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

(Translation)

Minutes of the 3rd Meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (2020) of Kwai Tsing District Council

Date: 11 June 2020 Time: 2:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. Venue: K&T DO Conference Room

Attendee Time of Arrival Time of Departure (p.m.) (p.m.) Mr LAM Siu-fai (Chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHOI Nga-man (Vice-chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHAN Chi-wing Start of Meeting 4:27 Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve Start of Meeting 6:15 Mr CHEUNG Man-lung Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr HON Chun-yin Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr HUI Kei-cheung 2:41 End of Meeting Miss KWOK Fu-yung Start of Meeting 4:14 Mr KWOK Tsz-kin Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LAU Chi-kit Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms LAU Kwai-mui Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss LEUNG Ching-shan Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Kam-wai Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms LEUNG Kar-ming 2:39 4:14 Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss LO Yuen-ting Start of Meeting 4:27 Mr NG Kim-sing 2:38 5:30 Mr SIN Chung-kai, SBS, JP Start of Meeting 5:20 Mr SIN Ho-fai Start of Meeting 6:15 Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr TONG Ho-man 2:37 5:30 Mr TSUI Hiu-kit Start of Meeting 4:27 Mr WONG Bing-kuen 2:35 End of Meeting Mr WONG Chun-tat Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss WONG Pit-man Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr WONG Tin-yan Start of Meeting End of Meeting

In Attendance

Mr CHAN Wai-leung Senior Project Coordinator/ Pedestrian Hillside Links 4, Highways Department Mr NG Kin-hon Engineer/ Pedestrian Hillside Links 4-2, Highways Department Mr CHAN Ho-kong Director, Mannings (Asia) Consultants Limited Mr HO Man-tung Resident Engineer, Mannings (Asia) Consultants Limited Mr KWOK Chun-sum Senior Engineer/ SD 3, Highways Department Ms KAN Yim-fun Project Coordinator/ HK 1-3, Highways Department Mr WONG Sing-wah Senior Engineer/ HK 1, Highways Department Mr MAN Wai-keung Engineer/PHL 3-2, Highways Department Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew Engineer/ District Facilities, Transport Department Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny Senior Transport Officer /Kwai Tsing 1, Transport Department Mr NG Ho-leung, Jacky Engineer/ Tsing Yi, Transport Department Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily Engineer/ Kwai Chung, Transport Department Mr KWAN Yu-hang, Jason Engineer/24 (W), Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms CHOW Hoi-yi District Engineer/ Kwai Tsing (E), Highways Department Ms NG Wai-ki District Engineer/ Works (SW), Highways Department Mr TSANG Yiu-tim Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team, Kwai Tsing Police District, Hong Kong Police Force Ms WONG Man-yan District Operations Officer (Kwai Tsing), Hong Kong Police Force Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong Assistant Manager (Operations), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Ms WONG Peggy Assistant Manager (Planning & Development), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd

Miss LEUNG Betsy Manager (Public Affairs), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Mr HO Dennis Assistant Operations Manager, New World First Bus Services Limited Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie Assistant District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Kwai Tsing District Office Miss CHEUNG Hoi-ni, Cheryl (Secretary) Executive Officer (District Council)1, Kwai Tsing District Office

Responsible Department

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments and organisations to the 3rd meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2020) of Kwai Tsing District Council (K&T DC).

Confirmation of Minutes of the 2nd Special Meeting (2020) held on 20 March 2020 and Minutes of the 2nd Meeting (2020) held on 28 April 2020

2. Mr CHOW Wai-hung moved a motion to confirm the minutes. The motion was seconded by Miss LEUNG Ching-shan. Members endorsed the minutes unanimously.

Discussion Items

Endorsement of the Membership Lists of the Working Groups under the Traffic and Transport Committee in 2020 to 2021 (Proposed by Kwai Tsing District Council Secretariat) (TTC Paper No. 23/D/2020)

3. The Chairman briefly introduced the paper.

4. The Secretary pointed out that Mr SIN Ho-fai’s application to withdraw from the Traffic Development Affairs Working Group was received before the meeting. The Secretariat would update the list of members of the working group after the meeting.

(Post-meeting note: The Secretariat had updated the Membership List of the Traffic Development Affairs Working Group.)

5. The Committee unanimously endorsed the paper.

Follow-up on the Retrofitting of Escalator at the Footbridge Across Castle Peak Road – Kwai Chung near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station (Proposed by Mr WONG Bing-kuen) (TTC Paper No. 24, 24a, 24b/D/2020)

To Discuss and Follow Up the Latest Progress of the Original Plan (Footbridge System on Lai Cho Road) and Alternative Plan (Footbridge System on San Kwai

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Street) (Proposed by Mr SIN Chun-kai, SBS, JP) (TTC Paper No. 25, 25a, 25b/D/2020)

To follow up the Project Progress of the Lift and Pedestrian Walkway System between Kwai Shing Circuit and Hing Shing Road in Kwai Chung (Proposed by Mr NG Kim-sing, Mr TONG Ho-man, Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman and Miss LEUNG Ching-shan) (TTC Paper No. 26, 26a/D/2020)

6. The Chairman said that due to a large number of items on the agenda, the above three related items would be discussed together.

7. Mr WONG Bing-kuen briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 24/D/2020.

8. Mr SIN Chung-kai briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 25/D/2020.

9. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman and Mr NG Kim-sing briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 26/D/2020.

10. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC) of the Legislative Council (LegCo) was still waiting for the review of the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station. He asked when the group could apply for funding from the Finance Committee (FC) if the group endorsed the project.

(ii) According to LegCo documents, the Highways Department (HyD) had put the project out to tender last year and he asked about the progress.

(iii) If an escalator was successfully retrofitted to the footbridge, he asked if the Transport Department (TD) and HyD would discuss with MTR Corporation about the section of the escalator connecting to the lobby and the ground. At present, the section was connected by stairs and he hoped MTR Corporation could cooperate.

