(Translation)

Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the Transport Affairs Committee of District Council (5th Term)

Date: 16 February 2017 (Thursday) Time: 9:30 a.m. Venue: Conference Room, Council

Present

Chairman Mr CHENG Wing-shun, Vincent, MH

Members Mr CHAN Kwok-wai Mr CHAN Wai-ming, MH Ms CHAN Wing-yan, Joephy Mr CHEUNG Wing-sum, Ambrose, BBS, MH, JP (Arrived at 10:20 a.m.) Ms CHOW Wing-heng, Zoé (Arrived at 10:07 a.m.; left at 1:20 p.m.) Mr CHUM Tak-shing (Arrived at 12:10 p.m.) Mr HO Kai-ming, Kalvin Mr KONG Kwai-sang (Arrived at 11:05 a.m.; left at 12:30 p.m.) Mr LAM Ka-fai, Aaron, BBS, JP (Arrived at 9:45 a.m.; left at 10:25 a.m.) Ms LAU Pui-yuk Mr LEE Tsz-king, Dominic (Arrived at 9:40 a.m.) Mr LEE Wing-man Mr LEUNG Man-kwong Ms NG Mei, Carman Ms NG Yuet-lan Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, MH, JP Mr WAI Woon-nam Mr YAN Kai-wing (Arrived at 9:45 a.m.; left at 11 a.m.) Mr YEUNG Yuk Mr YUEN Hoi-man (Left at 1:17 p.m.)

Co-opted Members Mr CHAN Ming-kei (Arrived at 9:55 a.m.) Mr LI Chun-hei, Joshua (Left at 1:10 p.m.)

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In Attendance Ms Man Ka-wing, Kelly Assistant District Officer (Sham Shui Po) 1 Mr LAU Kin-hei, Louis Senior Transport Officer/Sham Shui Po, Transport Department Mr CHIU Chi-min, Edward Engineer/Sham Shui Po, Transport Department Mr LEE Chung-yam, Paul Engineer/Planning 1, Transport Department Mr CHANG Yiu-wa District Engineer/, Highways Department Mr KONG Wai-fung, Ryan Officer in-charge of District Traffic Team, Sham Shui Po District, Police Force Mr AU YEUNG Chung-ching Officer in-charge of District Traffic Team, Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong Police Force Ms AYALA Yi-sum, Sammi Senior Transport Officer/Railway 5, Transport Department Mr KWOK Yu-fung, Samuel Transport Officer/Railway 5, Transport Department Mr WONG Hon-chung Planning and Operation Arrangement Manager, New World First Bus Limited Mr PANG Chun-ho Assistant Planning Officer, New World First Bus Limited Mr SO Man-wah Manager (Operations), The Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Ms WONG Sau-kuen Manager (Planning and Development), The Company (1933) Limited Ms Lilian YEUNG Public Relations Manager, External Affairs, MTR Corporations Limited Ms LAI Suet-yan, Janice Senior Transport Officer/Bus/Kowloon, Transport Department Ms SIN Kai-wai, Marie Senior Transport Officer/Bus & Railway/Special Duties, Transport Department Mr CHEUNG Tin, Larry Transport Officer/Bus/Kowloon, Transport Department

Mr CHAN Chi-ming, Lawrence Senior Engineer/Special Duties, Transport Department Mr LEE Sai-hang, Kenneth Engineer/Special Duties 1, Transport Department Mr CHAU Lap-kong Senior Engineer/Covered Walkway 2, Transport Department Ms YEUNG Sai-hee Senior Engineer 4/Universal Accessibility, Highways Department Mr CHOCK Chi-tung Engineer 3/Universal Accessibility, Highways Department Mr NG Wai-keung Chief Engineer 1/Major Works, Highways Department Ms O Fong-wah, Juli Senior Engineer 1/Universal Accessibility, Highways Department Ms YEUNG Kwai-fong Project Coordinator 1/Universal Accessibility, Highways Department

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Mr LUI So-yin Resident Senior Engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Limited Mr CHUNG Wai-kin Project Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Limited

Secretary Mr Chan Wing-ho, Patrick Executive Officer (District Council) 3, Sham Shui Po District Office

Absent

Members Mr LEUNG Yau-fong Mr WONG Tat-tung, Dennis, MH, JP

Co-opted Member Ms TSE Hiu-hung

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Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed members and representatives of government departments to the seventh meeting of the Transport Affairs Committee (“TAC”) of the fifth term Sham Shui Po District Council, and welcomed Ms Kelly MAN, Assistant District Officer (Sham Shui Po) 1, to attend the meetings from now on in place of Miss CHAN Pui-ki, Kiki, who had been transferred out.

Agenda Item 1: Confirmation of the minutes of the 6th meeting held on 8 December 2016

2. The Committee confirmed the above minutes without amendment.

Agenda Item 2 : Matters for discussion

(a) Request for MTRC to improve barrier-free facilities in MTR station Propose to provide escalator at Exit G of Mei Foo MTR Station (TAC Pape 5/17)

3. Mr Joshua LI introduced Paper 5/17

4. Ms Lilian YEUNG responded as follows: (i) MTRC had been closely observing the situations at the exits of MTR , and provided Paid Passageway Validator at Exit G of the station recently so that passengers could use the passageways in the station and walk between exits of the station within 20 minutes free of charge; (ii) there were upward escalator and staircase at Exit G for the passengers. As Exit G was near Exit F, passengers in need could use the lift near Exit F to go to the podium garden and concourse; (iii) different factors such as geographical environment, station and passenger flow, etc. had to be considered for the provision of facilities at stations. Mei Foo Station, which was built many years ago, was limited by space and geographical environment, thus limited the feasibility on the provision of facilities; (iv) MTR Corporations Limited (“MTRC”) noted members’ views and would refer to them when reviewing the facilities at the station in the future.

5. Ms NG Yuet-lan said that MTRC promised the provision of barrier-free facilities at Exit A of MTR Mei Foo Station some time ago and she wanted to know the progress.

6. Mr Joshua LI said that he thanked MTRC for the provision of Paid Passageway Validator at Exit G of MTR Mei Foo Station. As Exit G was situated in the new station of West Rail, he hoped that MTRC would provide a downward escalator there to facilitate passengers using the validator.

7. Ms Lilian YEUNG responded as follows: (i) MTRC understood the views of members and residents on the provision of barrier-free facilities (in particular lifts) at Exit A of MTR Mei Foo Station. MTRC had been studying the feasibilities carefully and - 5 - Action by would inform the District Council (“DC”) when there was progress; (ii) currently, there were staircase and escalator at Exit G and there was also a lift at Exit F nearby, which could satisfy passengers’ needs. MTRC noted members’ views and would refer to them when reviewing the facilities of the station in the future.

8. The Chairman concluded that he hoped MTRC would study the provision of escalator at Exit G of Mei Foo Station to provide convenience to residents.

(b) Changes in travelling pattern of passengers upon the opening of Extension and the latest arrangements of the Public Transport Re-organisation Plan (TAC Paper 6/17)

9. Ms Sammi AYALA introduced Paper 6/17.

10. Mr WAI Woon-nam raised the following views: (i) since residents in the area of Fu Cheong Estate, Nam Cheong Estate and Lai Chi Kok Road often took route 212 to go to Kwong Wah Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital; hence the route should be kept; (ii) although it was proposed in the paper that the original passengers of route 212 could choose to take other routes, or take the MTR and then walk or change bus to go to hospitals, most of the passengers who went to hospitals were patients or visitors and they might find it tiring to interchange frequently, (iii) it was pointed out in the paper that the patronage of route 212 fell suddenly after the opening of (“KTE”) but it did not indicate which section of the journey had a fall in patronage; (iv) KMB could consider improving the alternative proposal. For example, the forward trip of bus route 6F could travel along and go to Lai Chi Kok Road via Sham Mong Road and Yen Chow Street with an improved return route so that the original passengers of route 212 would find it easy to travel to and from hospitals.

11. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong raised the following views: (i) when the Transport Department (“TD”) proposed cancelling route 212 after the opening of KTE last year, three DCs in Kowloon West raised objections to that. When TD put forward the proposal again this year, two other DCs opposed it and so did the residents in Sham Shui Po District (“SSP District”); (ii) KMB’s reduction of the frequency of route 212 would force passengers to switch to other means of transportation, resulting in further reduction in patronage; (iii) many passengers took route 212 to go to the Kwong Wah Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Yau Ma Tei Clinic for follow-up consultations; (iv) the housing developments on the superstructure of Nam Cheong MTR Station and at Site 6 would be completed one after the other and the demand for route 212 might increase as a result; (v) the Department should provide specific figures on the patronage reduction of route 212, e.g. age groups of passengers and the route sections where they board the bus. The Department could also consider using single-decker bus or adjust the frequency instead of cancelling the route; (vi) at the current stage, no alternative proposal for route 212 would be accepted. The route had to be kept. - 6 - Action by

12. Ms Joephy CHAN raised the following views: (i) according to TD’s data, the patronage of some bus routes (e.g. 230X, 6C and 18) increased after the opening of KTE, which showed that TD should listen to the views of TAC carefully; (ii) she hoped that the Department could provide further details on the changes in patronage, e.g. age groups of the passengers, so that members could further consult residents; (iii) she hoped that the Department would provide specific proposals for the eight routes of which frequency would be cut, and state whether there would be interchange concessions; (iv) bus routes 212, 45 and 30X were provided to facilitate citizens seeking medical consultations or visiting patients. She hoped that the Department would consider the arrangement of these routes prudently, e.g. using single-decker buses, etc. instead of cancelling the route.

13. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he objected to the cancellation of route 212 because the interchange proposal put forward by TD could not satisfy residents’ needs; (ii) the Department should re-organise the bus routes to satisfy passengers’ demands. For example, it should consider arranging route 30X running along Road to turn right into Sham Mong Road from Tonkin Street and then go back to Yen Chow Street.

14. Mr CHAN Kwok-wai said that passengers of some routes needed to go to hospitals. Cancellation of the route would cause inconvenience to them. The Department should not decide to cancel the route just because the patronage had fallen; it should consider passengers’ demands.

15. Mr Dominic LEE said that he strongly objected to the cancellation of route 212. As a franchised public transport company, KMB should shoulder social responsibility. It should not cancel the route just because the patronage had fallen. In particular, many passengers of route 212 were elderly people. It would cause them inconvenience for they had to get into and out of the stations if they switched to MTR.

16. Ms Sammi AYALA responded as follows: (i) the demands for KMB route 212 had fallen substantially after the opening of the KTE. In the busiest 1 hour, the average patronage of that route was 24% only, which indicated that the demands were very low and thus met the criteria of route cancellation as set out in the current Guidelines on Service Improvement and Reduction in Bus Route Development Programmes (the “Guidelines”). With the route cancelled, resources could be redeployed to the highly-demanded routes for the benefits of the overall passengers; (ii) the Department provided the average patronage during the busiest hours before and after the opening of KTE aimed to facilitate members’ comparison and reference. The Department would reduce the frequency of the bus routes concerned according to the passenger data of individual routes after the opening of KTE. For example, whether the average patronage of individual routes in the busiest half hour during the peak hours was lower than the criteria for frequency reduction set out in the Guidelines. The Department would keep - 7 - Action by tabs on the demands for the routes concerned and reduce the frequency of individual routes in accordance with the Guidelines; (iii) the paper set out new bus-bus interchange concessions (including those for KMB routes 18 and 2E, and KMB routes 18 and 7) so that passengers could go to Kwong Wah Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital by using the above bus interchange arrangement at the same bus stop after cancellation of route 212. For those who chose to take the MTR, they could use the barrier-free access at the MTR stations; (iv) TD noted members’ proposals on the changes of other bus routes.

17. Mr SO Man-wah responded as follows: (i) the patronage of route 212 continued to fall after the opening of KTE. KMB had provided interchange concessions to passengers at the same bus stop in light of the situations to facilitate passengers going to hospitals; (ii) KMB would improve the facilities at bus stops, including the provision of an arrival time display penal at the bus stop in Sham Mong Road near Fu Cheong Estate, and provision of seating at the bus stop in Yen Chow West Street near Nam Cheong Estate to facilitate passengers waiting for the buses; (iii) on members’ proposal to change the route of 6F to travel via Sham Mong Road, KMB’s initial assessment indicated that the forward trip would become 1.2 km longer and the travel time would increase 8 to 10 minutes, while the return trip would become 3 km longer and the travel time would increase 15 to 20 minutes. KMB would see whether the change was feasible.

18. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong raised the following views: (i) members proposed to change the route but KMB took the longer journey and travel time as an excuse and turned down the proposal; (ii) he had interviewed 500 residents in a survey and found that more than 85% residents objected to the cancellation of route 212. Coupled with the objection raised by the three DCs in Kowloon West to the cancellation of route 212, the Department should not cancel the route.

19. Ms Joephy CHAN raised the following views: (i) she hoped that TD would respond whether it would consider to use single-decker buses for route 212, and put forward specific proposals for the eight routes of which frequency would be cut; (ii) she wanted to know the patronage of the routes concerned during non-peak hours because at present the barrier-free facilities at MTR stations had not yet been improved and some elderly people still got used to taking buses; (iii) she hoped that the Department and KMB would prudently study members’ proposal to re-route 6F because the route concerned currently took about one hour to travel from Lai Kok to To Kwa Wan. The new route might prolong the travel time and KMB might need to increase the frequency of the route.

20. Mr WAI Woon-nam said that many members of the public got used to taking route 212 to go to the hospitals. He hoped that TD would respond as to whether this bus route would be kept.

21. Ms Sammi AYALA responded as follows: (i) the patronage of route 212 during - 8 - Action by peak hours was 24% only. Even though single-decker buses were used for the route, it could not meet the requirement of the Guidelines. The change of patronage did reflect the changes in the travel pattern of the passengers. The Department would continue to pay attention to the patronage of that route. If the patronage continued to be low, the Department would cancel the route in accordance with the Guidelines; (ii) the Department would reduce the frequency in accordance with the Guidelines and the adjustment concerned was actually mild; (iii) the department would decide whether to reduce the frequency according to the Guidelines in light of the average patronage in the busiest half hour during the peak hours of the individual routes. It was because that time slot could reflect the highest passengers’ demand in the whole day. Currently, the demand for the routes concerned during the non-peak hours was generally low. Compared with the peak hours, the surplus capacity during non-peak hours was relatively higher; the service was sufficient to satisfy passengers’ demand.

22. The Chairman concluded that the Committee objected to the cancellation of route 212 because passengers needed to take the bus to and from hospitals. He hoped that TD and KMB would consider members’ proposal of using single-decker bus and reorganise the route.

