(Translation)

Minutes of the 20th Meeting of the Development, Planning and Transport Committee 5th Wan Chai District Council Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Date : 12 February 2019 (Tuesday) Time : 2:30 p.m. Venue : District Council Conference Room, Wan Chai District Office

Present Chairperson Ms LEE Kwun-yee, Kenny, MH

Vice-Chairperson Mr LAM Wai-man, Wind, Anson

Members Mr NG Kam-chun, Stephen, BBS, MH, JP Dr CHOW Kit-bing, Jennifer, BBS, MH Dr TANG King-yung, Anna, BBS, MH The Hon TSE Wai-chun, Paul, JP Ms NG Yuen-ting, Yolanda, MH Mr WONG Wang-tai, Ivan, MH Ms LEE Pik-yee, Peggy, MH Mr LEE Man-lung, Joey Miss YEUNG Suet-ying, Clarisse Mr CHENG Ki-kin Ms CHUNG Ka-man, Jacqueline

Co-opted Members Ms LAU Pui-shan Mr NG Hoi-shing Ms CHING Lei-yuen

Representatives of Government Departments Miss LAU Hei-yue, Hayley Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai),

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 1 - Home Affairs Department Miss CHAN Sum-yee, Rita Senior Liaison Officer (Community Affairs), Wan Chai District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr MAK Hon-sum, Ronnie Senior Estate Surveyor/HKE(2), Lands Department Mr LUK Kwok-on, Anthony Senior Town Planner/HK 3, Planning Department Ms CHEUNG Pui-kay, Carrie District Operations Officer (Wan Chai), Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHOY Ka-ming Acting Officer-in-charge District Traffic Team (Wan Chai), Hong Kong Police Force Dr LEE Yin-chun, Sally Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 42, Environmental Protection Department Mr LAI Sing-chuen, Gary Senior Transport Officer/Wan Chai, Transport Department Ms FONG Hau-yin, Fiona Engineer/Wan Chai 1, Transport Department Mr TSE Chau-tong, Franklin Senior Engineer/9 (South), Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr CHAN Kai-yin District Engineer/Wan Chai, Highways Department Mr HO Wai-ming Engineer/ HK (Distribution 4), Water Supplies Department

Representatives of Other Government Departments and Organisations Mr TO Chi-hung Engineer/Construction 6, Water Supplies Department Mr HO Ho-yuan Engineer/Consultant Management Division (7), Water Supplies Department Mr CHOW Man-chung Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company Ltd Mr FU Chi-yet Engineer/Hong Kong East 1, Drainage Services Department Mr CHEUNG Sai-kwong, Tony Senior Engineer 4/ Central Wanchai Bypass, Highways Department Mr LAU Chi-ming Senior Engineer/ Project Management 5, Water Supplies Department Mr KWOK Wai-kay, Kenton Engineer/ Project Management 13, Water Supplies Department Mr CHEUNG Kwan-shek Engineer/Water Loss Management 3, Water Supplies Department Mr LAU Wai Project Manager, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited Mr TSE Tsz-kin, Keith Project Engineer, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited Miss Yvonne TSUI Senior Transport Officer/Bus Development (Hong Kong) 2, Transport Department Mr Thomas MAK Transport Officer/Bus Development (Hong Kong) 2, Transport Department Mr Mistral SIN Manager (Planning), Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 2 - Mr Brian NG Chief Planning Officer, Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited

Mr LEE Tin-yau Chief Operations Officer, Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affair Officer, Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited Mr YUEN Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager, New World First Bus Services Limited Mr TAM Chun-hei Manager (Public Affairs), Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Ltd Ms Grace WONG Project Coordinator 1/Walkability, Transport Department Mr TSANG Hin-man Senior Engineer/CWY2, Highways Department Mr CHAN Chun-wai Project Coordinator/CWY2, Highways Department Mr LEE Kwok-cheung Director, Ho Tin & Associates Consulting Engineers Limited Ms LI Tsz-yan, Pinky Estate Surveyor/Special Duties, Lands Department Mr SO Hung-tak, Charles Executive Director (Strategic Planning and Advisory), Transportation, Asia, AECOM Asia Company Ltd Mr LO Chun-wai, Dicky Senior Project Manager, Hopewell Project Development Limited Mr CHAN Chi-shing Officer-in-charge District Traffic Team (Eastern District), Hong Kong Police Force

Absent with Apologies Mr NG Kwok-shing Co-opted Member Dr CHEUNG Charlton Co-opted Member

Secretary Mr KO Chin-hung, Simon Executive Officer (District Council) 3,

Action Opening Remarks

The Chairperson welcomed Members and representatives of government departments to the 20th meeting of the Development, Planning and Transport Committee (DPTC) of the Wan Chai District Council (WCDC). She also welcomed Mr HO Wai-ming, Engineer/ HK (Distribution 4) of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), who attended the meeting for the first time.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 3 - Action 2. The Chairperson informed the meeting that Mr LEE Nai-yeung, OC District Traffic Team (Wan Chai District) of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) was unable to attend the meeting due to other engagements, and he was stood in by Mr CHOY Ka-ming, Acting OC District Traffic Team (Wan Chai District). In addition, Mr YU Wing-lun, Alan, Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 4 was unable to attend the meeting due to other engagements, and he was stood in by Dr LEE Yin-chun, Sally, Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 42.

3. The Chairperson asked Members to note the papers and agenda with suggested discussion time on the conference table. In addition, the meeting would be timed to ensure it be conducted in an efficient manner. A maximum of two rounds of speeches were allowed for each agenda item, and each Member would be allowed to speak for two minutes in each round of speeches.

Item 1: Confirmation of Minutes of the 19th Meeting of DPTC of WCDC

4. The Chairperson said that the Secretariat had received proposed amendments from Ms Yolanda NG and Miss Clarisse YEUNG prior to the meeting.

5. Members present raised no other amendments. The minutes of the 19th meeting were confirmed by means of a motion moved by Mr Anson LAM and seconded by Dr Jennifer CHOW.

Item 2: Position of WCDC Funds Appropriated to the DPTC for 2018/2019 (DPTC Paper No. 1/2019)

6. The Secretary briefly introduced the paper.

7. The Committee noted the above paper.

Item 3: Action Checklist of the DPTC of the WCDC (DPTC Paper No. 13/2019)

8. The Committee noted the above paper.

Item 4: Summary of Major Temporary Traffic Arrangements in Wan Chai District – Transport Department (DPTC Paper No. 4/2019)

9. Mr Gary LAI of the Transport Department (TD) briefly introduced the

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 4 - Action paper.

10. The Committee noted the above paper.

Item 5: Major Small-scale Traffic Improvement Works Completed, Underway or being Planned in Wan Chai District by Transport Department/Highways Department in the Past Two Months and their Schedules (DPTC Paper No. 3/2019)

11. Mr CHAN Kai-yin of the Highways Department (HyD) briefly introduced the paper.

12. A Member asked when the pedestrian lights installed at the junction of Fleming Road and Lockhart Road (Item No. HK/11/02146) would be put into use since the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) had been commissioned. Besides, the Member asked when the temporary traffic signs installed at Lockhart Road to facilitate the commissioning of CWB would be removed.

13. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that after Stage 1 commissioning of CWB on 20 January 2019, the vehicular flow in Wan Chai North had changed. TD would conduct a survey on the traffic flow after Stage 2 commissioning, and review the design of the relevant pedestrian lights. Besides, TD had already requested HyD to remove the temporary traffic signs.

14. A Member enquired about the date of Stage 2 commissioning of CWB.

15. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that since HyD was still carrying out relevant associated works for CWB, the date of Stage 2 commissioning would be announced in due course.

16. The Committee noted the above paper.

Item 6: Summary of Works in Wan Chai District – Civil Engineering and Development Department (DPTC Paper No. 2/2019)

17. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:

Water Supplies Department Mr HO Ho-yuan Engineer/Consultant Management 7 Mr TO Chi-hung Engineer/Construction 6

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 5 - Action Drainage Services Department Mr FU Chi-yet Engineer/ Hong Kong East 1 Highways Department Mr CHEUNG Sai-kwong, Senior Engineer 4/ Central Tony Wanchai Bypass Mr LAW Tsz-ting Engineer 8/ Central Wanchai Bypass AECOM Asia Company Ltd Mr CHOW Man-chung Resident Engineer

18. Mr Franklin TSE of the Civil Engineering and Development Department briefly introduced the paper.

19. Regarding the recent suspension of the waterworks at Fenwick Street (PWP No. 043WS Category A) due to the detection of hazardous gas in the tunnel, the Chairperson enquired about the works progress and whether other more advanced construction methods would be used.

20. Mr TO Chi-hung of WSD replied that engineering staff had been monitoring the changes in the concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the tunnel over the past few months. After ventilation equipment was further strengthened, the concentration level of hazardous gas in the tunnel had decreased gradually, which was expected to drop to the safety level next week. Engineering staff would further measure the concentration of hazardous gas in the tunnel, and if all indicators were in line with the safety standards, WSD would discuss with the Labour Department to resume the tunnel excavation work. If manual excavation work was considered to be not appropriate after the assessment, WSD would consider using machinery to carry out the excavation work.

21. The Chairperson said that since the project would affect the progress of the lift installation work at Gloucester Road, she hoped that WSD could complete the excavation work as early as possible.

22. Ms Yolanda NG said that she had mentioned the poor site management of WSD many times before in past meetings, and such examples included fencing off excessive road surface as works sites, placing many miscellaneous articles on works sites, etc. She said that since a large number of waterworks had been carrying out in Causeway Bay lately, she hoped that WSD would pay greater attention to site management.

23. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 6 - Action

i. She said that following the Stage 1 commissioning of CWB, some residents told her that no barrier-free facilities had been included in the road improvement works at Wing Hing Street. She requested the department concerned to study the feasibility of including barrier-free facilities in the road improvement works.

ii. She stated that the works at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter had been completed. She asked when the site would be handed over to other relevant parties in order to commence relevant beautification work.

iii. She asked when the beautification work at Watson Road would commence.