Responsible Department

11. Mr WONG Sing-wah, Senior Engineer/Hong Kong 1 of the HyD responded as follows:

(i) The project works of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station had been consulted with the Panel on Transport of the Lego on 20 December 2019 and support was received. Originally, it would be discussed at the PWSC meeting on 27 May 2020, but there was not enough time to discuss the relevant works during the meeting. The latest situation was that the issue of the works was arranged on the agenda of the meeting on 24 June. The meeting agenda had been uploaded on the LegCo website. After it would be endorsed in the PWSC meeting, the relevant project would be arranged for discussion in the FC. If the funding application was approved by the FC in this legislative year, the construction works were expected to start in the third quarter of 2020 and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022.

(ii) Regarding tendering, the Department had already started the tendering work simultaneously in September 2019, but the contract of works could only be issued after the FC approved the funding.

12. Mr MAN Wai-keung, Engineer/Pedestrian Hillside Links 3-2 of the HyD responded that the issue of the works was scheduled on the agenda of the PWSC meeting on 24 June currently, but whether it could be discussed and approved depend on the progress of the discussion at the PWSC meeting. After that, the application for funding at the FC meeting was necessary, and it also depended on the progress of the Committee’s discussion. If the project failed to get an endorsement in this legislative year, it would need to re-consult the Panel of the LegCo, the PWSC, and the FC after the establishment of the new term of the LegCo before it could apply for funding. The Department could only approve the contract after the funding was approved. The initial stage tendering procedures were now complete.

(Post-meeting note: The FC had approved the funding application for the “Retrofitting of Escalator at the Footbridge Across Castle Peak Road – Kwai Chung near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station” at the meeting on 10 July 2020.)

13. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily, Engineer/Kwai Chung of the TD responded that the proposal for the retrofitting of elevator facilities connecting to the lobby at Exit B of Tai

Responsible Department

Wo Hau MTR Station had been directed to MTR Corporation. MTR Corporation replied that the relevant opinions were noted but it had no consideration for the retrofitting yet.

14. Mr KWOK Chun-sum, James, Senior Engineer/Special Duties 3 of the HyD pointed out that regarding the project of the footbridge system on Lai Cho Road, it covered the area from Lai Cho Road to Wah Yiu Road. Residents needed to go up the hill along Wah Yiu Road and then take the elevator to Lai Cho Road. A Member once proposed to retrofit an elevator to the podium of Wah Yiu House in 2019. However, the retrofitting of an elevator was a slope system project. The department was currently selecting about 100 slope system projects. New slope system projects had to be considered together with other projects, and it could not be done in the footbridge system project on Lai Cho Road and Wah Yiu Road.

15. Mr SIN Chung-kai asked about the ways of including a project amongst slope system projects.

16. Mr KWOK Chun-sum, James, Senior Engineer/Special Duties 3 of the HyD responded as follows:

(i) He pointed out that the practice of each District Council (DC) was different, and the DCs needed to propose the projects of works to the government. The government would consider and screen the relevant proposals after collecting them and had an established scoring system to determine the sequence of projects.

(ii) When the consulting company of this project had completed the preliminary design, it would consult the DC and relevant stakeholders promptly and would proceed to the next stage of work as soon as possible after receiving support.

(iii) The part of the works on San Kwai Street was under the jurisdiction of the Housing Department (HD). HyD had no further information.

17. The Chairman said that he would invite HD representatives to follow up on the case at the next meeting.

18. Mr CHAN Wai-leung, Senior Project Coordinator/Pedestrian Hillside Links 4 of

Responsible Department

the HyD responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the project of the lift and pedestrian walkway system between Kwai Shing Circuit and Hing Shing Road in Kwai Chung, the contractor and subcontractor had commercial disputes last year, resulting in a shortage of manpower and materials, and intermittent suspension of work at the end of last year. Besides, due to the epidemic, construction materials could not be delivered to Hong Kong in February and March, which affected the progress of the project as a whole. The contractor had started to look for a new subcontractor in March and restarted the project. The overall structure of the lift tower had now taken shape, and the structure of the elevated pedestrian walkway had been completed in 2019. For the lift tower, they were now preparing to install glass elements and a ventilation system, and would later install the lift inside the lift tower. He hoped that the contractor would do their best to cooperate. The goal was to complete the works of the main part by the end of the year.

(ii) Due to the limited road width of Kwai Shing Circuit, it was necessary to close part of the road and implement one-lane two-way traffic when carrying out the footpath widening works. Therefore, the footpath widening works had to be carried out in phases. The consulting company had coordinated with the TD and the Police and would discuss arrangements if necessary.

19. Mr CHOI Nga-man pointed out that residents wanted to know when the lift and pedestrian walkway system could be used and asked the contractor for the specific project timetable.

20. Mr NG Kim-sing put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked the contractor for the specific project timetable.

(ii) Although there were no problems in the early stage of the project, it had faced repeated problems in a short period of time in 2020. He was worried that the works would be delayed continuously. Therefore, he hoped that the Department could ensure that residents could use the system at the end of 2020.

Responsible Department

21. Mr HUI Kei-cheung put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Regarding the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station, he asked whether the working drawings and models were the same as those in the consultation last year and whether the department could circulate the details and drawings to Members after the project was approved.

(ii) The Department planned to complete the project in the fourth quarter of 2022. He thought that there was not much time left. After the retrofitting of an escalator near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station, the flow of people would increase. Therefore, he requested the TD to urge MTR Corporation to consider retrofitting an escalator connecting to the lobby and the exit within 2023.

22. Mr WONG Bing-kuen opined that the HyD was not able to keep track of the progress of the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station. The Department needed to wait for the resolution of the PWSC and the FC of the LegCo but was not able to have a hold on the approval date. He was worried that the project would be delayed continuously, and thought that the Department had not taken the initiative to follow up on the relevant project. He hoped that the Department could provide additional information on the date of the FC meeting at which funding would be applied for the project.

23. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren opined that it was difficult to start the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station in the third quarter of 2020. The project was item no. 7 at the PWSC Meeting, but there were only two meetings left in this term of the LegCo and there were still many projects waiting for approval. He asked if representatives of the HyD would report to the Department about moving the relevant project to a higher position on the agenda. He thought that projects involving livelihoods should not be placed in a lower position.

24. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Currently, projects involving livelihoods that were not controversial were placed in a lower position on the PWSC Meeting agenda. He thought that

Responsible Department

the government could deal with projects related to livelihoods as soon as possible by shifting the agenda, but he thought it was difficult to have it done in the LegCo term this year.

(ii) He asked the HyD that if the project failed to get approval this year, what contingency plan was there to catch up with the progress of the project and complete it in 2022 as scheduled.

(iii) He requested the TD to convey to MTR Corporation the Committee’s request for the retrofitting of an escalator connecting to the lobby at Exit B of the MTR station.

25. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) Regarding the actual time to use the lift and pedestrian walkway system between Kwai Shing Circuit and Hing Shing Road, he pointed out that there was only half a year left before the estimated completion date, and he expressed concern about the situation.

(ii) In April, there were continuous cases of salary arrears for workers of the contractor and they had to seek the help of the Labour Department (LD) to solve the problem. However, the site foreman was still in arrears for the purchase of construction materials. He asked that if the financial situation of the contractor was not ideal, whether the LD and the HyD would intervene and help improve the situation.

26. Mr WONG Sing-wah responded that regarding the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station, the Department also hoped that the project could be implemented as soon as possible. Therefore, the procedures of tendering and the evaluation of tenders had been carried out simultaneously in September 2019. He pointed out that the internal progress was good and the Department would actively strive to pass the LegCo funding this year. If funding was obtained, the project would start immediately.

27. Mr MAN Wai-keung responded as follows:

(i) The current design of the works was not much different from the original

Responsible Department

design, and the details could be circulated to Members as additional information later.

(ii) In the project, the stairs had to be demolished and rebuilt to build the upper cover of the escalator, so it would take some time. If the LegCo funding could not be obtained this year, prefabricated parts would be used for the project to speed up the progress of the works.

(iii) The Department hoped to commence the works as soon as possible and would reflect with the relevant Bureau for moving the project to a higher position on the agenda.

28. The Chairman expressed his hope that the project of the retrofitting of an escalator at the footbridge near Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station could be completed as soon as possible. He recommended expressing to the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) that the project should be moved to a higher position on the meeting agenda.

29. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily responded that after receiving the relevant motion or meeting minutes, the Department would convey the opinion of retrofitting escalator facilities connecting to the lobby at Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR Station within 2023 to MTR Corporation, and the DC may also consider conveying the relevant opinion simultaneously.

30. Mr HO Man-tung, Onsite Engineer of Mannings (Asia) Consultants Limited responded as follows:

(i) The overall structure of the lift tower was completed in March 2020. The main work at this stage included the installation of glass elements and ventilation equipment on the lift tower, which would take about two to three months. The contractor was now building scaffolding for the installation works. It was hoped that the installation of glass elements and ventilation equipment could be completed by the end of August, and it would take another three to four months to install the lift. The consulting company had instructed the contractor and the subcontractor responsible for the installation of the lift to allocate resources, hoping to arrange for the installation of the lift simultaneously to speed up the progress.

Responsible Department

(ii) In terms of the salary of workers, the consulting company had dedicated personnel responsible for monitoring the payroll situation of the contractor. If the workers did not receive their salary, the consulting company would actively follow up. Beginning in March, the consulting company had taken the initiative to send letters and emails to remind the contractor to pay salaries on time, and would notify the LD should there be violations.

(iii) The consulting company and the HyD would review the project cost every month to ensure that the project cost was paid to the contractor as soon as possible according to the contract. As for the financial problems of the contractor, he hoped they could resolve them within two to three weeks.

(iv) The main structural components of the elevated walkway had been completed. The remaining works included the installation of the upper cover, glass guardrail and greening works. The current goal was to complete the main works of the lift tower and elevated walkway by the end of December.

31. Mr CHAN Wai-leung responded that not only Members and citizens, but also the Department and the consulting company did not want the contractor to fail in completing the project. If the contractor was unable to complete the project, the Department could only take back the relevant site, check the content and details of the remaining works, draft documents for tender, review again and hire a new contractor to complete the remaining works. Since it would take some time before the remaining works could be recommenced, the situation was not ideal. Therefore, the Department and the consulting company had urged the contractor and made coordination, so that the contractor would do their best to complete the project.

32. The Chairman received the following extempore motion:

Extempore motion: "Kwai Tsing DC was to request MTR to install an escalator at Exit B of Tai Wo Hau Station." (Proposed by Mr WONG Bing-kuen, seconded by Mr HUI Kei-cheung and Mr LEUNG Kam-wai)

33. The Chairman announced to decide whether to accept the extempore motion by voting. The Committee unanimously accepted the extempore motion.

Responsible Department

34. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the extempore motion by voting. The Committee unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

The Progress of the Plan to Install Seats and Real-Time Bus Service Information Display Panels in Covered Bus Terminus (Proposed by Mr WONG Bing-kuen) (TTC Paper No. 27, 27a, 27b, 27c/D/2020)

To Discuss the Progress of the Plan to Install Seats and Real-Time Bus Service Information Display Panels in the Bus Stops in Kwai Tsing District (Proposed by Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah) (TTC Paper No. 28/D/2020)

35. Mr WONG Bing-kuen briefly introduced Traffic & Transportation Paper No. 27/D/2020.

36. Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah briefly introduced Traffic & Transportation Paper No. 28/D/2020.

37. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny, Senior Transport Officer/ Kwai Tsing 1 of the TD responded that the purpose of the plan was to upgrade bus station facilities for the convenience of passengers waiting for buses, and planned to install seats at more than 2,000 covered bus terminuses in Hong Kong and real-time bus service information display panels at more than 1,000 covered bus terminuses equipped with electric devices. At present, seats had been installed at 92 covered bus terminuses and real-time bus service information display panels had been installed at 24 covered bus terminuses equipped with electrical installations in Kwai Tsing District, which accounted for 55% and 30% of the plan respectively. However, time was needed to study how to solve technical problems at individual bus stops, and the progress of the project would be affected. Installation could not be done at some bus stops due to factors of geographical environment and the conditions of the facility. The progress of installing seats and display panels in Kwai Tsing District was detailed in the attached table of the Paper.