(c) Bus Route Planning Programme 2017-2018 of Sham Shui Po District (TAC Papers 7/17, 8/17 and 18/17)

23. Ms Janice LAI introduced Papers 7/17, 8/17 and 18/17.

24. Mr Dominic LEE said that he welcomed the proposal in the paper for the provision of a bus route going to Kai Tak from and hoped that the proposal would be implemented as soon as possible. He expected that the bus company would consider the affordability of the grass-roots when fixing the fares and provide enough trips to meet the residents’ needs.

25. Mr Joshua LI raised the following views and enquiries: (i) residents in Mei Foo had strong objections to the proposal that route 63X would not stop at Mei Foo in both directions as they had to change bus in Tuen Mun Road when going to Hung Shui Kiu and Lam Tei, or take the overcrowded MTR to places like Mong Kok and Jordan; (ii) he enquired about the time slot during which the frequency of route N241 would be reduced from 15 minutes to 20 minutes a trip, and whether there would be route N41X as an alternative route during that period of time. It was because residents had to take N241 to travel between the areas of New Territories West, Mei Foo, Sham Shui Po and Lai Chi Kok as well as Hung Hom and Mongkok; (iii) although route 32H was designed to take passengers to Yan Chai Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital, the passengers still had to use the lift if they want to go to Princess Margaret Hospital. As it ran at a frequency of 60 minutes, that might render the route ineffective; (iv) last year, TD proposed the - 9 - Action by provision of route A21P to go to the airport from Hung Hom via Cheung Sha Wan Road and Mei Foo. He enquired when it would be launched; (v) currently, the section fares of bus routes were not uniform. He hoped that the section fare mechanism for short haul routes would be set up before handling the section fares for the Cross Harbour routes so that all the routes could have better division of work.

26. Mr YUEN Hoi-man raised the following views: (i) the Tsing Sha Bus-Bus Interchange was not fully used in the Bus Routes Planning Programme this time. He hoped that the Department and the bus companies would make use of the interchange to launch whole-day routes to facilitate passengers going to Tai Po, Northern District and Ma On Shan, etc.; (ii) residents welcomed the arrangement of route 104 in the paper and hoped that its frequency would be more stable; (iii) the frequency of route 701 was not stable. He hoped that its route could be adjusted; (iv) residents queried whether the re-routed 2X could shorten the travel time; (v) the modifications of 796C and 296C had resulted in overlapping of the two routes; (vi) residents hoped that TD would make overall consideration of the routes of 701 and 701A to widen the coverage including travelling via Sham Shing Road instead.

27. Mr YEUNG Yuk raised the following views: (i) in the paper, only four or five bus routes which travelled via SSP District were re-routed owing to low patronage of the routes instead of providing convenience to residents. He felt regret about this; (ii) many housing projects would be completed in SSP District in the future but the Department only increased the frequency of route 701A and extended route 296C to the locations of Sites 3 and 5 only, which was not sufficient. He hoped that TD would make overall planning and reorganise the routes which travel via the new reclamation area to facilitate residents going to and from the New Territories West, including Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing, etc.

28. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) it was proposed in the paper that there would be special trips for routes 42C, 42X and 42P but the number of buses remained unchanged. Moreover, the special trips would not stop in Lung Cheung Road; as a result, it would be even more difficult for the residents in the area to board the buses; (i) TD had no plan to provide arrival time display penal and seating at the Beacon Heights Bus Stop, which was not satisfactory; (iii) it was proposed in the paper that a bus stop of route 104 would be cancelled. However, the population in the area would increase due to the redevelopment of Pak Tin and in the future. Coupled with the expensive section fares of route 12 in SSP District and the frequency reduction of the minibus route 12, residents in Pak Tin would find it more difficult to go to Mong Kok. In view of this, she did not support the proposal concerned.

29. Mr TAM Kok Kiu raised the following views: (i) there were no section fares for routes 117 and 104 like some routes which travelled via SSP District. He opined that - 10 - Action by section fares should be provided for all the bus routes which had terminus in SSP District when they left Boundary Street; (ii) he did not agree with the arrangement for route 104. The operation of the route was not satisfactory because the roads were congested. TD should try to solve the problem instead of cancelling the bus stop near the location; (iii) he welcomed the provision of a new bus route between and Kai Tak but the route should travel via Sham Shui Po East; (iv) he hoped that route 32H should also travel via Tai Hang Tung and besides Princess Margaret Hospital to satisfy the needs of residents at Tai Hang Tung going to Tsuen Wan.

30. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views and enquires: (i) the route of 796C had been changed to travel via Cheung Shan Wan from the Tai Po Road in the past few years. Then it was changed back to travel via the Tai Po Road again. He enquired about the reason of these arrangements; (ii) he objected to route 796C travelling via Cheung Sha Wan Road instead of the Tai Po Road while heading for Tseung Kwan O. It was because Cheung Sha Wan Road was very congested and there were often queues at the two bus stops of route 796C in the Tai Po Road.

31. Ms LEE Wing-man said that he objected to the reduction of the bus stops of route 35A because the needs of the residents were very great. The reduction of service would cause difficulties to the residents going to On Yam and Shek Yam, etc.

32. Mr Ambrose CHEUNG said that he objected to the re-routing of 63X so as to omit Mei Foo. He opined that the travel time was shortened for 10 to 20 minutes only but it would cause great inconvenience to the residents of Mei Foo.

33. Ms Janice LAI responded as follows: (i) TD would study members’ suggestions on providing new route going to Kai Tak via Kowloon East and Sham Shui Po East; (ii) the Department noted that the arrangement of route 63X would affect the residents of Mei Foo going to Mong Kok and would consider it again; (iii) taking into account the ageing population, there would be three new bus routes travelling via hospitals and route 32H was one of them. The route concerned would provide facilities for easy boarding of wheelchair users. The Department would review the arrangement of the route concerned in light of the residents’ responses; (iv) the Department noted members’ views and would arrange more routes to travel via the Tsing Sha Bus-bus Interchange in the future Bus Routes Planning Programme; (v) the Department noted that members wanted to reorganise the bus routes which travelled via West Kowloon near Tonkin Street. It would consider the provision of a west-bound route in the future with the bus companies; (vi) the re-routing of 42C, 42X and X42P mainly involved Tsing Yi District and the new special trips would tap on the resources of route 42C. Although the special trips would not stop in SSP District, the frequency of the routes running between New Territory West and Kowloon East such as 62X, 234C, 258P and 268C would become higher so the passengers waiting at Beacon Heights would have more choices; (vii) the patronage of - 11 - Action by route 35A in the busiest half hour after 6 p.m. met requirement of the guidelines on frequency reduction so it was proposed that resources of routes 35A be deployed to enhance the service of route 35X.

34. Mr SO Man-wah responded as follows: (i) although the frequency of route N241 would be cut, the resources would be used for the express trips going to Cheung Wang from Hung Hom. KMB would consider the needs of the residents in SSP District when working out the schedule; (ii) KMB would examine the usage rates of the bus stops to determine whether arrival time display penal and seating should be provided. There was no plan to provide these facilities at the Beacon Heights Bus Stop for the time being; (iii) there was serious traffic congestion during peak hours in Argyle Street, New Reclamation Street, Mong Kok Road and Sai Yee Street where the current route 104 would travel. The re-routing arrangement this time aimed to make the frequency more stable. KMB would take into account the needs of the current passengers when making arrangements for alterative bus stops.