24. Miss Clarisse YEUNG pointed out that the relevant government departments would convene a special meeting with the Central and Western District Council tomorrow to inform Members of the commissioning arrangements of CWB at Rumsey Street and traffic arrangements for Stage 2 commissioning. She opined that CWB would significantly affect the traffic in Wan Chai, thus she requested the department concerned to explain why no meeting was arranged with WCDC.

25. Mr Tony CHEUNG of HyD responded as follows:

i. He stated that CWB had been commissioned on 20 January 2019, and the work connecting CWB westbound and Rumsey Street Flyover was generally completed. Relevant associated facilities were under preparation to facilitate the commissioning.

ii. With regard to the inclusion of barrier-free facilities in the road improvement works at Wing Hing Street, he would follow up on the matter with colleagues of the relevant regional office.

iii. The beautification work at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter had been completed, and the sites would be handed over successively to colleagues of relevant regional offices to continue the beautification works in other areas.

iv. Since the work connecting CWB westbound and Rumsey Street Flyover was within the Central and Western District, and no significant impact would be caused to the traffic in Wan Chai, HyD

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 7 - Action had not prepared any information paper for WCDC. Nevertheless, if Members had any enquiries about the work, he could answer them at the meeting.

26. Miss Clarisse YEUNG asked HyD if there were any differences in the papers submitted to the Central and Western District Council and WCDC. She considered that Stage 2 commissioning of CWB involved critical traffic alternations, and she requested HyD to provide an explanation. In addition, she enquired about the date of Stage 2 commissioning of CWB.

27. Mr Tony CHEUNG of HyD replied that the date of Stage 2 commissioning of CWB had not yet confirmed. The Government would timely announce the commissioning date and the relevant traffic arrangements after the date was confirmed.

28. The Chairperson asked TD whether the traffic in Wan Chai North was alleviated after the commissioning of CWB.

29. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that according to their observations after Stage 1 commissioning of CWB, the traffic conditions of the strategic routes in the district, including Gloucester Road, had improved in the mornings and evenings on weekdays.

30. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She opined that the progress of the handover of sites was relatively slow after CWB was commissioned. She hoped that the department concerned could report at the next meeting that when the works sites at Watson Road and the walkway at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter would be handed over to the relevant parties, so that relevant improvement works could be commenced.

ii. She considered that the departments concerned should report on the traffic conditions in the district on a regular basis after CWB was commissioned, as well as adjusting the time of the pedestrian lights.

iii. She also reckoned that the department concerned should report on the air quality monitoring results of CWB to the Council on a regular basis. She hoped that the department concerned could report to the Council on the above matters at the next meeting.

31. The Chairperson asked the departments concerned to provide information

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 8 - Action with greater details in response to the above enquires at the next meeting.

(Mr Ivan WONG and Co-opted Member Ms LAU Pui-shan joined the meeting at 2:50 p.m.)

Written Motion Item 7: Strongly demanding that the Transport Department and the Hong Kong Police Force install additional traffic light detectors and strengthen law enforcement via video-recording (DPTC Paper No. 6/2019)

32. Mr Joey LEE briefly introduced the written motion, and requested TD and HKPF to install additional traffic light detectors and strengthen law enforcement via video-recording.

33. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. After the Police obtained an understanding of the situation, additional manpower had been deployed to relevant locations to divert the traffic, especially during rush hours in the morning and afternoon.

ii. Between November and December 2018, the Police had issued a total of 120 fixed penalty tickets (FPTs) at the relevant locations, and the number was greater than that of the same period in the presiding year.

iii. The video camera enforcement implemented earlier was in two phases, with the second phase completed on 31 January 2019. At present, the management was reviewing the effectiveness of video camera enforcement. After the review was completed, officers would strengthen law enforcement with the use of video cameras at relevant locations in the district.

34. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. TD had installed CCTVs at major road junctions in Wan Chai to monitor the traffic conditions in the district. Moreover, traffic lights could be adjusted to divert the traffic when necessary, and appropriate traffic management measures could be implemented in case a traffic accident happened.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 9 - Action ii. TD would disseminate footages of the CCTVs via its webpage and mobile application, so that the public could be informed of the latest traffic conditions.

iii. TD had installed CCTVs at the junctions of Irving Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road to monitor the traffic conditions at the above locations.

35. The Chairperson asked TD if the CCTVs were equipped with an automated system which could adjust the traffic light time, so that the green time could be extended automatically to divert the traffic when there was traffic congestion.

36. Ms Fiona FONG replied that the CCTVs were mainly monitored by relevant officers, and the green time would be appropriately adjusted when traffic congestion took place.

37. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired about the specific locations of the four streets at which the 120 FPTs had been issued. She pointed out that vehicles had been parked on the slow lane of Leighton Road for a long period of time, resulting in traffic obstruction. She asked the Police whether deploying additional manpower, enforcing the law with the use of video cameras or advising the motorists to leave would be more effective in diverting the traffic.

ii. She asked which departments could monitor the footages of the CCTVs, and how long such footages would be retained.

iii. She pointed out that the traffic lights installed by TD at the above locations were equipped with the old system which relied on vehicle pressure sensors and CCTVs, therefore no intelligent adjustment could be made to the traffic light time in accordance with the road traffic.

iv. She asked whether TD had planned to install an intelligent traffic signal system, which could make the best use of green light to divert traffic.

38. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquires:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 10 - Action i. He pointed out that vehicles were often parked at the section of Irving Street outside Regal Hongkong Hotel, leaving only one of the three traffic lanes for use by other vehicles. Similar problem also existed at Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road. He believed that the Police knew very well the traffic conditions at the above road sections, and he requested the Police to step up law enforcement.

ii. He asked if the CCTVs mentioned by TD earlier were equivalent to the traffic light detectors as mentioned in the written motion. He reiterated that what he demanded from the department concerned was video-recording devices which could assist in law enforcement.

iii. He commented that adjusting the traffic lights manually as mentioned by TD was a measure to be implemented in case of severe traffic congestion. However, existing traffic lights could not be adjusted automatically in accordance with the traffic condition to solve the traffic congestion instantly. He urged TD not to provide a perfunctory solution to the Council.

39. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She asked the department concerned whether video recordings had been made at relevant road sections, based on which the daily traffic during rush hours at the relevant road sections would be assessed and hence traffic lights could be adjusted accordingly.

ii. She asked if manpower had been arranged by the department concerned to monitor the CCTVs around the clock, or actions would be taken only after a complaint was received.

iii. She explained that the motion requested the installation of traffic light detectors and strengthened law enforcement via video-recording because deploying additional manpower to enforce the law was not effective enough. There were more than 200 streets and roads in Wan Chai, yet the manpower of the department concerned was limited. She opined that if video-recording was not adopted to assist in law enforcement, the traffic problems were unlikely to be tackled.

40. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 11 - Action i. She enquired of the Police about the situation of video camera enforcement. Despite that 120 FPTs had been issued between November and December, the traffic problem did not seem to be improved. She further enquired about the measures to be taken by the Police at the next stage.

ii. She was of the view that the Police should step up law enforcement during the hours when traffic congestion was the most serious. She requested the Police to explain the measures adopted to tackle the problem.

41. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She commented that the departments concerned were duty-bound to tackle the problem. Causeway Road westbound and the vicinity of Regal Hongkong Hotel were strategic westbound routes in the district. However, the traffic condition in Wan Chai was severely affected by illegal parking.

ii. She suggested that the departments concerned should combat the problem at source. According to her observations, a large number of buses would stop at Causeway Road westbound for picking up/ dropping off passengers, thus obstructing the passage of vehicles behind. She suggested that the departments concerned should review the relevant arrangement.

iii. In addition, she considered that the departments concerned should review the number of parking spaces and enhance the transport facilities, with a view to solving the illegal parking problem.

42. The Chairperson raised the following enquiries:

i. She asked whether a mechanism had been put in place through which the Police could be asked to tackle serious illegal parking on site which was found by TD when monitoring the traffic conditions in the district via the CCTVs.

ii. She also asked when illegal parking occurred, whether auxiliary police officers would be deployed to assist in diverting the traffic and resolving the issue.

43. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 12 - Action

i. At present, the signal time of the traffic lights in Wan Chai could not be automatically adjusted in accordance with the real-time traffic conditions. Nevertheless, TD’s regional offices could monitor the traffic conditions via the CCTVs, and adjust the signal time when necessary. Besides, the duration of green light was different during different periods of time in a day, with a view to accommodating the traffic flow at different times.

ii. TD would contact the Police for assistance in diverting the traffic when necessary.

iii. Under the departmental guidelines, footages of the CCTVs should not be recorded. Since TD did not have any law enforcement power to deal with traffic contraventions, illegal parking cases would be referred to the Police for action.

iv. With regard to the shortage of parking spaces in the district, TD had been introducing improvement measures progressively in accordance with the “Report on Study of Road Traffic Congestion in Hong Kong” prepared by the Transport Advisory Committee. Such measures included requiring private developers to adopt a higher parameter in the standard in the provision of parking spaces, and providing additional night-time parking spaces for commercial vehicles, etc.

44. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. The Wan Chai Police District attached great importance to road safety and the traffic congestion problem. A total of 120 FPTs had been issued in the vicinities of Irving Street, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road between November and December. The objectives of the law enforcement actions taken by the Police were to divert the traffic and enhance road safety at the roads mentioned above.

ii. Traffic congestion often occurred at Causeway Road westbound. The Police would deploy additional manpower to take law enforcement actions and divert the traffic during peak hours. Since a large number of vehicles would come to pick up students after school hours, such vehicles would be asked to leave the spot as soon as possible after picking up the students. The Police would not

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 13 - Action allow such vehicles staying at those road sections for a long time in order to avoid causing traffic obstruction.

iii. Besides, a lot of vehicles were parked illegally outside Regal Hongkong Hotel. The Police would take rigorous law enforcement actions, including issuing FPTs instantly during no-stopping restriction time periods. Furthermore, the Police would ask the motorists to leave as far as possible even during normal hours.

iv. The territory-wide law enforcement with the use of video cameras had been implemented in two phases in July 2018, with the second phase starting in November 2018. Video camera enforcement could strengthen the deterrent effect. He noticed that some members of the public would record videos of frontline officers conducting law enforcement actions and uploaded such videos to various social platforms. This could further enhance the deterrent effect.

v. Following the completion of the second phase of video camera law enforcement on 31 January 2019, the management was conducting a review of such enforcement action, and therefore such enforcement action had been suspended. As to when video camera enforcement would be resumed, he would report to Members after obtaining relevant information from the Traffic Headquarters.