38. Miss LEUNG Betsy, Manager (Public Affairs) of The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd (KMB) responded as follows:

Responsible Department

(i) The pavement space at the bus stop at Fu Kwai House, Tai Wo Hau, item no. 126 in the project, could not meet the requirement, and it would obstruct the passage of wheelchair users. Therefore, seats could not be installed.

(ii) KMB had applied for the installation of a display panel at Lei Pui Street Bus Terminus, which was item no. 2 of the project, but the height of the shelter after installing a display panel did not meet the recommended height requirement of 2.5 metres, so the plan had to be shelved.

(iii) Should there be technical problems at individual locations, they could be followed up or on-site inspections could be arranged with Members after the meeting.

39. The Chairman put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) Regarding the pavement space not meeting the requirement, he asked whether it was the TD that did not allow the installation, or it was KMB that found out it did not meet the standard after measuring it on its own, thus shelving the plan.

(ii) He and the TD had gone to the bus stop at Shek On House, Shek Lei Estate, which was item no. 140 of the project for an on-site inspection. At that time, the Department thought that seats could be installed at that location, but the Paper stated that the installation could not be done at the location. He asked if KMB might have thought that it did not meet the requirement after measuring by itself, but the TD would approve the retrofitting of facilities after carrying out an on-site inspection.

40. Miss LEUNG Betsy responded that the TD had stipulated that the passage for seat installations must be at least 1.5 metres wide so that wheelchair users could pass through. However, Lei Pui Street Bus Terminus did not meet the relevant regulation, therefore seats could not be installed.

41. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily responded that she had previously gone to the existing rain shelter provided by the Home Affairs Department (HAD) outside of Shek On House, Shek Lei Estate, Shek Pai Street with Members for a site inspection. During the

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inspection, she found that there was still space between the pillars of the rain shelter provided by the HAD to add new seats. Members could suggest that HAD fine-tune the design details so that the pavement could be maintained at no less than 1.5 metres after the installation of new seats, while it could also meet the needs of the public. As for the installation of new seating facilities to existing bus stop shelters, the bus company could refer to the above suggestions to determine whether they applied to existing bus stop shelters and their feasibility.

42. Miss LEUNG Betsy responded that on the day of the site inspection of the rain shelter, there was no representative from the bus company on-site, and she did not know the details of the recommendation of the TD, but she was willing to follow up or arrange an on-site inspection with the TD and Members.

43. Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah asked whether the titles at the bus stop locations would affect the installation of seats and display panels.

44. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded that most of the bus stops where seats and display panels would be installed under the subsidy scheme were on public roads or to shelters of KMB. If the land of individual bus stops belonged to other departments or organisations, they could communicate with KMB and relevant departments or organisations and study how to arrange the installations.

45. Mr HUI Kei-cheung pointed out that there was no power supply at some bus stops in the district currently, and asked whether the TD and KMB had considered the above situation for the installation of the relevant facilities. He pointed out that there was an urgency to install the relevant facilities at the bus stop at Exit B of Tai Wo Hau MTR station, and the facilities at Castle Peak Road Kwai Chung section towards Kowloon were insufficient. There was no power supply at that bus stop and therefore the installation of display panels could not be done. Last year, KMB had installed solar panels at old-style rain shelters to supply electricity. He asked whether KMB would consider installing the relevant electrical installations at large bus stops.

46. Mr WONG Bing-kuen said that he hoped that the TD and KMB would study the installation of a display panel at the bus stop outside Fu On House.

47. Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

Responsible Department

(i) There was no shelter at some bus stops. He asked whether KMB would install shelters to facilitate the installation of display panels.

(ii) The Paper showed that item nos. 8 and 188 were both the bus stop at North Kwai Chung Market, but one item was included in the second phase and the other was included in the third phase. He asked the Department whether it wanted to carry it out in two phases. He thought that the relevant arrangement was annoying to the residents and thought that all seats and display panels could be installed in the same phase.

48. Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The bus stop at Fu Kwai House, Tai Wo Hau Estate of item no. 126 of the project was an old-style bus stop. He suggested that KMB consider transforming it into a new-style bus stop with shelter while installing facilities such as seats at the same time.

(ii) The space at On Yam Bus Terminus of item nos. 13 and 14 was small. He understood the difficulty of installing display panels. But many residents ran for buses because they did not know the arrival time of the buses, thereby causing danger. He hoped that KMB could help install the facilities and make arrangements as soon as possible.

49. Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) The Paper pointed out that some bus stops were located in MTR station areas and could not be installed with display panels. He asked whether KMB had communicated with MTR Corporation, or could not carry out the installation for other reasons.

(ii) He asked the reasons for not being able to install display panels. The Paper showed that one of the reasons was the lack of electric power facilities at the bus stop. He pointed out that there was a solar panel on a bus stop in Lai King and asked why the technology was not promoted forcefully. He thought the technology was environmentally friendly and could also provide electricity for display panels. He hoped that KMB would respond to the feasibility of adding solar shelters at bus stops.

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(iii) Residents were looking forward to the installation of display panels. Certain bus service intervals were 20 to 30 minutes apart. The installation of display panels would make it easier for residents to reserve time for waiting.

50. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren said that the bus stop of item nos. 58, 79, 83 to 85, 87, and 88 was located at the Tsing Yi Railway Station Bus Terminus. The Department pointed out that the bus terminus was within the boundaries of MTR Corporation and therefore no installation of seats would be carried out. The land sale of Maritime Square 2 had resulted in a situation of confusion in land titles. The relevant issue had been discussed for many years. He asked when the TD would communicate with the Government Property Agency (GPA) and MTR Corporation for letting the government manage the relevant bus stop, when the relevant title would be transferred to the government, and under what circumstances it would consider installing relevant facilities.

51. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) According to LegCo documents in 2017, seats had been installed at the bus stop at Tsing Yi Station, and Maritime Square 2 had already been resold to MTR Corporation at that time. Under the condition that the title remained unchanged, he asked why facilities could be installed in 2017 but could not be installed now.

