Up to the moment, only route no. 279X would be allowed to use the new en-route stop.

(iv) At present, bus stops were set between 400 and 500 meters apart. However, this data was for reference only. Regarding the arrangement of setting up bus stops, TD would refer to the Transport Planning and Design Manual (the Manual) prepared by the Department when considering the addition, alteration or deletion of bus en-route stops. According to the Manual, the ideal walking distance of bus passengers in the urban was less than 400 metres, while the distance between en-route stops should be 400 to 600 metres. When applying the recommendations as suggested by the Manual, TD would also consider a number of factors based on actual situation. These factors include geographical constraints, road safety, nearby traffic flow, passenger demand, passenger waiting and crossing

Responsible Department

space of pedestrians. Generally speaking, TD would continue to refer to the Manual when considering addition, alteration or deletion of bus en-route stops, and would base on actual traffic conditions, passenger demand and views of district members to make relevant arrangement, in order to provide safe and convenient franchised bus services.

50. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter gave a consolidated response that if the traffic situation was not satisfactory, the department would review whether to retain the en-route stop or to make improvement works.

51. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired about the reason for not adding an en-route stop ahead of Tsing King Road, but instead adding a bus stop 100 meters ahead of Nga Ying Chau Garden. He opined that the former option was more convenient to residents of Cheung On Estate.

(ii) TD said that it had consulted residents in the first half of July, but DC Members were unaware of this and suspected that consultation had not been actually conducted.

(iii) Adding an en-route stop at least increased the journey time by about 2 to 3 minutes.

52. Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice enquired if DC Members of different political affiliation proposed to add an en-route stop, whether the handling procedure would be different.

53. Mr TAM Lai-ming gave a consolidated response and said that TD would only focus on public transportation services and passenger needs in setting up an en-route stop, and assess the impact on nearby traffic and citizens, and then decide whether the place was a suitable place to set up the en-route stop.

54. Mr MAN Tsz-yan enquired TD when the assessment report would be submitted to DC, so that all Members and DC Members would be aware of the assessment status, including the location and time of the assessment.

Responsible Department

55. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired about the reasons for TD to add a bus stop beside Ching Wang Court on Tsing King Road.

(ii) He enquired about the reasons for such urgency in the procedures for the addition of the bus stop.

(iii) He enquired the department about the reasons for not consulting the DC. Under normal procedures, TD should obtain the consent of the DC before it could proceed. However, Members were now only being informed and there was no room for discussion.

(iv) The department’s reply said that by adding the en-route stop, the average stopping time was only 16 seconds more. However, the department had ignored the time for calling the stop and waiting for the traffic lights.

(v) He hoped that the department would submit a written report to DC to provide data such as journey time, service frequency and travelling time. Since there were many minibuses and buses passing through that road section, there was the chance of “backflow”. He hoped the department could provide corresponding solutions.

56. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Setting up an en-route stop at that road section would affect residents. He did not understand why district consultation had not been done and expressed dissatisfaction with the practice of the department.

(ii) The department stated that it would take 32 seconds to set down and pick up passengers. However, in adding the stop it used an average of 16 seconds as estimation. He opined that this calculation method was rough and should set up a temporary stop at the new en-route stop to assess the actual travelling time.

(iii) He requested TD to submit an assessment report as soon as possible.

Responsible Department

(iv) He enquired why adding an en-route stop at Tsing King Road was not considered.

(v) He hoped that TD would suspend the plan to add the stop.

57. Ms TAM Wai-chun put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Turning left at the stop was Nga Ying Chau Street, and residents of Villa Esplanada expressed concern that school buses and residents’ coaches would be affected during peak hours, especially in the morning. She opined that in addition to consulting the DC Member of the area, DC Members of other affected constituency areas should also be consulted beforehand.

(ii) She supported adding the en-route stop, and said she had applied for adding a stop at Easeful Court, for which she hoped Mr WONG Yiu-chung would also support. Adding route no. 279X would facilitate some residents of Cheung On Estate Phase II to take the buses, for which she hoped TD would consider.

58. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Consultation was very important and should let different stakeholders aware of the details. The places affected by this decision were not only a few estates, but the entire Tsing Yi and beyond.

(ii) If Tsing Yi had traffic congestions, it might also affect Tsing Yi South Bridge and North Bridge. He therefore opined that consultation was necessary.

(iii) If Members agreed to add the stop, he enquired about the time of commencement of works and operation.

(iv) DC Members of any political party could put forth opinions for discussion, without having to make irrelevant arguments because of their political affiliation.

Responsible Department

59. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis said that the main point of discussion of this meeting was whether the department should consult the DC before making a decision. He hoped that TD would notify all DC Members before carrying out any work in the future, and not only the relevant ones.

60. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan said that TD could set up a temporary bus stop as a trial to assess the traffic conditions. This method was not only practical, but also easy to move and dismantle.