45. Mr Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She found it strange for the Police to say that the deterrent effect of video camera law enforcement could be enhanced through social platforms.

ii. She asked whether the Police had communicated with schools and hotels to enhance the publicity and education work, with a view to telling the public not to stop their vehicles at relevant road sections for a long period of time to avoid causing traffic obstruction.

iii. She requested the Police to strengthen communication with stakeholders via the Police Community Relations Office to resolve the existing traffic issues, apart from stepping up law enforcement.

46. Mr Joey LEE asked why video camera law enforcement was suspended for a review despite its effectiveness. He further enquired about the time

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 14 - Action required to complete the review, and requested the Police to relay the Council’s views to the management.

47. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. From her discussion with St. Paul's Convent School over the illegal parking problem caused by vehicles for picking up students, she learnt that due to geographical constraints, the school could not allow vehicles to pick up students in the school area. In addition, some parents arrived at the school in advance, causing severe congestion at the road section as early as three to four o’clock in the afternoon. She suggested that police officers should be sent to maintain order on site during busy hours of the school.

ii. She enquired once again about the timetable of the resumption of video camera enforcement.

iii. She asked which departments were allowed to monitor the footages of the CCTVs and how long such footages would be retained.

iv. She pointed out that there was a kerb at the road junction of Causeway Road and Tung Lo Wan Road. She stated that a meeting had been held earlier with government departments, including TD, to consider the feasibility of straightening the junction, so that buses could turn to Tung Lo Wan Road easier, and hence the congestion could be alleviated.

v. She was of the view that the number of buses was not the main cause of traffic congestion. She opined that the traffic conditions were also subject to various road conditions, such as the number of driving licences and whether road pricing system was established on the road. She hoped that the departments concerned could address the problem through engineering measures and law enforcement actions.

48. The Hon Paul TSE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He enquired about the issues covered by the review of video camera law enforcement.

ii. He pointed out that video camera law enforcement had proved to be very effective in some nearby cities. However, since Hong Kong

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 15 - Action was a city which advocated freedom and rule of law, the society had divergent views on the matter. Besides, the cost of video camera enforcement was higher since it involved more procedures.

iii. He asked whether the review conducted by the Police would take public freedom into consideration. Besides, he enquired about the additional cost required for video camera enforcement as compared with the conventional actions.

49. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She stated that the entire discussion was about installing traffic light detectors and stepping up law enforcement via video-recording. She opined that apart from deploying additional manpower to take law enforcement actions, ancillary facilities in the entire Wan Chai District should be upgraded.

ii. She opined that the traffic problems at the junctions of Irving Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road were mainly caused by illegal parking of private vehicles and trucks, instead of buses.

50. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. It was a historic move for the Police to adopt a mobile video camera system to assist with law enforcement in July 2018. According to the instructions of the management, district traffic teams would select a black spot in their district to conduct enforcement with the use of a video camera every week.

ii. During the video-recording process, frontline officers would not stop the vehicles which contravened the traffic regulations. Instead, officers of the traffic division would notify the registered owners of the vehicles in writing, and requested them to provide information of the drivers for review.

iii. He considered that video camera enforcement was effective, since he noticed that members of the public often recorded videos when frontline officers were conducting law enforcement actions. He believed that the deterrent effect of law enforcement with the use of video cameras could be strengthened when more people knew that the Police had stepped up law enforcement in the front line.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 16 - Action

iv. The Police had maintained close liaison with schools in the vicinity, and traffic wardens were deployed to take law enforcement actions on-site every day during morning rush hours of the schools, with a view to ensuring smooth traffic flow. The Police would communicate with stakeholders of the schools on a continuous basis, as well as strengthening publicity and education work.

v. Video footages would be retained until the relevant prosecution procedures were completed.

vi. He pointed out that if several buses stopped simultaneously at the bus stop near the junction of Tung Lo Wan Road and Causeway Road westbound, traffic obstruction might occur. He considered that relocating the bus stop could alleviate the traffic problem in the area.

51. The Chairperson asked TD if illegal parking was found during monitoring of the traffic conditions with the use of CCTVs, and whether collaboration with the Police would be strengthened with a view to stepping up law enforcement at the illegal parking blackspots. She further asked the Police whether auxiliary police officers had been deployed to assist in taking law enforcement actions.

52. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF replied that the Wan Chai Police District had deployed additional auxiliary police officers in recent months to patrol the district and assist in handling traffic issues. He would instruct the auxiliary police officers to mainly patrol road sections with busy traffic, with a view to combating traffic problems in Wan Chai.

53. The Chairperson pointed out that while the crime rate of Hong Kong had been declining in recent years, traffic contraventions remained serious. She suggested that more auxiliary police officers should be deployed to take law enforcement actions against traffic breaches.

54. The Hon Paul TSE enquired of the Police again about the direction of the review of video camera enforcement.

55. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She pointed out that the motion was raised by a number of Members in the hope that it would help the Police to obtain additional resources for carrying out law enforcement duties. Nevertheless,

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 17 - Action the response of the Police seemed to indicate that law enforcement by police officers was more effective than by video-recording.

ii. She opined that it was inappropriate for the Police to say that law enforcement via video-recording was effective because some members of the public had recorded videos when frontline officers was taking enforcement actions, thus increasing the deterrent effect. She was of the view that this was not the objective of the law enforcement action. Instead, if law enforcement was enhanced through encouraging the public to upload videos of misconduct to the Internet for online shaming, social hostility would be created.

iii. She pointed out that when the Council discussed the traffic problems of 200 roads and streets in the district in the past, the Police responded that their manpower was limited. However, when the Council requested the Police to step up law enforcement measures, the Police reckoned that their manpower was sufficient at present. She criticised that if the Police considered that law enforcement by police officers was effective, they should be able to tackle the traffic issues in the entire Wan Chai District instantly.

56. Dr Jennifer CHOW suggested that TD should study the feasibility of reserving dedicated spaces for buses at the bus stop at Causeway Road, so that the vehicular flow would not be obstructed when the buses stopped at the bus stop. Besides, she reckoned that the Police should also consider how long the deterrent effect of law enforcement by police officers could sustain, since frontline officers could not take enforcement actions on site for a prolonged period. If other technologies, such as video-recording, could be adopted to assist in law enforcement, the Police should conduct further study and planning.

57. Mr Joey LEE clarified that the Council requested the departments concerned to install traffic detectors with video-recording function at relevant locations, instead of deploying frontline officers to record videos on-site for a prolonged period. He commented that as mentioned by other Members earlier, video camera enforcement had achieved positive results in nearby cities, therefore he considered that Hong Kong could follow the practice, which would help save manpower required for on-site law enforcement by police officers via video-recording.

58. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. He clarified that the Police had no intention to raise public

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 18 - Action awareness of traffic law enforcement through punitive measures. It was the hope of the Police that after the public had gained a better understanding of video camera enforcement, they as road users would abide by traffic regulations and pay higher attention to road safety.

ii. He apologised for causing misunderstanding among Members due to the ambiguous reply given earlier.

iii. While he did not have any information about the review at the moment, he believed that the effectiveness, cost and other relevant factors would be covered by the review conducted by the Traffic Headquarters.

iv. He pointed out that at present, video camera enforcement v required frontline officers to record video footages on site, and he reckoned that installing fixed cameras at traffic blackspots would also be an effective measure.

59. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied as follows:

i. She would convey Members’ opinions on the intelligent traffic lights system to TD.

ii. TD would maintain communication with the Police to discuss and map out improvement measures to tackle traffic issues in the district.

iii. She reiterated that TD had no law enforcement power against traffic contraventions, and CCTVs were only used for monitoring traffic conditions in the district. If the Police had formulated new proposals or planned to install new devices to facilitate law enforcement, TD would study the proposals with the Police.

iv. With regard to Members’ suggestions of conducting improvement works at the junctions of Tung Lo Wan Road, Yee Wo Street and Causeway Road and reserving parking spaces for buses at Causeway Road westbound, TD would follow up on the matter after the meeting.

60. The Chairperson asked Mr Joey LEE to read out the motion, which stated “Strongly demanding that the Transport Department and the Hong Kong Police Force install additional traffic light detectors at the junctions of Irving Street,

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 19 - Action Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road and strengthen law enforcement via video-recording.”

61. The written motion moved by Mr Joey LEE and Ms Yolanda NG was passed in the presence of 16 Members, with 14 Members (Mr NG Hoi-shing, Ms LAU Pui-shan, Mr Joey LEE, Ms Peggy LEE, Ms Yolanda NG, Ms Jacqueline CHUNG, Dr Jennifer CHOW, Ms Kenny LEE, Mr Anson LAM, Mr Stephen NG, Dr Anna TANG, the Hon Paul Tse, Mr Ivan WONG and Ms CHING Lei-yuen) voting for, and two Members (Mr CHENG Ki-kin and Miss Clarisse YEUNG) abstaining from voting.

62. The Chairperson announced that the motion was adopted, and she asked the departments concerned to note the above written motion and follow up on the matter.