(ii) The area of Tsing Yi Station had to be managed by the government following the requirements of the land lease. He thought that there was a good chance that the location would be handed over to the government for management in 2020. The TD and KMB should be aware of the relevant timetable, so the plan for installing facilities at the bus stop at Tsing Yi Station should be arranged in the third phase.

52. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) A display panel could not be installed at the bus stop of item no. 121 because it had no shelter. He asked whether KMB could add a shelter to it.

(ii) The reason why seats could not be installed at the bus stop at Yan Kwai

Responsible Department

House, Kwai Chung Estate, Tai Wo Hau Road if item no. 231 was that the pavement was narrow and wheelchair users would not be able to pass through. However, he pointed out that there was a public housing development plan on Tai Wo Hau Road. The HD had stated that the bus stop would be moved under the flyover at Kwai Chung Estate when construction started, and he asked the TD and KMB whether they could consider relocating the bus stop earlier for the installation of seats.

53. Mr CHOI Nga-man put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Seats had been installed at the bus stop at Cho Yiu Chuen Commercial Centre, which was item no. 110, but there was no plan to install a display panel. Item no. 176 was also the bus stop at Cho Yiu Chuen Commercial Centre, but a display panel would be installed in the second phase of the project. He asked about the actual situation.

(ii) There was no shelter at the bus stop on King Cho Road, which was item no. 124. He hoped that KMB could add a shelter to it. At the beginning of the year, he had asked KMB when it would commence the works, but KMB replied that there was no power supply at the bus stop, so it needed to apply to the power company. He asked about the process and progress of the plan currently.

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

(i) The relevant works of the display panel at the bus stop at Tsing Yi West Road, which was item no. 57 of the project, took time to complete due to technical problems. She asked about the current progress.

(ii) The display panels at the bus stop of Cheung Hang Shopping Centre in Tsing Yi had been malfunctioning for a long time and the quality varied. She hoped that KMB would maintain the relevant facilities and face the problem squarely.

55. The Chairman said that the Secretariat would send out documents by post for Members to express their opinions after the meeting, and would relay the relevant opinions to the TD and KMB. The TD would then follow up with Members.

Responsible Department

(Post-meeting notes: The Secretariat sent a letter on 22 June 2020 to collect Members’ opinions on the installation of seats and real-time bus service information display panels at bus stops and had conveyed the opinions of Members to the TD.)

56. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded as follows:

(i) KMB would consider feasible options for the restrictions at each bus stop to study solutions for overcoming geographical and technical obstacles.

(ii) For bus stops without a shelter, the Department would encourage KMB to install and update facilities, such as the installation of electrical facilities.

(iii) The locations of certain bus stops were not managed by KMB. He would review the feasibility of installing additional facilities with relevant agencies or departments in different cases, including the situation at Tsing Yi Railway Station, and he would study feasible solutions with KMB.

(iv) The issue of the relocation of the bus stop at Kwai Chung Estate involved the public housing development plan. The relocation of the bus stop was also part of the overall housing development. If the relocation was to be carried out earlier, he had to discuss the feasibility with the HD.

57. Miss LEUNG Betsy responded as follows:

(i) KMB had self-financed the installation of solar panels at some old-style bus stops without power supply to turn on electric lights and mosquito traps. However, the power solar panels could supply was limited and technically not enough to drive display panels.

(ii) Regarding bus stops without a shelter, KMB would follow up with Members individually after receiving opinions from Members after the meeting.

(iii) He explained that in the Paper, the locations of some bus stops appeared repeatedly and the installations would be carried out in phases because the plan involved all bus stops in Hong Kong. KMB and the TD must draw up

Responsible Department

the sequence of the works based on objective factors of the bus stops. The priority for installation was bus stops near hospitals and outpatient clinics, followed by bus stops with service intervals of more than 20 minutes apart, and other bus stops with priority were those with more people waiting.

58. Mr LAU Chi-kit put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) The Paper listed 241 covered bus terminuses for the installation of seats and real-time bus service information display panels. However, some items were repeated and the area of Maritime Square was large. He did not know which bus stop the Paper was referring to and asked if the TD could list out the detailed locations.

(ii) Before the completion of Maritime Square 2, KMB had negotiated with MTR Corporation to reserve a space for a resting room for captains. He asked why display panels and seats could not be installed at the moment.

(iii) He asked whether the plan to install seats and real-time bus service information display panels did not include Cheung On Bus Terminus.

59. The Chairman asked KMB whether it could choose not to use government funding for the bus stop announcement system outside Shek Lei Shopping Centre and the large bus stop at Maritime Square, and KMB could install the relevant systems by itself.

60. Miss LEUNG Betsy responded that at bus stops where KMB had built a resting room for captains or a terminus supervisor office, in order to let passengers know the estimated time of bus arrivals, the display panels for bus captains to check their despatch information were faced outwards, so that passengers could also check the departure time of the next buses. Since the display panels had to be supported by a bracket and covered by a shelter to avoid their operation being affected by rain, it was necessary to consider whether the relevant supporting facilities were available when installing display panels at the bus stop.

Motion: Requests to Launch the Service of Low-floor Light Buses As Soon As Possible (Proposed by Miss WONG Pit-man and Mr SIN Ho-fai, seconded by Mr WONG Chun-tat)

Responsible Department

(TTC Paper No. 29, 29a/D/2020)

Motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council Requests the Transport Department to Implement Stringent Monitoring of the Operation of Green Minibuses, Withdraw the Operating Licence of Minibus Operators with Bad Track Records in the District as Penalty, and Meanwhile Implement a Better Reward and Punishment Mechanism to Bring Improvement to Green Minibus Services. (Proposed by Mr HON Chun-yin and Mr KWOK Tsz-kin, seconded by Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah and Mr CHEUNG Man-lung) (TTC Paper No. 30, 30a/D/2020)

Motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council Strongly Requests the Transport Department to Urge the Operator of Green Minibus Route No. 410 to Provide Services in Accordance with the Tender Contract. Otherwise, Re-tendering Would Be Considered for Improvement of Service Quality. (Proposed by Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen, seconded by Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah) (TTC Paper No. 31/D/2020)

61. Miss WONG Pit-man and Mr SIN Ho-fai briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 29/D/2020.

62. Mr HON Chun-yin, Mr KWOK Tsz-kin, Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah and Mr CHEUNG Man-lung briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 30/D/2020.

63. Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen and Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah briefly introduced TTC Paper No. 31/D/2020.

64. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the matter of a low-floor light bus of scheduled light bus route no. 413, the route was officially put into service on 1 March 2020 along with its packages, and when the Department invited the operator to operate the route, the operator had promised to deploy a new low-floor light bus that was wheelchair accessible within one year of the official start of service. The operator stated that it had looked for an agent to arrange for a low-floor light bus, and was carrying out relevant licencing procedures to

Responsible Department

provide services. The relevant low-floor light bus must meet the requirements of the Road Traffic Ordinance and pass the vehicle type approval of the TD before it could be put into service. According to the information of the Vehicle Safety and Standards Division of the TD, the Department had notified the applicant of the vehicle examination results and the items that did not meet the requirements and had asked the applicant to follow up as soon as possible. The Department would continue to follow up with the operator on the matter of a low-floor light bus. In terms of the examination criteria for low-floor light buses, low-floor light buses and general light buses belonged to the same vehicle category and were subject to the same legal supervision. The personnel of the vehicle examination section would conduct the vehicle type approval procedures following fixed legal requirements.

(ii) Regarding the frequency of scheduled light bus route no. 413, the Department would require the operator to provide services according to the fixed tables of service details. The Department had conducted an on-the-spot investigation on light bus route no. 413, and the results showed that from 7 am to 9 am, the average frequency of the route was about one departure every 20 minutes. The Department noted Members’ comments and would discuss with the operator the departure time, and how to let passengers be aware of the schedule of the route.

(iii) The TD requested all scheduled light bus operators to provide services according to the fixed tables of service details, including items such as the driving routes, timetables, and fares, etc. The Department would send personnel to investigate and monitor light bus services from time to time. If an operator was found to have failed to provide services according to the tables of service details, the Department would follow up and ask the operator to explain and remind it to operate according to the tables of service details. If the Department did not accept the explanation or the operator could not improve the service continuously, the Department would consider issuing it a warning letter.

(iv) Regarding the scheduled light bus route no. 410, the Department had recently conducted an investigation and found that the situation of lost trips had happened on Lei Pui Street for that route. The Department had issued a

Responsible Department

warning letter to the operator requesting it to improve the service as soon as possible. The Department would continue to follow up on the actual situation of the light bus route no. 410, and would meet with its management to discuss the current state of operation when necessary.

(v) Regarding the scheduled light bus package of route no. 88 in Tsing Yi, the Department would meet with the management of the operator to understand the current service conditions. It had conducted an on-the-spot investigation of the service of light bus route no. 88A and the departure time was set according to the table of service details. The Department would work with the operator to understand the content of complaints and service conditions. If the service was unsatisfactory and there was no continuous improvement, it would be issued a warning and requested to submit actual solutions for improvement.

65. The Chairman suggested inviting personnel of the vehicle examination section of the TD to attend the next meeting.

66. Mr WONG Bing-kuen asked if the TD planned to add low-floor light buses for routes to and from Princess Margaret Hospital.

67. Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah put forth opinions as follows:

(vi) The operation model and service quality of scheduled light buses varied. The TD should set up a penalty mechanism to improve the service.

(vii) Apart from the light bus package of route no. 88, the service quality of light bus route nos. 86 and 86M travelling to and from Shek Lei was unsatisfactory. The absence of a penalty mechanism would result in deteriorating light bus services.

68. Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen opined that one of the reasons for the poor operation of the operator was the lack of passengers. He suggested that light bus route no. 410 should be extended from the northeast of Kwai Chung to the south of Kwai Chung, or even extended to serve residents in Lai Yiu and Lai King, so as to increase the number of passengers and improve its operating capacity and quality.

Responsible Department

69. Mr SIN Chung-kai opined that light bus services at Lai King Hill were facing different problems, one of which was a shortage of drivers. Residents often complained that the compartments of light bus route nos. 47M, 97A, and 93 travelling to and from Wonderland Villas were dirty, but the operator could continue to submit tenders or even increase the fares without the fear of being penalised by the TD or the contract being terminated. The operator had not complied with its service promises. He thought that the TD had difficulties in monitoring light bus services, so he hoped to introduce single-deck bus services at Lai King Hill and Wonderland Villas to increase competition.

70. Mr HON Chun-yin pointed out that even if light bus operators provided services according to the fixed tables of service details, many residents reported that the attitude of light bus drivers was poor, and the sanitary condition of light bus compartments was also very poor. Section fares were charged for light bus route no. 88M after passing by Cheung Ching Estate. A driver once treated passengers with a bad attitude due to the fares. He pointed out that the franchise of the China Motor Bus Company was terminated in 1998 due to poor service attitude, but light bus operators rarely had their contracts terminated.

71. Mr LAU Chi-kit put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) There were no stop signs for light bus route no. 88E, but the relevant light bus route was displayed in the Hong Kong eTransport app. He asked the TD whether light bus route no. 88E existed. The operator had once said that the route had been closed for more than a year, and he asked the TD whether it would investigate only after receiving a complaint.

(ii) He asked the TD how it formulated the entire bus route planning programme. He thought that light bus services and bus services mutually influenced their patronage, while they also complemented each other. If light bus route no. 88E was set up, residents could travel to and from Maritime Square from central Tsing Yi.

72. Miss LEUNG Ching-shan put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) Light bus routes no. 89S and 89M were often merged on their terms, which confused the residents and also lengthened the travelling route for passengers. She asked if the TD had noticed the problem of light buses changing their routes.

Responsible Department

(ii) Residents often found it difficult to board light bus route no. 98 at Kwai Shing West Bus Terminus. The relevant problem had continued for a long time. Since the moving in of Kwai Luen Estate, the transportation facilities had been inadequate. Residents had to wait for multiple light buses at the last stop of light bus route no. 98 to Tsuen Wan before they could successfully board a light bus. She said that complaints were often received from residents.