35. Mr WONG Hon-chung responded as follows: (i) in the past, New World First Bus Limited (“NWFB”) had re-routed 796C to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road instead of Tai Po Road when heading for . This time, it was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road instead of Tai Po Road when heading for Tseung Kwan O so as to keep the services of these two directions consistent. It was expected that the travel time of the change to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road would be similar with the original route. Coupled with the fact that it had only three trips during the non-peak hours and four trips during the peak hours, the impact on the traffic flow in Cheung Sha Wan Road was little; (ii) the traffic congestion in Cheung Sha Wan Road was mainly due to the serious illegal parking problem near the area of the Golden Arcade. The authorities concerned should try to solve the problem of illegal parking so that passengers could enjoy better bus service. Moreover, the distance between the alterative bus stop and the Tai Po Road was within 400 metres, which was within the acceptable walking distance; (iii) NWFB would provide an alternative bus stop at Mong Kok Centre for route 104 after the re-routing to facilitate passengers going to and from Pak Tin. The bus would not travel via Mong Kok Road and New Reclamation Street after it was re-routed and the frequency would be more stable; (iv) NWFB would discuss with TD about the new arrangement for route 701A. He hoped that members would provide more specific suggestions on this route; (v) Citybus planned to operate route A20 from April 2017 this year.

36. Ms Marie SIN responded that cross-harbour routes and non cross-harbour routes mainly served two different types of passengers. The main rationale for the trial scheme of the section fare arrangement for cross-harbour routes was to avoid congestion during peak hours. The scheme was worked out after assessment of the demand of passengers for cross-harbour routes and non cross-harbour routes to avoid substantial increase in the number of passengers taking cross-harbour routes and longer travel time; so that the bus - 12 - Action by companies had to increase the number of trips. The proposed new section fares and the starting points had balanced various factors like the use of bus resources, traffic impact and increase of passengers’ choices on routes.

37. Mr KONG Kwai-sang said that the re-routing proposal of route 796C aimed to avoid congestion in the Tai Po Road but there was also congestion in Cheung Sha Wan Road. The demand for buses going to Tseung Kwan O in the area of the Tai Po Road and Castle Peak Road was very great; hence he opined that buses should travel via the Tai Po Road in both directions.

38. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) since the demand for routes 42C, 42X and 42P was very great, the bus company should increase the number of buses instead of arranging special trips not stopping in Sham Shui Po during peak hours; (ii) the lighting at the Beacon Heights Bus Stop was dim and passengers needed to hail the buses in the road in order to get on the buses. She suggested providing seating and arrival display penal at the bus stop; (iii) the service area of route 104 was wide and the demand would be greater still after the completion of the redevelopment projects in the district; hence the route should not be changed; (iv) drivers of route 104 often started the bus before passengers were seated; (v) route 104 would travel via roads where illegal parking was serious. She hoped that TD and the Police would improve the situation.

39. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) the demand of passengers taking route 104 to travel between Mong Kok and Pak Tin was very great; hence the route should not be changed abruptly; (ii) after 796C was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road, the passengers in the area of the Tai Po Road had to walk for a certain distance before they could take route 796C. Since, the MTR station was also situated near Cheung Sha Wan Road, she suggested the route be reverted to travel via the Tai Po Road.

40. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he hoped that NWFB would explain why route 796C would be re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road instead of Tai Po Road; (ii) the authorities’ statement was contradictory. On one hand, it said that cutting four trips of route 212 could help ease the traffic congestion, but on the other, it said the increase of four trips of route 796C would not make the traffic more congested; (iii) route 796C, after it was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road, would overlap with the MTR lines, thus reducing the attractiveness of route 796C. Moreover, there were more traffic lights in Cheung Sha Wan Road and so the travel time would be longer.

41. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he objected to the arrangement for routes 42X and 42C to omit the Beacon Heights Bus Stop. He opined that such arrangement would not help improve the problem; (ii) route 796C would overlap with the - 13 - Action by

MTR lines after it was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road and would worsen the congestion in Cheung Sha Wan Road; (iii) the passengers had to walk a much longer distance to reach the alternative bus stop of route 104, which was unacceptable; (iv) in the past, the Sham Shui Po District Office (“SSPDO”) had funded the provision of rain shelters for passengers waiting buses. He suggested that seating be provided to suit the passengers’ convenience; (v) route 32H should be arranged to travel via Caritas Medical Centre and Sham Shui Po East to facilitate residents going to Caritas Medical Centre and Princess Margaret Hospital.

42. Mr Joshua LI raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he objected to route 63X not travelling via Mei Foo; (ii) he enquired whether the time slot of which the frequency of route N241 was cut from 15 to 20 minutes to 25 to 30 minutes was the one when N41X departed; (iii) currently, passengers in the New Territories West who would like to go to Hung Hom and Mong Kok during late night would change bus at Mei Foo. Cutting route N241 would cause inconvenience to them; (iv) he hoped that there would be a uniform mechanism for section fares of buses in order to divert passengers

43. Mr YEUNG Yuk raised the following views: (i) currently, the frequency of route 702 was very unstable because of traffic congestion. The problem would become more serious when route 796C was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road; (ii) he hoped that there would be more routes travelling via the Tsing Sha Bus-bus Interchange to suit the convenience of the residents in Sham Shui Po travelling between Shatin, Tai Wai and Tai Po, etc.

44. Ms Janice LAI responded as follows: (i) after route 104 was re-routed, four of its bus stops would be relocated; thus affecting about 10% of the passengers. Of them, the bus stop near Nelson Street would be moved to the Grand Plaza nearby with little impact, and the route could avoid the traffic congestion in New Reclamation Street after it was re-routed, thus benefitting the passengers as the whole; (ii) the patronage of N241 during the busiest one hour was below 50%; it could still satisfy passengers’ demand after the frequency was cut; (iii) TD would follow up on the problem with the bus company regarding the difficulties for passengers to get on buses at the Beacon Heights Bus Stop; (iv) the Department would consider providing seating at sheltered bus stops of the bus companies again in light of the situations of the bus stops including environmental factors and pedestrian flow, etc.; (v) the Department would study with the bus company the proposal of re-routing 32H to travel via the Caritas Medical Centre; (vi) the Department would study with bus companies the pricing mechanism of the non-cross harbour routes and encourage bus companies to provide passengers with concessions when financial situation permitted.

45. Mr WONG Hon-chung responded as follows: (i) the reason for re-routing 796C to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road instead of Tai Po Road was that the pedestrian flow in - 14 - Action by the latter was higher. In 2014, the passengers who got off in SSP District increased one fourth after NWFB re-routed the buses to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road when heading for So Uk. Therefore, it was believed that the route would become more popular after it was re-routed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road when heading for Tseung Kwan O; (ii) he believed the frequency of route 796C would not become more unstable after it was re-routed to travel via Yen Chow Street. Moreover, the unstable frequency of route 702 had nothing to do with the congestion near Yen Chow Street; (iii) the number of buses of route 104 would not be reduced under the new arrangement, and currently a lot of elderly people would get off at the Allied Plaza Bus Stop; hence he believed that the change would not cause inconvenience to them.

46. Mr SO Man-wah responded as follows: (i) he knew that many passengers would take route N241 at night before changing other routes to go to Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai, etc; hence the frequency would be maintained at 20 minutes as far as possible; (ii) on the problem of the driving attitude of bus drivers of route 104, KMB would issue a notice to remind the drivers and send officers to conduct inspections; (iii) KMB would follow up on the proposal for the provision of seating at the rain shelters for waiting passengers, and Tai Hang Tung Bus Terminus would be provided with arrival time display panel and seating.