61. The Chairman said that in the past HyD would submit papers to the DC before commencing each project, but paper regarding the stop was not received in the last meeting. The title of the paper said the content should include the works completed in the past two months and to be commenced in the next six months, but noted that the main works were concentrated from September to December. He believed that HyD had been informed earlier of the works related to the addition of the stop, but had not notified the DC. HyD should inform Members much earlier and let Members knew about the works.

62. Mr TAM Lai-ming gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD was working with KMB to follow up on the official operation date of the stop. When there was a confirmed date, DC Members and Members would be notified.

(ii) When TD had the implementation decision, it would submit the Works request to HyD to arrange the rest of the work. He understood that all DC Members hoped to receive the notice and would strengthen the communication with HyD in the future.

(iii) He noted the proposal to arrange the en-route stop on a trial basis, and would forward to the Works Division and the KMB colleagues for further discussion. TD would notify Members for any updates.

63. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) There were only one or two lanes opposite to Easeful Court, and the addition of the bus stop would obstruct traffic flow. There were three lanes at the location of the newly added stop, the traffic impact was

Responsible Department

relatively low.

(ii) Regarding the distribution of 16-second alighting time, the department had also considered whether it was possible to calculate the number of people going to the west or east, but it would involve two problems. TD might not have enough manpower to conduct the survey and it would involve privacy issues. If sending staff to inquire the actual number of alighting passengers and follow the passengers to their destinations, residents might feel disturbed.

(iii) Based on the above factors, a more conservative calculation method was adopted, which was to divide the 32 seconds directly by two to obtain the approximate alighting time of one stop.

64. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren requested TD to submit a written report on the traffic assessment and explain why it insisted on adding an en-route stop at that location.

65. Mr POON Chi-shing said he did not understand the method as stated by TD representative, that it needed to send staff to follow residents to their home to calculate the journey time.

66. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter responded that to know which stop the passengers preferred to alight, one needed to know their places of residence or destinations, so it was actually difficult to calculate.

(Post-meeting note: TD would conduct on-site inspections after the new stop was put into TD operation to follow up on the actual impact of the operation on the traffic in the vicinity and made appropriate arrangements in due course.)

67. Mr TAM Lai-ming responded as follows:

(i) The department received the relevant proposal in July last year on the addition of the stop. According to the assessment, if only route no. 279X was added, the impact was not great. As adding a bus stop at that location was convenient to residents, therefore TD was happy to discuss and implement the addition of the stop with the bus company.

Responsible Department

(ii) The work schedule was based on the Works Request submitted by TD, and then HyD would arrange the sequence of different projects, and the works concerned were scheduled to be carry out during this period.

68. Mr CHOW Elson said by observing passengers turning left or right after alighting, one could roughly estimate where the residents lived. It did not require a large number of staff to provide information good for reference.

Report Items

Working Group Reports

(a) Road Safety Working Group (TTC Paper No. 25/R/2018)

69. Members noted and endorsed the above paper.

(b) Public Transport Services Working Group (TTC Paper No. 26/R/2018)

70. Members noted and endorsed the above paper.

Information Papers

Kwai Tsing District Traffic Accident Report (TTC Paper No. 27/I/2018)

71. Members noted and endorsed the above paper.

Projects and Timetables of Major Traffic Improvement Works Completed in the Past Two Months, In Progress or to be Commenced in Six Months by the Highways Department (TTC Paper No. 28/I/2018)

72. Mr WONG Bing-kuen put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) He enquired the difference between projects NW/17/02088 and

Responsible Department

NW/18/01252 and the unfinished part of the latter.

(ii) TD had conducted consultation on the improvement of the railing works opposite the Salvation Army Center in Tai Ha Street at Tai Wo Hau, but the project was not mentioned in the paper. He asked when the project would be included in the paper.

73. The Chairman expressed the hope that HyD would submit a report to TTC earlier. He pointed out that TD had submitted the information to HyD earlier for HyD to arrange the construction time. The DC should not be notified only after the completion of the project.

74. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily responded as follows:

(i) The work site of Project NW/17/02088 was the pedestrian walkway outside the petrol station at Castle Peak Road-Kwai Chung near Kwai Yee House, involving the installation of a direction signboard to the MTR station. The work site of NW/18/01252 was the exit of the above petrol station. It involved the installation of “Look Left” and “Look Right” signs at the crossing to remind pedestrians to cross the road carefully.

(ii) Consultation work on the railing project had been completed and the Works Request Form was submitted to HyD. She would learn about the present progress from HyD later.

75. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan pointed out that a motion for removing the right turn only sign on Hing Ning Road outside Kwai Tsing Theatre was endorsed at the previous meeting, but it was not mentioned in the paper.

76. The Chairman said that the sign on Hing Ning Road had been removed.

77. Ms CHOW Hoi-yi gave a consolidated response that after TD submitted the Works Request Form to HyD, it was necessary to arrange the work priority according to the urgency of the project.