(iii) There was no webpage to provide information on light bus services. She asked if the TD could create a webpage on light bus services or provide real-time light bus services information to let residents know the operating hours of light bus services.

73. Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The issue of low-floor light buses had been discussed as early as in 2015, but there was still no proper policy regarding light bus route no. 90P. He opined that the Department’s requirement on the size of low-floor light buses being the same as ordinary light buses was unreasonable, as low-floor light buses should be different in design. He pointed out that residents had to use light buses to travel to and from the hospitals in the district. It also took one kilometre of walking to get to Lai King Building of Princess Margaret Hospital from the nearest bus stop. He thought that the government should not use old ways of thinking in developing low-floor light buses.

(ii) Regarding the examination of low-floor light buses, he hoped to invite agents and personnel of the vehicle examination section of the TD to attend the next meeting to explain to Members the situation of the examinations, and when low-floor light buses could be introduced to provide more light bus services to and from the hospital, including light bus route no. 90P.

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

(i) He asked if the low-floor light buses of light bus route no. 413 did not meet the standards, whether the TD would withdraw its licence or would

Responsible Department

change the content of the tender and carry out re-tendering work. He pointed out that when 16-seat light buses were changed to 19-seats, the Department had also revised the original rules.

(ii) He asked whether only Toyota vehicles could be imported into Hong Kong. The development of low-floor light buses affected residents’ access to Princess Margaret Hospital. Many residents wished to have a light bus service, which would also be wheelchair accessible, directly to and from Princess Margaret Hospital, but it had not been implemented so far.

(iii) He thought that the existing penalty mechanism had not been able to regulate light bus services at all. He asked whether an operator could re-tender if its light bus services were not satisfactory, or if it would be penalised. He thought that regulating different services with ordinances for non-franchised buses could not handle the problems of light buses, village buses, or school buses at the same time.

(iv) He asked why KMB could provide real-time bus stop announcement data but light bus operators could not. He suggested that the TD should specify in future tender documents that the operators had to provide relevant data or real-time bus stop announcement information when operating.

(v) The service quality of light bus route no. 88 was not satisfactory. He asked whether the TD would consider re-tendering or had any penalty mechanism to deal with the situation. He thought that the TD was unable to handle the problem at the moment.

75. Mr SIN Ho-fai put forth opinions as follows:

(i) An agent had already arranged details for light bus route no. 413, but it had not passed the examination procedures at the moment. He agreed that it was necessary to invite agents and personnel of the vehicle examination section of the TD to attend the meeting and explain the situation.

(ii) Kwai Ching United Company was the operator of light bus route no. 88. He pointed out that it was difficult for the public to contact the light bus company on weekdays, reflecting that the TD had difficulty in monitoring

Responsible Department

the relevant operator and that the Department needed to follow up.

(iii) The TD had not provided the actual number of lost trips of light buses and information on the situation of the Department’s follow-up. He asked why there were no lost trip reports of light buses. He opined that the TD should at least provide information on light bus routes with more complaints received so that the Committee could follow up on the situation.

(iv) A lot of complaints had been received for light bus route no. 88A, but the TD had only issued a letter of reminder to the operator. However, after the drivers of light bus route no. 407 went on strike, the Department had issued a serious warning letter. He thought that the Department had employed double standards and wanted an explanation.

76. Miss WONG Pit-man expressed dissatisfaction with the services and overall planning of light buses in Tsing Yi. Light bus services were very important to the residents of Tsing Yi Island. Residents in Cheung Hong Estate, Cheung Ching Estate, and Rambler Crest relied on light bus services to connect to MTR services. The same light bus operator was currently operating six light bus routes, but the six light bus routes ran irregularly and the frequencies were sparse. Its services were not satisfactory, but the TD renewed the contract with the operator. Bus services in Tsing Yi were inadequate and light bus services were poor. She asked the TD how it would deal with the problem, and suggested discussing the introduction of non-franchised public light buses.

77. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked whether the TD would consider planning to introduce low-floor light buses as a whole. At present, a low-floor light bus was provided only for light bus route no. 32H, but it ran once an hour only. It was not convenient for people with disabilities to go to the hospital for consultations.

(ii) The TD stated that it would regularly monitor light bus services, but had never submitted any reports and data. He hoped that the TD would submit the investigations on light bus services conducted in the past one to two years and the results at the next meeting.

Responsible Department

(iii) The problem of lost trips of light buses was serious. Many routes did not run according to the fixed routes. A real-time stop announcement system could help monitor light bus services and let passengers know when the light buses would arrive.

78. Mr KWOK Tsz-kin put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked what incentives the TD had provided for light bus operators to introduce low-floor light buses.

(ii) He asked how many warning letters the TD had issued to the six light bus routes operated by Kwai Ching United Company in the past two years, and about the data of the relevant investigations.

(iii) The sanitary condition of light bus compartments operated by Kwai Ching United Company was not good. Both the drivers and the terminus supervisors ignored the situation.

79. Mr CHEUNG Man-lung put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The poor service of light bus route nos. 88A and 43A reflected the lack of government supervision. There was only a wooden sign at the last stop of light bus route no. 88A indicating that passengers could wait there, while there were no instructions at other light bus stops. He asked the TD if there was any way to require light bus operators to provide stop signs or a real-time stop announcement system.

(ii) Light bus route no. 88E was a short-distance route derived from route no. 88A, but afterwards the TD had approved the operation of route no. 409, which overlapped with the set route of light bus route no. 88E, causing the operator to suspend the service of light bus route no. 88E. The TD had not faced up to the relevant issue so far. The fare of light bus route no. 88E was cheaper than that of route no. 409, which could attract passengers, but the lack of running schedules had reduced the number of passengers. Therefore, it had not been able to increase light bus services between central Tsing Yi and Tsing Yi Station for many years.

Responsible Department

80. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman said that the services of buses and light buses in the Kwai Shing area were not satisfactory and the problem of lost trips was serious. In the past, there were residents’ buses going to Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui, but the TD had later approved KMB to provide special trip services in the morning, such that residents’ bus services could not continue. However, light bus services had not improved so far. He thought that the TD should seriously study the reintroduction of residents’ bus services to solve the problem of the insufficient bus and light bus services.