Written Questions Item 8: Aggravating Traffic Congestion in Broadwood Constituency in Happy Valley (DPTC Paper No. 14/2019)

63. The Chairperson asked the Hon Paul TSE to briefly introduce the written question.

64. The Hon Paul TSE’s briefing on his written question was as follows:

i. There were two large-scale construction sites at Ventris Road at present, which had caused severe traffic congestion. Repeated complaints from residents of Broadwood constituency had been received. Besides, Broadwood Road and Link Road also had traffic congestion problem.

ii. He asked the departments concerned to follow up on the illegal parking problem at Ventris Road before and after school, as well as stepping up actions against illegal parking in the vicinities of Blue Pool Road, Tsoi Tak Street and Ventris Road.

iii. He requested the departments concerned to review the location and number of parking spaces on both sides of Ventris Road.

65. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. The Police had implemented relevant measures at Broadwood Road.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 20 - Action Over the past couple of months, additional frontline officers had been deployed to patrol the area concerned and strengthen law enforcement in order to divert the traffic.

ii. The Police had also requested the responsible persons of the two large-scale construction sites at Ventris Road to avoid arranging large vehicles to access the sites during rush hours, as well as using Wong Nai Chung Road as far as possible to transport construction materials, so as to minimise the traffic impact.

iii. In addition, the Police had strengthened publicity and education work targeting motorists, parents and students of the schools in the vicinity, with a view to reminding them to abide by the traffic regulations and pay attention to road safety.

66. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. TD had installed a traffic detector for the traffic lights at the junction of Broadwood Road and Link Road. The traffic signal for drivers would only change to green when a vehicle needed to turn right and go uphill via Broadwood Road, otherwise vehicles would be allowed to pass through Broadwood Road and Link Road as far as possible.

ii. The pedestrian lights at Link Road were installed with a touch sensor. The traffic signal for drivers would remain green for the passage of vehicles if the sensor was not activated by pedestrians.

iii. According to TD’s observations, the existing roadside parking spaces along Ventris Road were often occupied, showing the demand for parking spaces at the above location was relatively high. Nevertheless, in reviewing the provision of roadside parking spaces at the above location, TD needed to strike a balance between the different needs of road users.

67. The Hon Paul TSE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. If TD considered that the demand for parking spaces at Ventris Road was high because the parking spaces were often occupied, then the demand for parking should be equally high at most of the roads in Hong Kong. He reckoned that it was a costly arrangement if both sides of the road were allowed to be parked with vehicles. Since Ventris Road was relatively narrow, if only one lane was available

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 21 - Action for use, it would be difficult for vehicles to turn to Broadwood Road.

ii. He asked under what circumstances the arrangement of parking spaces at the above location would be reviewed by TD. Besides, he suggested that certain metered parking spaces outside Pioneer Court should be removed.

iii. He asked whether the right-turning junction from Ventris Road to Broadwood Road could be converted to a roundabout, making it easier for vehicles to turn right to Broadwood Road.

68. Miss Clarisse YEUNG enquired about the changing pattern of the traffic lights outside Po Leung Kuk Gold and Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang School. She further requested the provision of data of parking meters in the vicinity of the school, and asked whether parking fees were paid for parking vehicles at the above metered parking spaces.

69. Mr Ivan WONG pointed out that there was a driving test centre in Happy Valley. There were views that due to limited driving skills of learner drivers, vehicular speed was relatively slow. In view of the growing traffic burden on Happy Valley, he asked whether TD had assessed the impacts of the driving test centre on the surrounding traffic, and considered moving the driving test centre away from a district with busy traffic, as well as implementing relevant measures to minimise the traffic impact of the driving test centre.

70. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. According to TD’s observations, motorists had a relatively high demand for parking spaces in Happy Valley. If the existing parking spaces affected the traffic flow or road safety, TD would review the locations and number of such parking spaces.

ii. With regard to Member’s suggestion of constructing a roundabout at the junction of Broadwood Road and Link Road, TD needed to conduct further studies on the suggestion.

iii. In general, the duration of traffic light signals varied during different periods of time. She did not have detailed information about the signal time of the traffic lights outside Po Leung Kuk Gold and Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang School at the moment.

iv. While TD had kept usage data of parking meters, TD was not a law

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 22 - Action enforcement department, and its staff would not conduct any on-street inspection to check whether the metered park parking fees had been paid.

v. She would convey to the relevant division Member’s suggestion of reviewing the location of the driving test centre in Happy Valley. At present, learner drivers were only allowed to learn driving during designated hours, and they were not allowed to learn driving during morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. In addition, learner drivers were not allowed to access certain sections of Ventris Road and Broadwood Road.

71. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF replied that after the Police noted the traffic issue at Ventris road and Broadwood Road, they were highly concerned about the traffic condition near the driving test centre. Therefore, officers would be often deployed to patrol the area concerned to deter learner drivers from driving on the roads in the vicinity of the driving test centre during rush hours.

72. Mr Ivan WONG opined that the routes of the driving test would directly affect the learning routes of learner drivers. He suggested that the department concerned should review the prevailing driving test routes in light of the changes in the traffic conditions.

73. The Hon Paul TSE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He considered that things had changed over time. Ventris Road used to be a quiet road in the past, thus more parking spaces could be established there. However, the traffic at Ventris Road had become busier nowadays, thus he suggested that parking spaces on one side of Ventris Road should be removed. If vehicles were parked on both sides of the road, when a vehicle needed to stop to pick up or drop off passengers, three lanes would be blocked, causing great inconvenience to other drivers.

ii. He hoped that the department concerned could reply in writing with respect to the suggestion of constructing a roundabout at the right-turning junction of Ventris Road and Broadwood Road, as well as studying the feasibility of the proposal.

iii. According to the written reply of the Police, a total of 71 FPTs had been issued between November and December 2018. He asked the Police how many FPTs had been issued in other months, and

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 23 - Action whether the 71 FPTs issued were more than the number of FPTs issued on other normal days.

iv. He pointed out that members of the public often complained that no follow-up action was taken after they reported traffic issues via the 1823 hotline. Relevant staff also suggested that members of the public should contact Happy Valley Police Station, yet no follow-up action was taken after the complainants made a phone call to the police station. He asked which way was more effective in terms of lodging a traffic complaint.

74. A Member stated that vehicles in Happy Valley mainly used Wong Nai Chung Road and Ventris Road to travel to other districts at present. As both sides of Ventris Road were parked with vehicles, traffic obstruction would take place easily indeed, and the vehicular flow would be affected inevitably. He said that many residents had recently conveyed to him their views that a review was necessary to decide whether the driving test centre in Happy Valley should be retained, since there were many other locations for learning driving on Hong Kong Island. He requested TD to seriously consider whether the existing driving test centre in Happy Valley should be suspended.

75. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. With regard to Members’ comments on the driving test centre in Happy Valley, she would refer the matter to the division concerned.

ii. At present, only some sections of Ventris Road were provided with parking spaces on both sides. She would follow up with Members after the meeting on the suggestion of removing the parking spaces on one side of the road.

iii. Regarding the suggestion of constructing a roundabout at the junction of Broadwood Road and Link Road, given the geographical constraints and the presence of private lands in the surrounding area, her preliminary view was that it might not be feasible to convert the junction to a roundabout. Nevertheless, comments raised by Members were noted by TD.

76. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. He did not have information about the number of FPTs issued at Ventris Road in other months at the moment, yet additional police

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 24 - Action officers had been deployed to step up law enforcement at the area concerned after the Police noted the traffic issue at Ventris Road. The Police would maintain close cooperation with TD to work out more effective measures to tackle the traffic problems.

ii. He noted the inconvenience caused to motorists and road users. The Police would deploy additional manpower to Ventris Road with a view to diverting the traffic there.

iii. He explained that if the public lodged a complaint via 1823 hotline, it would take time for the case handler to refer the complaint to the Police. For non-emergent matters, members of the public could directly contact the Happy Valley Police Station, and staff members on duty were assigned to answer phone calls around the clock. He believed that this would be an effective way for the public to lodge a complaint.

77. The Chairperson thanked the Police and TD for their replies. She also asked both departments to continue to step up law enforcement and consider the suggestions raised by Members, with a view to resolving the traffic issues in the district through closer collaboration.

(The Hon Paul TSE, Co-opted Members Ms LAU Pui-shan and Ms CHING Lei-yuen left the meeting at 4:00 p.m.)

Item 9: Traffic Congestion at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessy Road and at the junction of Luard Road and Hennessy Road (DPTC Paper No. 16/2019)

78. The Chairperson invited Dr Jennifer CHOW, Ms Jacqueline CHUNG and Dr Anna TANG to introduce the written question.

79. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG introduced the written question as follows:

i. The matter had been discussed by the Council in the past, and she had conducted a site visit with staff of the department concerned in August 2018. However, traffic congestion continued to take place at the road sections concerned after six months. Therefore they raised the written question.

ii. She enquired about the time periods to which the Police referred as traffic rush hours in its reply.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 25 - Action

iii. The Police had mentioned in its written reply that it was their long-time hope that additional manpower could be obtained, and it was necessary to flexibly make use of the resources. The Police had also mentioned during the discussion of the previous agenda item that it was necessary to flexibly deploy resources in carrying out their law enforcement duties. She asked the Police whether their existing law enforcement efforts were effective.

iv. She pointed out that the traffic obstruction at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessey Road was caused by vehicles which stayed within the yellow box markings, and opined that whether the commissioning of CWB could alleviate traffic congestion on Hong Kong Island would have little relevance to the traffic obstruction at the above junction.

v. She opined that the major cause of the problem was the failure of motorists in complying with the traffic instructions. She was of the view that TD’s proposal to adjust the signal time of the traffic lights at the junction above would not solve the problem. Furthermore, she requested the Police to strengthen law enforcement.