47. Ms NG Yuet-lan enquired whether the original route of 104 could be maintained.

48. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) 104 would not stop at school area after it was re-routed and this would cause inconvenience to students. She hoped that TD would consider prudently; (ii) the special trip of route 42C did not stop in Sham Shui Po during peak hours, which was in fact a reduction of frequency.

49. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that bus companies which were protected by the franchise should consider the needs of the grass-root passengers. The proposal for routes 796C and 104 was aimed at profit-making only, causing more inconvenience to the elderly people.

50. Mr Janice LAI responded that TD noted members’ views on routes 104 and 42C and would discuss the arrangement with the bus company again.

51. The Chairman concluded that he hoped TD and the bus companies would prudently study the arrangement of the bus routes in light of members’ views in order to satisfy the residents’ demand.

(d) Provision of covers for walkways (TAC Paper 9/17)

52. Mr Kenneth LEE introduced Paper 9/17.

53. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the paper should include the - 15 - Action by option for the provision of a cover at the section of Tong Yam Street outside Exit B2 of the MTR ; (ii) the Department should refer to the record of the discussion about minor works by DC and consult the stakeholders in order to make a full assessment.

54. Mr CHAN Wai-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) walkway covers could not be provided for some of the road sections mentioned in the paper since there were underground pipelines. He enquired whether the Department could overcome the technical difficulties concerned this time; (ii) there were many locations in the district where the provision of covers was needed. However, only one location could be chosen under this policy. He hoped that the Department could consolidate more information and provide more options for members to choose from or consider allowing them to choose more than one option.

55. Mr WAI Woon-nam said that the Department should assess different options in-depth and refer to the records of discussion about the provision of covers for pedestrian walkways by DC and the consultancy reports. It was because there were problems of underground pipelines at many locations e.g. those outside MTR Shek Kip Mei Station and Exit B of MTR .

56. Ms LAU Pui-yuk raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the nine locations put forward by members needed walkway covers. She hoped that the Department would provide more information to assist in choosing an option; (ii) whether the assessment of feasibility of the options was the conclusion made after the Department’s in-depth study or visual observation; (iii) she enquired about the time slots of the counting of pedestrian flow of various options; (iv) there would be more pedestrian after the intake of the new public housing estates near the walkway outside Exit B of MTR Cheung Sha Wan Station.

57. Mr YUEN Hoi-man raised the following views: (i) the Department should list members’ reasons for putting forward the options to help the Committee consider the locations. For example, he put forward the locations in Hing Wah Street West outside the Aqua Marine and Sham Mong Road outside the Aqua Marine because they were linked to Nam Cheong MTR Station and Lai Chi Kok Road. Moreover, the pedestrian flow would increase greatly upon completion of the construction projects at Sites No. 3, 5 and 6; (i) option 1 and option 6 in the paper were at the same location while option 3 and option 4 were overlapped; he suggested they be handled together; (iii) he suggested that the Committee set a priority for the locations. The District Facilities Committee (“DFC”) should also study whether the options were feasible so that the works could commence promptly when the Government increased the resources for the scheme.

58. Mr CHAN Kwok-wai said that DC had suggested providing a cover for the - 16 - Action by pedestrian walkway outside Exit A of the MTR Shek Kip Mei Station. However, since the problem of underground pipelines could not be solved and there were objections by the schools nearby, the proposal was shelved. If the Department could solve the problems concerned this time, this option should be given priority because the pedestrian flow there was higher and many elderly people would walk past this location.

59. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the Department would provide more information for various options, e.g. the feasibility of the works and expected construction time; (ii) he agreed that similar options should be consolidated.

60. Mr Lawrence CHAN responded as follows: (i) the Department conducted initial assessments upon receipt of members’ nine proposals. After the Committee had chosen three options, the Department would commission consultant to conduct in-depth assessment for the option of the first choice and examine its technical difficulties such as underground facilities and site environment, etc.

61. The Chairman enquired whether the Department had referred to the discussion and study records concerned of DFC in the past.

62. Mr Lawrence CHAN responded that the Department had not referred the information concerned but underground pipelines were not insurmountable technical difficulties. If the pedestrian walkway was wide enough, the routing of the underground pipelines could be changed to accommodate the works.

63. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) DC had conducted feasibility studies on the provision of covers at different locations in the past (e.g. pedestrian walkway outside Exit A of MTR Shek Kip Mei Station and the one at Exit B1 leading to Tai Hang Tung). He suggested the Department refer to them; (ii) the final decision on the location should not lie on superficial factors like pedestrian flow. Instead, the difficulties to be faced in the works, construction time and stakeholders’ views should be considered as a whole; (iv) he hoped that the Department would include into the list the pedestrian walkway at Exit B1 of MTR Shek Kip Mei Station leading to Tai Hang Tung.

64. Mr CHAN Wai-ming said that the Department should refer to the discussion records of the DCs (e.g. the pedestrian walkway outside Exit B of MTR Cheung Sha Wan Station) and submit more detailed information to the Committee for consideration.

65. Mr WAI Woon-nam said that the Department should consider the technical difficulties faced by the options, expected construction time and the change of pedestrian flow after completion of the housing projects in the district and set priority for the options for members’ consideration.

66. Ms LEE Wing-man said that the Department should refer to the relevant - 17 - Action by discussion records of DC to see which options would face difficulties during the construction because of underground pipelines.

67. Ms Zoe CHOW raised the following views: (i) in the past, the Government said that it was difficult to provide a cover for the pedestrian walkway outside Exit B of MTR Cheung Sha Wan Station because of underground pipelines. However, the Department had just said that the difficulties might be overcome. She requested the Department to provide the expected time required by the works because the pedestrian flow of the walkway would be increased greatly upon completion of the new housing estates nearby; (ii) she hoped that the Department would provide more information so that the Committee could choose the final option.

68. Mr YUEN Hoi-man raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the Department would enhance communication with SSPDO to have an understanding of the past records of the options; (ii) he suggested that the committee and working group concerned consider allocating resources for the feasibility studies of the various options; (iii) the Working Group on District Works had been discussing provision of covers for pedestrian walkways. He suggested that this issue be followed up by the working group.

69. Ms Carman NG said that DC had been calling for the provision of a cover for the pedestrian walkway outside Exit A of MTR Shek Kip Mei Station but it was not successful because of the underground pipelines and the impact of the works on the entrance and exit of a car park nearby. He hoped that the Department would refer to the past information of DC and conduct appropriate assessments for the proposals.

70. The Chairman said that he hoped that the Department would provide more information for the options, e.g. whether the options would face any difficulties and whether the construction time would be exceedingly long for the Committee to consider.

71. Mr TSANG Hin-man responded as follows: (i) the design standards of the Highways Department (“HyD”) were different from those of SSPDO. Therefore, although SSPDO had technical difficulties in the provision of covers for individual pedestrian walkways, HyD might solve the technical problems by changing the underground pipelines and the design of the cover as well as using different materials; (ii) the Department inviteed DC to choose three options and set a priority so that resources could be focused on conducting feasibility study for the option of the first choice. If there were insurmountable technical difficulties in the option of the first choice, the Department would study the option of the second choice in order to save time.

72. Mr Lawrence CHAN responded as follows: (i) it was not suitable for providing walkway cover at the entrance of a car park because the height of the cover had to be increased in light of the height of the vehicles, which would render the cover less effective in blocking the sunlight or keeping away the rain; (ii) the Department planned to - 18 - Action by commission a consultant to design a most suitable and specific option in light of the environment and difficulties faced at the location choose.

73. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that the option should be chose according to the pedestrian flow and construction time. He hoped that the Department could provide more related information to help the Committee choose an option.

74. Ms NG Yuet-lan said that the Department should use professional knowledge to explain the technical difficulties of various options. Otherwise, the Committee would find it difficult to make a decision.

75. Ms Carman NG said that she hoped that the Department would provide information on the technical difficulties when submitting paper next time.

76. Ms LEE Wing-man raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the Department would explain clearly the technical difficulties and expected construction time of various options; (ii) SSPDO had also commissioned professionals to conduct feasibility studies; the Department should refer to the experience concerned.

77. Mr CHAN Wai-ming said that he hoped that the Department would provide an objective proposal on the location for the consideration of the Committee by using its professional knowledge and referring to the past information of DC.

78. The Chairman concluded as follows: (i) he welcomed the Government to provide districts with resources for the provision of covers on pedestrian walkways; (ii) he hoped that the Department would refer to the past studies and results of consultations of DC and provide professional analysis of the options in order to assist the Committee with the choice of the location.

(e) Construction of lifts at the two ends of a subway at the junction of Cheung Sha Wan Road and Kweilin Street should not be delayed repeatedly. Strong request for speeding up the works progress and completing the project as soon as possible (TAC Paper 10/17)

79. Ms LAU Pui-yuk introduced Paper 10/17.

80. Ms YEUNG Sai-hee responded as follows:

(i) The construction of lifts was commenced in May 2015 at the above site. The contractor had to conduct advance works to work out a construction plan and works schedule before carrying out the works. The advance works included site investigation of the underground pipelines which might be affected by the works and their locations to confirm whether it was necessary to move the pipelines temporarily or permanently for the works. Moreover, the contractor also had to conduct ground - 19 - Action by

investigations to confirm the design of the foundation of the lifts.

(ii) In order to narrow the area of enclosure to reduce the impact on pedestrians, there would be separate excavations for the inspection pits in order to reduce the area of enclosure in the same time slot. Confirmations for their pipelines had to be made with the public utilities after each excavation was completed. Therefore, the whole process had taken more than one year and it was completed at the end of 2016.

(iii) According to the information provided by the public utilities, there were a lot of pipelines at the southern exit of MTR which were paved along the western side of Kweilin Street and past the 5.8-metre space between the pedestrian subway and the buildings nearby. These pipelines needed to be moved to a 2.9-metre space before the lift could be built.

(iv) The pipelines at the northern exit of MTR Sham Shui Po Station had to be moved to a 4-metre space before the lift could be built.

(v) A sewage pipe of 600 mm in diameter which was laid along Kweilin Street across Cheung Sha Wan Road and a gas pipe of 300 mm in diameter running along a similar route would have to be moved to the same space to avoid passing a linking pedestrian subway at the exit of the lift.

(vi) Although it was expected that there would be difficulties caused by the narrow space for construction works and the proximity to shops during the design stage, contractor’s investigation from excavation pits showed that there were far more pipelines along Kweilin Street than expected. Therefore, difficulties of the construction and the time needed had significantly increased. HyD was examining the construction plan in order to shorten the construction time.

(vii) The contractor was working out proper construction arrangements in accordance with the requirements of the contract in order to reduce the impact on the shop owners nearby as far as possible. HyD had started to contact the shop owners to discuss the construction arrangements.

(viii) During the construction period, the contractor would implement temporary traffic arrangement for the traffic lanes and pavements of Cheung Sha Wan Road and Kweilin Street in accordance with the works progress. HyD would ensure that during the implementation of temporary traffic arrangement, the contractor would fully consider the traffic situations, conduct full assessment of the impact of the temporary traffic arrangement, - 20 - Action by

properly design and implement all the measures and reduce the impact caused to road users by the arrangement concerned as far as possible.

(ix) HyD and the contractor would move the current lamp post at Exit C of MTR Sham Shui Po Station in February 2017.

(x) HyD would closely monitor the works progress and continue close communications with the public utilities so that the works would be completed as soon as possible. The Department would ensure that the contractor had proper arrangement of the works so as to reduce the impact on the shop owners nearby as far as possible. The Department would continue to communicate with the shop owners affected and discern their concerns and handle them in a timely manner.

81. Mr WAI Woon-nam raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the works concerned was proposed in 2006. He enquired about the date of completion and opined that HyD should expedite the works progress; (ii) the construction works for the lift in Pei Ho Street years ago had occupied one traffic lane only. He enquired why the works concerned would occupy two traffic lanes; (iii) he wanted to know how long would Cheung Sha Wan Road be closed and whether there would be steel plates to cover the construction site at night to facilitate the traffic.

82. Ms LAU Pui-yuk raised the following views: (i) she understood that the works were complicated and would take a very long time. She hoped that HyD would expedite the progress; (ii) she hoped that HyD would have proper communications with the shop owners affected by the works.

83. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he hoped that HyD would provide the exact date of completion of the works; (ii) as bus routes would be changed to travel via Cheung Sha Wan Road, he wondered whether HyD had communicated with TD in respect of the road closure arrangements for the works; (iii) whether there were any solutions to the difficulties of works mentioned by HyD.

84. Ms YEUNG Sai-hee responded as follows: (i) the linking tunnel of the lifts would be connected with the current tunnel while bypassing the existing staircase of the tunnel. Since it was located in the slow lane and middle lane of the westbound Cheung Sha Wan Road, the works therefore would occupy two traffic lanes during the construction period; (ii) the Department was actively exploring the excavation location required for diverting public pipelines and the construction priority of the public utilities before assessing whether the works could be expedited and the actual date of completion; (iii) on the moving of the bus stop for the works, HyD would co-ordinate with TD and the bus company, and would conduct trial test before implementation; (iv) the Department had been communicating with the town gas company and other public utilities to discuss how - 21 - Action by the works should be carried out.

85. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that HyD had not managed the works from the macro prospective. He hoped that the Department would arrange a site visit and report on the progress of the works regularly to help members understand the content of the works.

86. Ms LEE Wing-man said that he understood that the works faced many difficulties but the Department had the responsibility to solve the problems, e.g. to consider carrying out works at night and seek assistance from the town gas company.

87. Ms YEUNG Sai-hee responded that the Department was ready to arrange a site visit to explain the difficulties during the construction to members.

88. The Chairman concluded that the Committee expected that the Department would solve the difficulties faced by the works and agree to arrange a site visit so that members could have an understanding of the works concerned.

(Post-meeting note: HyD sent letters to members inviting them to pay a site visit on 30 March 2017.)

(f) The next phase of the Universal Accessibility Programme (TAC Paper 11/17)

89. Mr NG Wai-keung introduced Paper 11/17.

90. Mr Ambrose CHEUNG raised the following views: (i) the Universal Accessibility Programme (“UAP”) had failed to view from a macro perspective and connect the pedestrian networks on the hill and in the waterfront and provide lifts in light of the housing development in SSP District; (ii) in April 2016, there was a discussion paper at DC Full Council meeting for the optimisation of pedestrian facilities in the district, yet UAP had not considered the content concerned; (iii) there were needs to provide lifts at Exit A and Exit G of MTR Mei Foo Station for use of the passengers. Even though no lift could be provided at Exit G, the provision of an escalator or a stairlift should be considered; (iv) the footbridge which straddled over Ching Cheung Road and connected Ching Lai Commercial Centre and Mei Foo Station had too much pedestrian flow; hence the provision of a lift was necessary.

91. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that he hoped that lifts could be provided for the footbridge facilities in public housing estates to suit the convenience of residents especially the elderly people.

92. Ms Carman NG said that previously no lift was provided for the footbridge near Chak On Road linking Chak On Estate and because of the low usage rate. However, a paper from the Development Bureau showed that there would be public - 22 - Action by housing estate nearby and the footbridge would become the main passageway. She suggested that provision of lifts should be considered again.

93. Mr NG Wai-keung responded the following: (i) the Department would examine members’ proposals for providing lifts to see whether they fell into the areas covered by UAP. Then there would be preliminary study on the proposals that meet the criteria to provide the information concerned of the pedestrian walkways, including the number of proposals received, figures of pedestrians, factors affecting the pedestrian flow in the future, whether there were facilities for the elderly and disabled nearby, whether there were alternate barrier-free facilities installed nearby, possible technical difficulties and preliminary estimation of construction cost, etc. so that the Committee could consider the priority comprehensively; (ii) if members had other suggestions for provision of lifts, they were welcome to relay them to the Department through DC Secretariat.

94. Mr Ambrose CHEUNG raised the following views: (i) the residents in Mei Foo had demanded for the provision of a lift at Exit A of MTR Mei Foo Station for years. He hoped that HyD would examine carefully whether the proposal could meet the criteria of UAP; (ii) the provision of lift for the footbridge which straddled across Ching Cheung Road and connected Ching Lai Commercial Centre and Mei Foo Station could facilitate wheel-chair users and elderly people going to MTR Mei Foo Station.

95. Mr Dominic LEE raised the following views: (i) since few pedestrians would cross Cornwall Street near Shek Kip Mei Park, there was no urgent need to provide lifts; (ii) there was a barrier-free ramp at the footbridge connecting MTR Station and the Festival Walk near Tat Chee Avenue. Coupled with the lifts in Festival Walk which linked to the footbridge, there was no need to install lifts; (iii) the tunnel near the Kowloon Rhenish School and Kindergarten had a lot of users but there were only staircases for use of pedestrians. Therefore, provision of lifts could be considered.

96. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu opined that if the Government built public housing estates near the footbridge connecting Chak On Estate and Pak Tin Estate near Chak On Road, lifts for the footbridge should also be provided at the same time so that resources of UAP could be properly used for the provision of lifts in other places in the district.

97. Mr NG Wai-keung responded as follows: (i) HyD would examine members’ suggestions; (ii) the tunnel near the Kowloon Rhenish School and Kindergarten was located in the Kowloon City District. The Department had planned the provision of lifts for it; (iii) if there were new housing development plans near the proposed locations for building lifts, the Department would enquire the departments concerned whether the new housing development had included the provision of lifts.

98. The Chairman concluded that the Committee welcomed UAP which would allocate resources for the provision of lifts in the community. He hoped that HyD would - 23 - Action by first sort out the locations put forward by members at the meeting. After the meeting, the Secretariat would send a letter to members inviting them to put forward proposals for the locations before passing them to the Department for feasibility study.

[Post-meeting note: the Secretariat sent a letter to members on 8 March 2017 inviting them to put forward proposals for the locations. The proposals were passed to HyD on 30 March 2017.]

(g) The proposal of using Chak On Road Driving Test Centre for housing development and the transport ancillary facilities at Nam Cheong Street (TAC Paper 12/17)

99. Ms Carman NG introduced Paper 12/17.

100. Mr Edward CHIU responded as follows: (i) TD had enquired the Planning Department (“PlanD”) and the Housing Department (“HD”) about the planning of housing development at the site of Chak On Road Driving Test Centre. The two departments replied that it was only at the preliminary planning stage currently. The lease of the land concerned would be granted in 2019/2020 and there was no specific information for the time being; (ii) generally speaking, the initiating department for land development would conduct traffic impact assessment and public consultation.

101. Mr YUEN Chi-wai responded as follows: (i) NWFB would make close contacts with government departments. Upon receipt of the information related to the development, it would conduct a study to see whether the provision or change of the current bus routes were needed to satisfy the residents’ transportation demands.

102. Ms Carman NG said that she hoped that the government departments concerned could complete the transportation planning at the above location as soon as possible. Currently, the traffic flow in the area of Nam Cheong Street was very high. The traffic loading at that road section would increase after the housing projects were completed. She hoped that government departments would consider the overall transport ancillary facilities in the vicinity during the planning.

103. Mr WAI Woon-lam said that the authorities concerned had planned the construction of a flyover across Lung Cheung Road when planning the Beacon Heights to solve the problem of traffic congestion. He hoped that the relevant departments would refer to the experience concerned and improve the transportation planning when planning the housing projects at the site of Chak On Road Driving Test Centre.

104. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that the planning for the land of Chak On Road Driving Test Centre was still at preliminary stage. He hoped that the Development Bureau would finalise the specific planning as soon as possible so that the departments concerned would follow up on the transport ancillary facilities. - 24 - Action by

105. Mr Edward CHIU responded that the initiating department who was leading the development concerned would conduct traffic impact assessment and the departments concerned (including TD) could put forward views on the assessment.

106. The Chairman concluded that he suggested adding this issue in the list of follow-up actions. He hoped that TD would continue to report on the latest progress.

(h) Request for improving the illegal parking problem at Sai Chuen Road (TAC Paper 13/17)

107. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong introduced Paper 13/17.

108. Mr AU YEUNG Chung-ching responded that the police had issued 270 fixed penalty notices for illegal parking in Sai Chuen Road from September 2016 to January 2017. As Sai Chuen Road was prone to traffic congestion due to its winding and narrow carriageway, the police would take enforcement action timely to crack down on illegal parking.

109. Mr Paul LEE responded that no vehicles were allowed to park at Sai Chuen Road but vehicles still loaded and unloaded goods there from time to time; causing congestion and obstructions to the school buses picking up and dropping off school students. TD would pay an inspection of Sai Chuen Road with Mr LEUNG Man-kwong. If necessary, the no-stopping hours at Sai Chuen Road would be adjusted.

110. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong said that he thanked the Police for taking action against illegal parking in Sai Chuen Road for the past few months. However, since the manpower of the Police was limited, he hoped that TD would review the traffic arrangement of that road section to prevent illegal parking.

111. The Chairman concluded that he hoped that the police would continue to step up law enforcement action at Sai Chuen Road while TD should examine the traffic arrangement of that road section.

(i) Request for providing seating for the bus stop at Nam Cheong Street Service Reservoir as soon as possible (TAC Paper 14/17)

112. Ms Carman NG introduced Paper 14/17.

113. Mr Louis LAU responded that the Department was conducting local consultation through SSPDO on the provision of seating for the bus stop at Nam Cheong Street Service Reservoir and the consultation would be completed in late February 2017. It was expected that KMB could provide seating for that bus stop within February.

114. Ms Carman NG enquired whether consultation or the works would be carried out - 25 - Action by in late February.

115. Mr Louis LAU responded that the local consultation would be completed within a few days and TD would immediately approve the provision of seating for the bus stop by KMB.

116. The Chairman concluded that he hoped that KMB would complete the works concerned in the early March 2017

(j) Request for explaining the operation of Minibus Route Nos. 45M, 45B and Bus Route No. 6P and improving the lost trip problem of Minibus Route No. 45M (TAC Paper 15/17)

117. Mr CHAN Wai-ming introduced Paper 15/17.

118. Mr Louis LAU responded that after the intake of , the operator of route 45M and 45B found that residents mainly boarded route 45M at Po On Road. Currently, there were four vehicles for route 45M with a frequency of seven minutes during peak hours and 10 to 15 minutes during non-peak hours, which could satisfy the residents’ needs. There was one vehicle for route 45B, with a frequency of 30 minutes. The operator had reserved one vehicle and would increase the frequency when necessary.