78. Mr CHOI Kin Man, District Engineer/Works (W) of HyD, gave a consolidated response as follows:

Responsible Department

(i) Upon receipt of the Works Request Form from TD, HyD would generally arrange and plan various projects based on the priority of TD and the resources allocation of the contractor.

(ii) Although most of the works were minor works, yet it was necessary to formulate temporary traffic arrangements for the approval of relevant departments such as TD and the Police Traffic Branch. In some cases, the “Excavation Permit” would be involved and individual approval process might be delayed. HyD and the contractor would allocate resources according to the actual situation, and carry out approved works with simpler procedures first, hence relevant works might not be reflected in the report submitted to TTC in time.

(iii) HyD tried to carry out the works plan as accurately as possible and to describe the project status in the paper in advance, so that Members could know the progress of different projects in the first place.

79. The Chairman said that some works did not appear in the meeting papers, and HyD and the contractor did not notify Members before the commencement of the works. Members only learned of the works when the works were completed. This situation was not satisfactory. He hoped that the department would avoid similar situations from happening again.

Lost Trip Report of Buses in Kwai Tsing District (May to June 2018) (TTC Paper No. 29/I/2018)

80. Mr PAU Ming-hong said the lost trip rate of route no. 45 mentioned in the paper was between higher than 7.5% and lower than or equal to 10%. The service frequency of that route during peak hours in the afternoon was one trip every 30 minutes. This frequency together with the serious lost trip problem meant that passengers needed to wait for 45 minutes or even 60 minutes to board the bus. He opined that this situation was unacceptable.

81. Miss LO Yuen-ting said that the lost trip problem of route no. 42C was very serious and the lost trip rate remained high. She enquired about the reasons for the bus lost trips.

Responsible Department

82. Mr WONG Bing-kuen pointed out that the serious lost trip problem of 48X and 73X was mentioned in the last meeting and KMB and TD were asked to explain the reasons for the bus lost trips, but there was no response. He hoped that the representatives could explain the situation at this meeting.

83. Mr TAM Lai-ming gave a consolidated response and said TD was also concerned about the continued lost trips of buses and had requested KMB to submit a report on the TD lost trip situation to explain the reasons for lost trips and related improvement measures. In the case of 48X and 73X, TD would discuss with KMB again and submit a written reply later.

84. Mr POON Jeff, Manager (Operations) of KMB, gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) The buses of route no. 45 had specific vehicle type restrictions. The roads of Lai King Hill were best suit for short buses, but the number of short buses was limited. Although KMB had backup vehicles, however when breakdowns occurred, immediate deployment might not be possible. The company would review resource allocations again and communicate with other depots to ensure the stability of vehicles and services.

(ii) Another reason that affected the lost trip situation was human resources. Different media had also reported that the entire industry was actually facing a shortage of manpower. KMB strived to ensure the departure time of the buses. However, as the routes under their operation were numerous, if there was a shortage of manpower, sometimes adjustment in service frequency had to be made.

(iii) The arrangement of manpower and vehicles would be reviewed again.

(iv) The journey of route no. 42C run from Tsing Yi to Kwun Tong passed through a number of busy road sections, including Lung Cheung Road, which affected the stability of service frequency during peak hours or traffic accidents. KMB had instructed the field staff to adjust the service frequency as much as possible under the above circumstances to ensure the service stability. In case of the bus trips that could not depart at the

Responsible Department

terminus, vehicles would be arranged to pick up passengers at en-route stops to shorten the waiting time for passengers waiting at the en-route stops.

85. Mr WONG Bing-kuen said that if the lost trip problem of 48X and 73X were still found to be serious after the meeting, he would ask again and hoped that there would be a reasonable explanation by that time.

Any Other Business

86. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis said that there was a lot of rain recently, and many roads were damaged with sands and rocks on the road surface, affecting the travelling vehicles. He hoped that relevant departments would inspect the roads in Kwai Tsing District and repair the roads and clear the sand and rocks as soon as possible in order to protect the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

87. Mr POON Chi-shing expressed the hope that HyD could follow up on the uneven surfaces of Tsing Yi South Bridge. He also pointed out that there was a case where a bus stop was relocated without being informed. He hoped that TD would provide information promptly.

88. The Chairman said that it was difficult to mark the actual locations of some expressways and strategic routes, but these road sections were the most dangerous road sections. He enquired whether HyD would carry out inspections after heavy rain and whether the inspections were regular or repairs would be carried out only after receiving complaints.

89. Ms CHOW Hoi-yi gave a consolidated response and said that HyD would conduct regular inspections and would ask the colleagues of the maintenance division to follow up the opinions put forth by Members.

90. The Chairman expressed the hope that HyD would strengthen the inspections of road conditions after the rainstorm to ensure safety.

Date of Next Meeting

91. The next meeting was scheduled to be held at 2:30 p.m. on 11 October 2018.

Responsible Department

Kwai Tsing District Council Secretariat October 2018