80. The Chairperson raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She asked TD whether the commissioning of CWB could divert the traffic flow in Wan Chai North. She requested TD to adjust the signal time of the traffic lights in the vicinity of Wan Chai North having regard to the changes in the vehicular flow after the commissioning of CWB, so that vehicles in the vicinity of Tin Lok Lane could access Wan Chai North smoothly, without the need to stay within the yellow box marking.

ii. As for the traffic congestion at the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road, the major cause was insufficient spaces at Luard Road, making it impossible for vehicles on westbound Hennessey Road to turn to Luard Road. As a result, those vehicles had to stay within the yellow box markings, causing serious obstruction to vehicles on eastbound Hennessey Road.

iii. She requested the Police to step up traffic law enforcement to combat illegal parking and occupation of yellow box markings at relevant roads.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 26 - Action

81. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. The matter had been discussed by the Committee at the last meeting. She enquired of the department concerned about the follow-up measures implemented after the last meeting and the progress of TD’s study on the relevant intersections.

ii. She pointed out that 49 additional traffic wardens would be appointed this year. Given that the traffic flow in Wan Chai was heavier, she asked whether more traffic wardens could be assigned to Wan Chai to carry out law enforcement duties.

iii. She suggested that a countdown timer could be installed on trial basis for the traffic lights at the yellow box junction, to enable motorists to know whether there was sufficient time for them to turn to the road they intended to go.

iv. She pointed out that in the written question and reply from the Police, there were different Chinese names for “Marsh Road”, with some containing a wrong character for the word “師”.

82. Ms Peggy LEE pointed out that traffic congestion often took place at the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road during rush hours. She enquired of the Police about the locations and situation of law enforcement during rush hours.

83. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. All vehicles were not allowed to stop within the yellow box markings during no-stopping restriction hours. Given the impact of the commissioning of CWB on the traffic in the district, the Police had deployed frontline officers to monitor the above-mentioned junctions on a long-term basis, in order to deter vehicles from stopping within the yellow box markings illegally.

ii. The commissioning of CWB was effective in diverting the traffic flow in Wan Chai. However, the vehicular flow of Hennessey Road remained heavy. The Police would deploy additional manpower, including auxiliary police officers, to take law enforcement actions at Hennessey Road during peak hours.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 27 - Action iii. He agreed that the traffic issues at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessey Road and the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road were affected by the terrain and other traffic facilities.

84. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. Following the commissioning of CWB, the traffic flow in the vicinity of Wan Chai North had changed. TD would continue to monitor the traffic condition after the Stage 2 commissioning, and adjust the signal time of the traffic lights where necessary.

ii. With regard to Member’s suggestion of installing a countdown timer for the traffic lights at the yellow box junction, she would relay the suggestion to the relevant division.

85. The Chairperson requested TD and the Police to closely follow up on the traffic congestion issues at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessey Road and the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road, as well as adjusting the signal time of the traffic lights in the vicinity of Wan Chai North taking into account the commissioning of CWB.

Discussion Items Item 10: Implementation of Water Intelligent Network - Remaining Works (DPTC Paper No. 7/2019)

86. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:

Water Supplies Department (WSD) Mr LAU Chi-ming Senior Engineer/Project Management 5 Mr Kenton KWOK Engineer/ Project Management 13 Mr CHEUNG Kwan-shek Engineer/Water Loss Management 3 Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited (B&V) Mr LAU Wai Project Manager Mr Keith TSE Project Engineer

87. Mr LAU Chi-ming of WSD and Mr LAU Wai of B&V briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on the works in Wan Chai District under PWP No. 196WC – Implementation of Water Intelligent Network (WIN) – Remaining Works.

88. Mr Ivan WONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He asked if WSD had established a database of the age of water

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 28 - Action mains for assessing the health condition of water mains and their risk of leakage.

ii. He asked why WSD needed to set up WIN and if the existing database was inadequate for effectively assessing the condition of water mains.

iii. He enquired about the proposed time required for the works. He was worried that the prolonged fencing of each of the locations of works would affect local traffic. He suggested WSD establish close communication with local stakeholders before the commencement of works at each location, with a view to reducing the number of complaints from the public about the road closures arising from the works.

89. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired about the accuracy of WIN and if it could accurately estimate the risk of water main bursts so that precautionary measures could be taken in advance.

ii. She stated that water main bursts happened due to the ageing of gate valves in water mains, and it took a rather long time for WSD to complete the rehabilitation work. She enquired if WSD could upgrade the existing water main facilities, and what actions would be taken when the risk of a water main burst was detected.

iii. She said that replacement of water mains had been carrying out in Wan Chai District over the past few years. She enquired why the works of WIN were not carried out together with the replacement of water mains. Now, due to the implementation of WIN, road excavation works had to be carried out again, which would affect the local traffic.

90. Mr Joey LEE agreed with the comments of Ms Peggy LEE. He suggested various departments coordinate among themselves in carrying out excavation works so that all the necessary works could be carried out after opening of a road.

91. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired what measures had been taken in the past to monitor the ageing and leakage of water mains before WSD decided to implement WIN.

ii. With respect to WSD’s decision to rehabilitate 3 000 km of aged

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 29 - Action water mains in 2000, she enquired how much work had been completed so far.

iii. She stated that a considerable number of major water main bursts had occurred in Wan Chai between 2009 and 2011. At that time, the representatives of WSD had said that detectors had been installed to monitor the condition of underground water mains, but some of them burst prior to rehabilitation. In view of this, WSD had sped up the rehabilitation of water mains in the district.

iv. She enquired why the works of WIN were not carried out together with the rehabilitation of water mains. She considered that it was a waste of time if excavation works had to be carried out again.

v. She said that poor management was common in the works of WSD, with problems including excessive fenced works areas, untidy works sites and parking of private vehicles at works sites. She asked WSD what actions would be taken to step up monitoring of site management.

vi. She enquired if the works would be carried out during peak hours, and she suggested WSD should not carry out the works during night time.

92. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She supported the implementation of WIN to prevent water main bursts. Since Phase 3 and 4 of water mains laying works in the district were in progress, she suggested the water mains laying works and the works of WIN be carried out together if the same manholes were involved.

ii. It was mentioned in the paper that the work in each manhole would take two to three months to complete, and each water suspension would last about eight hours. She enquired if water supply had to be suspended once for every work.

iii. She enquired about the relevance between the planned monitoring points and the existing 2 000 monitoring points. She said that according to the representatives of WSD, the subsidence problems caused earlier by the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) would not affect the nearby water mains. She enquired if sufficient monitoring points had been installed at water mains near SCL.

93. The Chairperson raised the following comments and enquiries:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 30 - Action i. She enquired if water supply had to be suspended for a number of days when the works of WIN were being carried out and how long each water suspension would last.

ii. She suggested that the works should not be carried out during night time to avoid causing noise nuisance to the residents living near the works sites.

94. Mr LAU Chi-ming of WSD responded as follows:

i. Water suspension was required during the works period because relevant work must be carried out to connect the installed devices to the water supply system which would generally take a number of hours to complete. Water suspension of eight hours as mentioned in the paper was the estimated maximum duration. During water suspension, the works staff would strive to complete the works as soon as possible to ensure early resumption of water supply.

ii. In general, water supply would have to be suspended once in each area, and water suspension would not last for a number of days.

iii. WSD would make arrangements as far as practicable to enable works close to each other to be carried out together, in order to reduce the number of water suspensions and minimise the impact on the nearby residents.

iv. Large-scale water mains replacement works had been carried out between 2000 and 2015. The works of WIN had been incorporated into the contract of the replacement works as far as possible to avoid repeated road excavation works and minimise water suspensions.

v. Apart from works under the purview of WSD, works staff would pay attention to the excavation works in the district to be carried out by other works departments, and where possible, they would coordinate with other departments in carrying out the works, such as carrying out all the necessary excavation works together to minimise the impact on the public.

vi. Each works project was expected to take two to three months to complete. If everything went smoothly, a project might be completed within one or two months.

95. Mr LAU Wai of B&V responded as follows:

i. The concept of WIN was to cover the entire water mains network. Through WIN, works staff could monitor all the monitoring zones in

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 31 - Action the entire water supply system. When abnormalities arose, further seepage detection work would be carried out in the monitoring zone suspected to have problems and rehabilitation work would be conducted as soon as possible.

ii. Compared with the past method for monitoring underground water mains, WIN would be more effective in narrowing down the area suspected to have seepage, thus seepage detection work could be conducted and the progress of the necessary work could be sped up.

iii. In fact, the works conducted earlier for the establishment of WIN had almost covered all water mains on Hong Kong Island, including the site area of SCL. Under the “Implementation of WIN – Remaining Works”, about 400 additional monitoring points were proposed with the aim to narrow down the area of each monitoring zone, so that the system could be more effective in monitoring the seepage problem of water mains, and hence works staff could be quicker in identifying the location of seepage.

iv. WSD had been greatly concerned about the impact of the works on different districts. Therefore, once the preliminary work arrangements were available, works staff would consult the Members of the constituencies concerned, with a view to drawing up appropriate work arrangements to minimise the impact caused to the community.

v. The works would be arranged to be conducted on pavements as far as practicable to minimise the impact on local traffic and facilitate future repairs of water mains.

96. The Chairperson said that the Committee was in support of the project, and she thanked the representatives of WSD and B&V for attending the meeting.

(Co-opted Member Mr NG Hoi-shing left the meeting at 4:30 p.m.)

Item 11: Bus Route Planning Programme 2019 - 2020 for Wan Chai District (DPTC Paper No. 12/2019)

97. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:

Transport Department Miss Yvonne TSUI Senior Transport Officer/ Bus Development/ Hong Kong 2 Mr Thomas MAK Transport Officer/ Bus Development

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 32 - Action /Hong Kong 2

Citybus Limited/ New World First Bus Services Limited Mr Mistral SIN Manager (Planning) Mr Brian NG Chief Planning Officer Mr LEE Tin-yau Chief Operations Officer Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affairs Officer New World First Bus Services Limited Mr YUEN Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Ltd Mr TAM Chun-hei Manager (Public Affairs)

98. Miss Yvonne TSUI of TD briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019 -2020 for Wan Chai District.

99. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He doubted if the headway of Bus Route 18 could be maintained at an interval of 15 minutes after the relocation of the bus terminus and lengthening of the bus journey. He hoped that the rationalisation would not aggravate the lost trip problem.

ii. He found it hard to support the proposed Route E11S since no route map was provided.

iii. In the absence of any route maps for the proposed additional bus routes, he wondered if TD would formulate the routes freely after obtaining support from the Council. He opined that it was difficult to thoroughly discuss the proposals without any route maps.

100. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She had written to TD prior to the meeting enquiring about the service improvement of Routes 2, 81, 25A, 11 and 511, and the locations where TD conducted the passenger patronage surveys.

ii. She enquired about the additional time required for the extension of Routes 8X, 19 and 25 to cover Tai Hang. She further asked if it would take only a few more minutes for the said routes to be extended to Tai Hang, why the existing routes did not operate via Tai Hang to serve the residents there.

101. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 33 - Action

i. She stated that since 2013, the Chief Executive had made it clear in the Policy Address that the Government would continue to adopt the public transport-oriented strategy with railway as the backbone of the public transport system, with a view to easing road traffic congestion and reducing vehicle emissions.

ii. She understood that given the population growth in the New Territories, there would be certain demands for the additional routes running to and from the New Territories, whereas the service frequency of some bus routes on Hong Kong Island would reduce following the commissioning of the new railways on Hong Kong Island.

iii. She enquired about the overall increase and decrease in bus trips of the routes running via Wan Chai under the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019-2020.

102. The Chairperson enquired about the changes in the number of bus trips running via Yee Wo Street, Moreton Terrace and Hennessy Road.

103. Miss Yvonne TSUI of TD replied as follows:

i. The paper on the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019-2020 set out the respective numbers of bus trips and numbers of buses of Route 18 during morning rush hours under the existing and proposed planning. TD supplemented that if the service hours of Route 18 were extended as proposed, New World First Bus (NWFB) would increase the number of buses during non-peak hours, and the headway during the extended service hours would be maintained at an interval of 15 minutes. TD would provide Members with the relevant supplementary information after the meeting.

ii. The route map of City Bus Route E11S was not provided because it was an existing route. At present, Route E11S ran between Yat Tung Estate and Causeway Bay via North Lantau Hospital, Seaview Crescent, Coastal Skyline, Lantau Link, Western Harbour Tunnel, etc.

iii. The route maps of the proposed additional routes were attached at the discussion paper. TD aimed to consult Members on the proposed additional bus routes. Before the operation of the new bus routes, TD would decide on the locations of the bus stops having regard to the prevailing road conditions relevant to the bus routes.

iv. She briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on the changes in the number of bus trips on major roads in the district.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 34 - Action She stated that under the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019-2020, the numbers of daytime bus trips on Hennessy Road, Leighton Road and Yee Wo Street during weekdays would increase by 35, 1 and 17 respectively, while the number of daytime bus trips on Gluocester Road would reduce by 18.

104. The Chairperson said that the relevant information should be included in the paper submitted to the Committee, and all the information should be submitted to the Committee in advance to allow ample time for Members to seek and collect public views. Besides, she was concerned about the increase in the number of bus trips on Tonnochy Road, and requested TD to provide relevant information.

105. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. It was necessary to consider the burden on the strategic routes in the district and the needs of the residents living in remote areas during the annual rationalisation of bus routes.

ii. She opined that the paper tabled at this meeting was sketchy compared with the one submitted last year. It was emphasised in the paper that railway would be used as the backbone of the passenger transport system with buses serving a complementary role. It was also mentioned that TD would promote the full use of railways which was complemented by feeder services of other modes of public transport. However, the introduction of a number of additional bus routes as proposed in the paper was not in line with the transport planning policy of using railway as the backbone of the transport system.

iii. In its past presentations on the improvement of bus service, TD stressed that service frequency would be improved, and interchange and feeder services would be strengthened. However, the changes proposed this time mainly involved the extension of the journeys of some bus routes.

iv. She asked apart from Route 18, whether there were any other routes which were expected to increase service frequency but were not mentioned in the paper.

v. She wondered why the PowerPoint slide showing the changes in the daytime trips of the franchised bus routes running via the major streets in Wan Chai was only shown to the Council after Members raised the relevant enquiries, instead of being provided to the Council beforehand.

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 35 - Action 106. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She pointed out that Members had complained several times that no ample time was allowed for Members to study the papers when TD introduced its bus route planning programme every year. Moreover, some revised PowerPoint slides or slides which were not submitted to the Council beforehand were shown at the meeting. Members were asked to read the additional information immediately. It was unfair to the Council as no ample time was allowed for Members to conduct discussion.

ii. She was of the view that the information provided in the paper tabled at today’s meeting was insufficient. Therefore, it was not suitable for the Committee to continue to discuss the rationalisation of bus routes in Wan Chai. She requested the Chairperson to postpone the discussion of this agenda item to next meeting.

iii. She asked TD and the bus companies concerned to submit all the papers as early as possible before the next meeting, so as to allow ample time for Members to consult local residents and conduct detailed discussion at the meeting.

107. Mr Joey LEE expressed dissatisfaction with the presentation of papers by TD and the bus companies concerned. He enquired if there were any other bus routes not mentioned in the paper, apart from Route 18. He expressed dissatisfaction with the paper since it did not provide sufficient information for Members’ discussion.

108. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments:

i. She wondered why TD only showed the PowerPoint slide in question to the meeting after Members made the relevant enquiries.

ii. She opined that the presentation given by the representative of TD was not in line with the content of the paper. She strongly demanded that TD prepare another paper which should include all the changes proposed in the bus route planning programme before seeking views from the Committee again.

109. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired about the increase in service frequency in strategic routes, and considered the information in the paper was insufficient.

ii. She said that in discussing the bus route planning programme every year, she would propose bus routes to meet the needs of the residents

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 36 - Action in Tai Hang. She did so because it was mentioned in the paper that the Government adopted the transport planning policy of using railway as the backbone of the passenger transport system with buses serving a complementary role. She pointed out that there were no railway facilities in Tai Hang. Therefore, feeder services provided by other modes of public transport such as buses were required. Nevertheless, over the years, TD had not paid heed to the needs of the residents in Tai Hang for bus service.

iii. She considered that there was a mismatch in resources in the existing bus routes. Moreover, TD had kept reducing bus service frequency on the ground that “railway was used as the backbone of the passenger transport system”. She hoped that TD would maintain good communication with the Council regarding the bus routes in the district. She also hoped that TD would show greater sincerity in communicating with the Council.

110. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She said that TD had not addressed the demands of local residents for bus service. She hoped that the paper submitted for next meeting would address such demands.

ii. She stressed that Members were reluctant to discuss the paper because they were not satisfied with the insufficiency and unclearness of the paper. They had no intention to ignore the needs of the residents in other districts and remote areas. She pointed out that TD always cited opposition from other district councils (DCs) as a reason for its refusal to introduce additional bus routes. She hoped that TD would not deploy the same strategy.

111. The Vice-Chairperson stated that Members had expressed a lot of views regarding TD’ handling of papers. He considered that the paper was very sketchy indeed.

112. The Chairperson raised the following comments:

i. She stated that after her repeated demands, an informal meeting was convened with TD and the bus companies concerned about 10 days before this meeting. She considered not satisfactory to have a meeting near Lunar New Year.

ii. She requested TD and the bus companies concerned to submit a more detailed paper including the changes in the number of bus trips during different time periods on different road sections when they briefed Members on the bus route planning programme for this year at the next meeting.

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iii. She suggested TD should hold an informal meeting as soon as possible. TD was also advised to make reference to its past handling of papers, and not to show information prepared beforehand only when Members made relevant enquiries.

iv. She said that while the information about Route 18 was included in the paper, the relevant PowerPoint slide should also be provided to enable Members to better understand the key points of the programme.

v. She was of the view that bus route rationalisation was a long process, and it was not possible to cover all the changes in bus routes in a single meeting. Therefore, she decided to include the agenda item in the matters arising, and requested TD to send representatives to each meeting to explain the changes in bus routes.

113. Ms Yolanda NG clarified that she was unable to attend the informal meeting arranged by TD not because of the coming of Lunar New Year. Since the meeting was held at short notice, she was unable to cancel other jobs arranged earlier.

114. The Chairperson asked TD to provide Members with the PowerPoint slides to be presented at the next meeting as early as possible, and thanked the representatives of TD and the bus companies concerned for attending the meeting.

(Post-meeting note: TD provided the supplementary information about the extended service hours of Route 18 and the relocation of the bus terminus after the meeting. The Secretariat has circulated such supplementary information to Members for reference.)

Item 12: Provision of Covered Walkway outside Victoria Park near Causeway Road (DPTC Paper No. 15/2019)

115. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:

Transport Department Ms Grace WONG Project Coordinator 1/ Walkability Highways Department Mr TSANG Hin-man Senior Engineer/ CWY2 Mr CHAN Chun-wai Project Coordinator/CWY2-1 Ho Tin & Associates Consulting Engineers Limited

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 38 - Action Mr LEE Kwok-cheung Director

116. Mr CHAN Chun-wai of HyD and Mr LEE Kwok-cheung of Ho Tin & Associates Consulting Engineers Limited briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on the findings of the feasibility study on the provision of a covered walkway outside Victoria Park near Causeway Road, and the findings of the preliminary study on the provision of a covered walkway between Eastern Hospital Road near The Hong Kong Buddhist Association Cultural Centre and Moreton Terrace Bus Terminus.

117. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD said that the two walkways proposed by the Committee earlier were not suitable for being provided with covers, thus they invited WCDC again to suggest major walkways in the district suitable for the provision of covers.

118. A Member expressed disappointment with the findings of the studies. The Member said that most of the walkways in the district had their own constraints such as the presence of trees and underground utilities, and the Committee had thoroughly discussed the suggested locations in 2016. She asked the departments concerned if they could assist the Council in selecting suitable locations with the use of their professional knowledge. She also enquired about the requirements of a suitable location. She opined that it was a waste of time to continue to discuss the issue if they were not provided with such assistance and information.