119. Mr CHAN Ming-kei enquired whether route 45B would enter the estate after completion of the second phase of So Uk Estate Redevelopment.

120. Mr CHAN Wai-ming said that he hoped TD would provide the data on the patronage and other related information of routes 45M and 45B so that members could understand the travel patterns of the residents of So Uk Estate and whether the minibus service could fall in line with the residents’ travel patterns.

121. Mr Louis LAU responded as follows: (i) TD could provide the data concerned with the operator’s consent; (ii) as the residents’ demand for route 45B was rather low currently, the Department would decide whether the reserved vehicle of route 45B be arranged for providing service for route 45M.

122. The Chairman concluded that with the intake of So Uk Estate, residents’ demand for routes 45M and 45B and bus route 6P would increase gradually. He hoped that TD would pay close attention to the residents’ demand and make arrangement accordingly.

Agenda Item 3: Follow-up matters

(a) List of follow up actions for matters of discussion at TAC meeting (TAC Paper 16/17)

123. Mr WAI Woon-nam said that regarding the proposal of building a footbridge across Yen Chow Street at the location of pedestrian crossing at Yen Chow Street outside - 26 - Action by

Dragon Centre, although TD said that it would proactively consider widening the pavement, it gave no positive reply to the provision of a footbridge. As the provision of footbridge might fall into the jurisdiction of other departments, he hoped that TD would invite the departments concerned to attend the next meeting.

124. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) a pedestrian subway linking to the MTR Station was considered when was under planning years ago. This had reflected the needs of pedestrians to cross the street; hence TD should consider providing a footbridge to facilitate pedestrians crossing the road; (ii) the pedestrian crossing facilities near Dragon Centre were not enough; TD should therefore review the planning concerned.

125. Mr YEUNG Yuk said that the frequency of route 702 during the peak afternoon hours was still unstable after the number of bus had been increased. He enquired whether NWFB would consider providing special trips to run some sections of the route only.

126. Mr Chum Tak-shing enquired whether the departments concerned had introduced measures, and whether TD would improve the road design to improve the situation for pedestrians to cross Po On Road.

127. Mr CHAN Ming-kei said that the situation for pedestrians to cross Po On Road was still not satisfactory. Many motorcycles were parked there at night and there were also vehicles parked there illegally, causing obstructions to residents crossing the road.

128. Mr Edward CHIU responded as follows: (i) TD was actively considering widening the pedestrian crossing facility at Yen Chow Street. On the proposal for the provision of a footbridge, the Department was still studying it; (ii) TD was drawing plans for the pedestrian crossing facility at Po On Road and was discussing with the departments concerned about the arrangement. On the works for the second phase of So Uk Estate Redevelopment, the contractor of HD was carrying out drainage connection works at Po On Road and would implement temporary traffic measures.

129. Mr AU YEUNG Chung-ching responded as follows: (i) after the last meeting, the Police had stepped up actions against illegal parking at the pedestrian crossing in Po On Road. In the past five months, the Police had issued 168 fixed penalty notices at the intersection of Po On Road and Cheong Wah Street; (ii) only one traffic accident had happened at that location which had caused damage to property only in the past three months. The Police would continue to pay attention to the traffic situation there, including the parking of motorcycles, to ensure pedestrians’ safety.

130. Mr YUEN Chi-wai responded as follows: (i) currently, most trips of route 702 departed from the Hoi Lai Estate Terminus were on time. However, affected by the road - 27 - Action by conditions, buses would be delayed for 8 to 10 minutes when they reached Tai Nam Street bus stop. Even if NWFB had provided one more trip, the frequency had not been fully stable as it was affected by the road conditions; (ii) since the provision of short haul special trip for route 702 might cause confusions to the passengers and the passengers who would not be benefited might need to wait longer, coupled with the chance that the special trips might also be affected by road conditions and fail to made the frequency more stable effectively, NWFB would not implement the relevant proposal for the time being.

131. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he hoped that TD would remove the dividing railings in the middle of the carriageway when widening the pavement outside Dragon Centre so that the traffic would be smoother. It should also actively consider the provision of a footbridge to facilitate members of the public crossing the road; (ii) he enquired about the progress of the improvement works for the roads in .

132. Mr WAI Woon-nam said that if TD could decide on its own whether a footbridge should be provided at the pedestrian crossing outside Dragon Centre, it should deal with the matter as soon as possible.

133. Mr CHAN Ming-kei said that the drainage works for the second phase of So Uk Estate Redevelopment was expected to be completed in February 2017. He hoped that TD would complete the road improvement works for Po On Road as soon as possible.

134. Mr YEUNG Yuk said that he was disappointed with NWFB’s failure to put forward an improvement proposal for route 702. He hoped that NWFB would provide real-time arrival display penal at the bus stop at Tai Nam Street as soon as possible to suit the waiting passengers’ convenience.

135. Mr Edward CHIU responded as follows: (i) TD had completed the consultation on the improvement works for the road in Tai Hang Sai Estate. It would issue works permit to HyD later, asking HyD to arrange for a contractor to carry out the relevant works; (ii) TD was now drawing plans for the widening of pedestrian crossing outside Dragon Centre; (iii) as far as the second phase of So Uk Estate Redevelopment was concerned, the contractor of HD was carrying out drainage works at Po On Road and would implement temporary traffic measures while the electricity connection works was carried out later.

136. The Chairman enquired about the progress of the road improvement works for Tai Po Road.

137. Mr Edward CHIU responded that TD had completed the consultation for the road improvement works for Tai Po Road. Later, it would issue works permit to HyD and - 28 - Action by asking HyD to arrange for a contractor to carry out the relevant works.

138. Mr CHANG Yiu-wa responded that upon receipt of TD’s paper, HyD would apply for an excavation permit first and the works were expected to be completed within 14 months.

139. Mr YUEN Chi-wai responded as follows: (i) NWFB would ensure that buses would depart from the bus terminus on time; (ii) NWFB’s was now conducting tests on its real time bus stop announcement system and it was expected to be launched in 2018.

140. The Chairman said that the Committee hoped that a footbridge could be built outside Dragon Centre to improve traffic congestion. He hoped that TD would reflect the demand to PlanD.

(b) Project items and schedules of district traffic improvement works completed, under construction or under planning within the past two months by Transport Department / Highways Department (as at 25 January 2017) (TAC Paper 17/17)

141. The Committee noted the content of the paper.

Agenda Item 4: Any other business

142. Ms Carman NG said that she received the information paper about the provision of seating at the sheltered bus stops and real-time bus arrival display panels from TD before the meeting. She wanted to know the Department’s criteria and priority for providing facilities at bus stops.

143. The Chairman said that as the relevant officers of TD and the bus companies were not present at the meeting. He hoped that they would explain the criteria at the next meeting.

[Post-meeting note: After the meeting, the Chairman agreed with TD’s suggestion that members could directly contact the relevant officers of the Department for enquiries. The Secretariat provided members with the contact information on 21 March 2017. ]

Agenda Item 5: Date of next meeting

144. The next meeting would be held at 9:30 a.m. on 6 April 2017 (Thursday).

145. The meeting ended at 4 p.m.

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District Council Secretariat Sham Shui Po District Office April 2017