119. Mr Joey LEE suggested the Secretariat collect the proposed locations from Members for discussion by the Committee.

120. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She pointed out that it had been two years since the Committee made the proposal in 2017. She opined that if a feasibility study had been carried out when the proposal was raised, it would not have to wait until today to confirm that the proposal was infeasible.

ii. Although it was infeasible to provide a covered walkway outside Victoria Park near Causeway Road, she suggested the departments concerned provide more covered bus stops outside Victoria Park near Causeway Road, arrange the bus stops of various bus routes in a more systematic manner and provide more shaded areas on that road section to protect people from the sun and rain.

iii. She said that even the Council made other proposals, the works for the provision of covers on the proposed walkways could hardly be completed within this DC term. She asked if any new proposals made again could still meet the Government’s deadline for seeking

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 39 - Action funding support.

iv. She asked if there were any other districts facing the same situation.

v. She was of the view that the bottom-up approach used for proposing suitable locations was infeasible. She asked if the departments concerned could propose suitable locations in the district for the consideration of the Committee.

121. The Chairperson suggested providing covers on the walkway outside Wan Chai Ferry Pier between Hung Hing Road and Convention Avenue at Wan Chai North. She said that such road section would become a permanent walkway in future which would connect the bus terminus and Wan Chai Ferry Pier. Since there were only temporary covers on the walkway at present, she opined that covers should be provided on that road section to enhance its walkability.

122. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. The Committee had thoroughly discussed the various proposed locations in 2017, and no matter which locations were chosen, Members hoped that the local residents could enjoy the results of the scheme as soon as possible.

ii. Members had pointed out at that time that there were complex underground utilities in Wan Chai District, and therefore they hoped that advance works could be carried out to avoid wasting time. However, over a year had been wasted now and it was indeed disappointing.

iii. Although the two locations proposed earlier by the Committee were not suitable for the provision of covers, she requested the departments concerned to enhance the facilities of the two road sections since they were heavily used by local residents.

iv. She said that the Committee could make the third proposal if the deadline of the scheme set by the Government could still be met.

123. Miss Clarisse YEUNG enquired about the proposals made by other 17 districts and their latest progress.

124. Mr Joey LEE suggested providing covers on the walkway between Lai Tak Tsuen Road and Tai Hang Road since the lost trip problem of buses was frequent and local residents had to access the downtown area via that walkway.

125. The Chairperson asked the Secretary to collect views from Members by circulation of paper. Members should be asked to suggest suitable locations in

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 40 - Action their constituencies and submit proposals to the departments concerned for discussion at future meetings. Moreover, she said that the Government did not set any deadline for the scheme.

126. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD responded as follows:

i. Upon receipt of the proposal from the Committee, HyD had conducted a preliminary study which found that the constraints such as the presence of trees and underground utilities could be overcome by appropriate designs. A consultant was appointed in 2018 to conduct an in-depth study on the proposal to provide a covered walkway at Causeway Road. Having considered all the works methods, the consultant found that it was not possible to provide a cover on the said walkway owing to the physical constraints.

ii. To avoid the recurrence of the same situation in handling the second proposal which involved Eastern Hospital Road, HyD had conducted a preliminary study before the meeting which found that the proposed road section was not suitable for the provision of a cover. Therefore, HyD invited the Council to raise the third proposal.

iii. He said that HyD would conduct more pre-assessment to assess the feasibility of the new proposal, and would report to the Council on the feasibility of the proposal for consideration.

iv. At present, the proposals of six to seven districts had passed the feasibility studies, and such proposals had been endorsed by the relevant DCs. However, the first two proposals of some DCs were found to be infeasible and those DCs also needed to make the third proposal.

v. He said that an advance feasibility study would be conducted upon receipt of proposals from the Council. They would then report to the Council on the feasibility of the proposals for consideration of the priority of each proposal.

127. The Chairperson said that the Committee would submit the proposed locations collected from Members to the departments concerned, and would invite departmental representatives to attend future meetings.

128. Ms Peggy LEE enquired how long a feasibility study took to complete in general.

129. Miss Clarisse YEUNG clarified that her enquiry made just now was about the details of the works approved by other DCs or the works in progress, such as the locations of the covers to be provided on walkways. She opined that it

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 41 - Action would help Members propose suitable locations if such relevant information was provided to Members for perusal when they were asked to make another proposal.

130. Mr Ivan WONG suggested the departments concerned provide supplementary information after the meeting.

131. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD responded that an advance preliminary feasibility study mainly included the collection of information from various utility companies, and such a study on a proposal would be completed within one to two meeting sessions.

132. The Chairperson asked the departments concerned to submit supplementary information after the meeting, and the Committee would provide the proposed locations collected from Members to the departments concerned. She said that departmental representatives would later be invited to attend the Committee’s meetings again. She also thanked the departmental representatives for attending the meeting

(Post-meeting note: HyD provided the supplementary information about the proposals on the alignment of the covers on walkways made by other DCs after the meeting. The Secretariat has provided such supplementary information to Members and invited them to submit proposals by circulation of papers. The proposals made by Members have been submitted to HyD and TD for consideration.)

Item 13: Report on the Progress of Matters Arising of the DPTC of the WCDC (DPTC Paper No. 9/2019)

133. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:

Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHAN Chi-shing Officer-in-charge District Traffic Team (Eastern District) Lands Department Ms LI Tsz-yan, Pinky Estate Surveyor/Special Duties AECOM Asia Company Ltd Mr SO Hung-tak, Charles Executive Director (Strategic Planning and Advisory), Transportation, Asia Hopewell Project Development Limited Mr LO Chun-wai, Dicky Senior Project Manager Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affair Officer Mr LEE Tin-yau Chief Operations Officer

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 42 - Action New World First Bus Services Limited Mr Yuen Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager

134. The Chairperson stated that given the time limit, she asked Members to discuss the “Action Checklist of District Issues”, “Checklist of Illegal Parking Blackspots” and “Checklist of Noise Pollution Blackspots” at the same time.

135. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. With regard to the provision of barrier-free access at Lau Sin Street and Tin Hau Temple Road in Tin Hau, he had learned that TD had submitted a consultant report to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in December 2018. He asked why such information was not submitted to the Council.

ii. Regarding the illegal parking issue in the vicinities of 42-60 Tin Hau Temple Road, he reckoned that the condition had somewhat improved, yet the problem remained serious, thus he requested the Police to step up law enforcement.

iii. He also requested the Police to strengthen law enforcement to combat illegal parking at Dragon Terrace.

136. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. The department concerned reported the works arrangements and way forward of the road improvement works for Hopewell Centre II (HCII) in Appendix 15. She pointed out that it was decided at the Council’s meeting on 9 January 2018 that the road improvement works could be gazetted again only after relevant structural drawings and road designs were approved by TD and relevant departments. However, according to the information provided in Appendix 15, it appeared that the road improvement works had to be gazetted before relevant detailed structural drawings and road designs could be scrutinised.

ii. She acknowledged that the road improvement works were necessary since they were related to the development of HCII. She asked the Lands Department (LandsD) whether other similar works were also required to be gazetted and submitted to the Executive Council before relevant structural drawings and road designs could be scrutinised.

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iii. The design drawings attached to the paper also provided information including the sight distance standard, radian of the footbridge and safety, over which Members had expressed grave concern at the meeting last year. She asked if such design had been approved by relevant departments already. She requested the department concerned to explain the general approval procedures for works projects. In addition, she asked whether relevant departments had preliminarily vetted the existing general design drawing, and whether the design was in compliance with the relevant standards of TD, the Buildings Department, HyD, etc.

137. Mr Ivan WONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. Resident in the district expressed to him their hope for the early completion of HCII project, since greater inconvenience would be caused to residents if the project was further delayed. Besides, residents wondered why Hopewell could submit the design drawings to relevant departments before arranging for gazettal. It was hoped that the works could be completed as soon as possible in accordance with established procedures.

ii. It was hoped that the road improvement works could comply with all safety standards, as well as catering for the needs of residents in the district. He hoped that the works project could be conducted according to the general procedures, to prevent any public misunderstanding that the Council had processed the works project in a different way, resulting in the delay of works progress.

iii. The works project had been discussed by the Council for a long time, and residents hoped that the works could be completed as early as possible.

138. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

iv. She requested MTR Corporation (MTRC) to provide additional information about Exit B of Tin Hau Station, so that Members could understand why the proposed construction of a lift was infeasible.

v. Illegal parking at Watson Road, King Ming Road and Whitfield Road remained rampant, and she requested the department

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 44 - Action concerned to continue to step up law enforcement.

vi. The number of street performers outside Exit A of Tin Hau Station had been increasing in the evening, and their performances had generated noise nuisances. She asked the department concerned to follow up on the matter and step up law enforcement.

139. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. With regard to the “phantom bus” issue, he noted from the information provided by TD in Appendix 4 that the headway of NWFB Route 15C was maintained at an interval of 2-17 minutes from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. He commented that a headway interval of two minutes had indicated the use of “phantom buses”, and he asked why TD still considered that the bus company was providing bus service according to the required schedule.

ii. He pointed out that according to the information provided in Appendix 4, one bus trip of NWFB Route 81 was cancelled in each of the two time periods within 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon due to bus drivers’ absence. He considered that the bus company should immediately assign reserved bus drivers to maintain the bus service, and it was unacceptable to reduce the number of bus trips for the entire morning because of absence of bus drivers.

140. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She had noted a noise nuisance case at the junction of Spring Garden Lane and Sam Pan Street which involved noise generated by singing. After investigation by the Police, no noise nuisance was identified. She enquired of the Police about the details of the case.

ii. Regarding the HCII project, she stressed that the Council had no intention to delay the works progress. The works could not be completed as soon as possible because Hopewell kept revising the works proposal.

141. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. The Town Planning Board (TPB) had decided to refuse the planning application no. A/H6/87 involving 4-4C Tai Hang Road

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 45 - Action after consideration on 18 January. She stated that the Council had discussed earlier the fact that the applicant could submit the application repeatedly and the consultation papers were often issued before holidays. The Council had requested the Planning Department (PlanD) to relay its request to TPB for the public consultation to be conducted in a fairer and more appropriate manner through legislative amendments. Nevertheless, PlanD had made no response to such request.

ii. With respect to the development at Caroline Hill Road in Causeway Bay, she pointed out that the Council suspended relevant discussion on 8 January 2019, and requested the department concerned to resubmit the revised papers to the Council. She stated that PlanD should resubmit the proposal to the Council for discussion before submitting it to TPB. Therefore, she could not understand why it was stated in the paper by PlanD that the introduction of amendments to the Wong Nai Chung Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/H7/19 was still scheduled for the first quarter of 2019. She reiterated that she could not understand why the department concerned appeared to be receptive to the Council’s advice, but actually maintained its own schedule.

iii. Regarding the proposed installation of a lift at Exit B of Tin Hau Station, MTRC had not replied whether they could communicate with the owners’ corporation of Park Towers and whether they needed the Council’s assistance in contacting the owners’ corporation. She was of the view that MTRC should solve the matter of Tin Hau Station as soon as possible.

142. Mr Ivan WONG reckoned that the works of HCII should be carried out in accordance with the established procedures. He continued that the Council could thoroughly reflect and balance the opinions of different stakeholders, yet it should not insist on any practice which was against the established procedures. He said that most members of the public he had come into contact hoped that the works could be completed as early as possible, so that they could enjoy more convenience.

143. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She pointed out that the storage issue of construction materials continued to exist all over Wan Chai, thus she hoped that the department concerned could take the initiative to conduct

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 46 - Action inspections to tackle the matter.

ii. With regard to the noise nuisance problem caused by street performances, the Environmental Protection Department replied that one complaint had been received between November and December 2018. She reckoned that there should be more than one complaint in the district, and performances in the vicinities of Paterson Street, Great George Street and Wan Chai MTR station had caused nuisances as well. She hoped that the department concerned could follow up on the issue.

iii. She clarified that the noise complaint involving Lee Garden One was not about the Christmas music played in the shops, but the noise generated by the filming of a music programme on the street at night. She stated that she had handled the case personally, and she asked the department concerned to pay more attention when processing noise complaints.

iv. She pointed out that there were cargo trucks loading and unloading throughout the day at Paterson Street and Cleveland Street, leading to traffic congestion. She asked the department concerned to correct the information on the “Checklist of Illegal Parking Blackspots”.

v. Regarding the greening and transplanting of the tram power substation at Causeway Bay Tram Terminus, she noticed that the “last reply” column had not been updated for several months. She suggested that the information in Annex 5 to Annex 7 should be deleted.

144. The Chairperson requested the Police to follow up on the midnight noise nuisances generated by the pubs and bars at 15 and 25 Luard Road, 76 Jaffe Road and 39 Lockhart Road, as well as including the above locations in the “Checklist of Noise Pollution Blackspots”.

145. Mr Ronnie MAK of LandsD responded as follows:

i. He thanked Members for their concerns over the road improvement works for HCII. According to the advice obtained by LandsD from the relevant departments, the gazettal procedures of the project were in line with the government practice for general public works.

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ii. Prior to the commencement of works, Hopewell should submit the preliminary design drawings to relevant departments. After relevant departments confirmed that such preliminary design drawings were in compliance with the standards stipulated in the Transport Planning and Design Manual, the gazettal procedures would be conducted in accordance with the relevant requirements under the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Cap. 370).

iii. When the gazettal procedures were completed and the authorisation for the road works was granted by the Chief Executive-in-Council, such works could only be commenced after relevant structural plans, detailed design drawings and tentative work arrangements were approved by relevant departments.

iv. Government departments would safeguard the safety of pedestrians and motorists, and ensure such works were complied with the standards promulgated in the Transport Planning and Design Manual.

v. The Government also hoped that the works could be commenced as early as possible, yet the detailed design must be approved by relevant departments before commencing the works.

146. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that as mentioned by their representative at the meeting of WCDC on 9 January 2018, the preliminary road designs submitted by Hopewell, including the sight distance, radian, gradient and width, etc., were in compliance with the standards stipulated in relevant government guidelines. Therefore, TD was not opposed to the preliminary road designs in principle.

147. Ms Pinky LI of LandsD supplemented that they planned to commence the gazettal procedures since the relevant departments had vetted and approved in principle the design drawings attached in Appendix 15.

148. Mr Anthony LUK of PlanD responded as follows:

i. TPB decided to reject the planning application no. A/H6/87 on 18 January after thorough consideration. With regard to Members’ comments concerning the repeated submission of applications by the applicant and commencement of public consultation before

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 48 - Action long holidays, he would relay these views to his department.

ii. With respect to the development of Caroline Hill Road, PlanD would relay the opinions raised by Members during the consultation with WCDC on 8 January to the bureaux and departments concerned. If gazettal procedures were conducted under the Town Planning Ordinance in future, PlanD would consult the Council again on the revisions during the statutory publication period of relevant drawings.

149. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. The Police was highly concerned about the noise nuisances caused by pubs and bars in the district during late night hours. The Police would strengthen patrolling.

ii. Regarding the noise complaint at the junction of Spring Garden Lane and Sam Pan Street, he did not have the detailed information of the case. Nevertheless, when handling a noise complaint, police officers would immediately give a warning to the person(s) generating the noise. If the problem continued, the Police would demand immediate suspension of relevant activities.

iii. He was aware that traffic congestion took place at Paterson Street and Cleveland Street most of the time, and the Police would pay more attention to the matter, as well as deploying additional manpower to address the issue.

150. Mr CHAN Chi-shing of HKPF responded as follows:

i. Since Dragon Terrace fell within the ambit of two police districts, frontline staff of both police districts would work closely together to combat illegal parking there.

ii. Watson Road, King Ming Road, Lau Li Street and Whitfield Road were areas mixed with industrial, commercial and residential buildings. The keen demand for parking spaces had led to illegal parking. The Police had conducted an on-site inspection with TD last month and gave its views regarding the above road sections. The Police would continue to address the traffic problem through public engagement, road improvements and active law enforcement.

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151. Mr LEE Tin-yau of Citybus Limited/ New World First Bus Services Limited responded as follows:

i. The bus schedule displayed at a bus stop was formulated with TD. However, due to unexpected road incidents and traffic congestion, the frequency of bus service might not fully meet the schedule.

ii. When any delay of bus service occurred, frontline staff would deploy the necessary manpower based on the actual situation.

iii. Since TD would not inform the bus company prior to an investigation, if TD could provide the date and time of the investigation, he could follow up on the irregular service frequency.

iv. The bus company was highly concerned about the health condition of bus drivers. When an absence notification was received from a bus driver, frontline staff would deploy standby manpower with a view to minimising the impact on the provision of bus service.

152. Mr Gary LAI of TD responded as follows:

i. The result of the investigation was obtained based on the actual arrival of buses, which might be affected by the road traffic conditions. According to the investigation conducted by TD between October to November 2018, the number of scheduled bus trips of NWFB Route 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. was eight, and the observation result was in line with the scheduled frequency. The headway of NWFB Route 26 should be maintained at an interval of 12-20 minutes during the said period of time, thus the actual number of bus trips observed could meet the relevant requirement.

ii. According to the results of the investigation carried out between December 2018 and January 2019 as shown in Appendix 16, the service and number of bus trips of NWFB Route 26 of the said time period could meet the bus schedule.

153. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that TD had reported the proposed amendments to the assessment mechanism for hillside escalator links and elevator system to the Panel on Transport of LegCo in December 2018. TD

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 50 - Action was following up on the comments raised by Members and continued to carry out the consultancy study, which included preliminary technical assessment, preliminary screening and rating, etc. TD would timely report to the Council on the latest progress.

154. The Chairperson stated that MTRC did not send any representative to the meeting, yet she would request MTRC to send representatives to attend meetings in future.

155. Mr Joey LEE considered that TD’s reply was unacceptable, which showed that TD allowed the bus company to make use of “phantom buses” to replace the actual bus trips. The bus company was unable to achieve the service pledge at all. He reckoned that TD failed to properly play its role as a watchdog and condoned the use of “phantom buses” to be counted as actual bus trips. It was completely unacceptable.

156. Ms Peggy LEE stated that the majority of residents in her constituency hoped that the gazettal procedures of the road improvement works for HCII would be commenced after the design drawings were vetted by relevant departments. She expressed disappointment if the works had to be gazetted first according to the established procedures. She hoped that relevant departments, including TD and LandsD, would keep tabs on the project, so as to avoid the emergence of problems after the works were completed.

157. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She was disappointed with the reply of PlanD. She criticized that PlanD should have reflected comments of the Council in past meetings. She hoped that PlanD could update the Council on the progress in the next meeting.

ii. With regard to the development of Caroline Hill Road, she asked whether PlanD would first submit the proposed amendments to Wong Nai Chung OZP No. S/H7/19 to the Council for discussion, and if such amendments would be submitted to TPB only after obtaining the Council’s consent. She requested PlanD to provide a direct response.

iii. She pointed out that the Government had privately handed over Ship Street Playground to Hopewell. It was an example of privatisation of public facilities without any consultation with the Council or the public. She considered that surveillance by the

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 51 - Action public was very important, and she did not hope that similar incidents would happen again.

158. The Vice-Chairperson commented that the journey of Bus Route 11 was very long, and irregular service frequency was common due to traffic congestion. He requested the representatives of the bus company to convey their views to the top management. He also called on the bus company not to introduce too many additional bus trips in the district, otherwise the traffic congestion would be aggravated. He hoped that the bus company could make better planning for bus routes.

159. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of the departments for attending the meeting, and asked them to note the comments raised by Members.

Item 14: Any Other Business 160. Members raised no other matters for discussion.

Item 15: Date of Next Meeting 161. The Chairperson announced that the next meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 9 April 2019 (Tuesday).

162. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

Wan Chai District Council Secretariat April 2019

These minutes of meeting were confirmed on 9 April 2019.

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