81. Mr HUI Kei-cheung put forth opinions as follows:

(i) At present, there was no system to regulate the services of light buses. In Kwai Tsing District, many residential buildings built on hillsides, such as Wah Lai, Shek Lei, and Upper Tai Wo Hau, relied on light bus services. The development of light bus services was lagging. Light bus route no. 313 travelling to and from the hospital had not yet introduced the low-floor light bus service since its operation so far. He hoped that the TD would implement the relevant service.

(ii) Residents often complained about light bus routes no. 313 and 89, stating that the routes did not pass by Shek Tau Street. However, the TD only responded that it would regulate the relevant service. At present, there were no reward and penalty system and stop announcement system. He opined that the supervision of the TD was insufficient.

82. Mr NG Kim-sing pointed out that before the moving in of Kwai Luen Estate in 2011, the TD had been asked many times to consider some specific solutions to solve potential traffic problems. However, he opined that the Department had not taken it seriously and hoped that the Department could provide specific solutions.

83. Mr CHOI Nga-man put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) Many traffic problems had persisted for many years. He asked about the effect of the warning letters issued by the TD. Documents showed that the Department had issued a serious warning letter to the operator of light bus route no. 407. He asked about the consequences and how long the validity period lasted.

Responsible Department

(ii) He opined that Members had limited information and the current system was not transparent. Some residents had reported that the problem of lost trips and change in the route on their terms had happened with light bus services many times. There had even been cases where an entire route disappeared.

(iii) The lost trips situation of light bus route no. 91 often happened. He hoped that the TD would introduce bus services to solve the problem.

(iv) The low-floor light bus of route no. 413 was not officially put into service. However, Members were not able to know the reasons why the relevant light bus did not meet the vehicle examination standards. There were low-floor light buses being deployed at the moment. He hoped that the TD could provide more information and put the route into service as soon as possible.

84. The Chairman put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He opined that the TD should introduce low-floor light buses as soon as possible.

(ii) There had been an understaffing of drivers for light bus route nos. 403 and 86M since the epidemic, and it was difficult to recruit more drivers. He thought it was difficult for the TD to manage light bus services. Some operators were listed companies, but they still did not follow the fixed routes for their light bus services, and the situation continued after receiving complaints.

(iii) Light buses of route no. 410 were already full in Shek Yam area, so the light buses would leave directly from Shek Tau Street. He opined that the TD had never monitored the situation. In the past, the DC had only cared about bus services. He hoped to strengthen the discussion of the light bus issues at the working group meetings.

(iv) Light bus services had been insufficient in recent months, and the decline in the number of passengers had reduced the frequencies of light buses. He hoped that the TD would face up to the issues raised by Members.

Responsible Department

(v) Regarding the matter of vehicle examination of route no. 413, he opined that personnel of the vehicle examination section of the TD should be invited to attend the next meeting to explain the ways of the vehicle examination to Members. He asked about the reasons why low-floor light buses could not be introduced for scheduled light buses to and from Princess Margaret Hospital.

85. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded as follows:

(i) The agent of the operator of route no. 413 was arranging for the relevant low-floor light bus to go through the vehicle type approval at the TD. The TD had explained the requirements for improvement to the applicant. Low-floor light buses and ordinary light buses were regulated by law and had to go through the vehicle type approval. The newly introduced low-floor light buses had longer bodies, so they would exceed the maximum length of light buses by law. After the TD assessed traffic safety and the benefits of low-floor light buses to the interest of the public, it would consider exempting the relevant restriction, but at the same time, other regulations on the vehicle examination must be passed. The Department would continue to review the effectiveness of low-floor light buses and discuss with the industry how to further promote low-floor light buses that were wheelchair accessible.

(ii) The vehicle examination details of scheduled light bus route no. 413 were information belonging to the applicant, so the TD could not disclose the details for the time being. It understood that Members were concerned about the progress of the low-floor light bus and would continue to follow up with the operator so that it could fulfil its promise to put the low-floor light bus into service within one year of service, and hoped to complete the process as soon as possible.

(iii) Regarding the supervision of light bus services, the Department required all scheduled light bus services to operate according to the service details in the fixed tables of service details. The Department would conduct on-the-spot investigations, and if any violation of the service details were found, it would ask the operator to make improvements. If the situation

Responsible Department

continued, a warning would be issued. When the Department was conducting regular reviews with an operator, the number of warning letters would be used as one of the factors taking into account to assess its service performance. At the same time, it would also consider the overall service quality, financial performance, passenger complaints, and the level of facilities provided to decide whether to renew its scheduled light bus passenger service licence.

(iv) The TD would issue a warning letter to scheduled light bus route no. 410 for the reason that its trips and driving route did not follow the service details. It would continue to follow up on its improvement and request it to provide actual improvement plans.

(v) The TD would monitor multiple scheduled light bus services in Tsing Yi including routes no. 88A and 88E with the operator’s management according to procedures. If the services were not arranged according to the service details, the Department would consider issuing a warning letter. If the situation persisted, it might consider whether to renew its passenger service licence.

(vi) The TD would also consider the need to adjust the services of each light bus routes in light of their financial feasibility and operating conditions of light bus services so that they could be operated under a sound financial condition and continue to provide scheduled light bus services.

(vii) The service details of scheduled light buses were shown on the webpage of the TD.

(viii) The real-time stop announcement system of scheduled light buses was in the development stage. Funded by the government, the relevant plan was to install a positioning system for scheduled light buses in Hong Kong to obtain real-time data on light buses. It would provide the public with relevant information through the app of the TD. The entire system covered all scheduled light buses and would be open to the public after the installations were completed.

(ix) The Department would carefully supervise light bus services and learn

Responsible Department

about the current service situations and would require operators to upgrade their services according to the mechanism to meet the transportation needs of residents.

86. The Chairman requested the TD to submit a report on the warning letters that the Department had issued to light bus operators in Kwai Tsing District at the next meeting.

87. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded that there was no information on the number of warning letters at the moment, and would consider the relevant suggestion.

88. Mr CHEUNG Man-lung put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) He asked the TD where and when it had investigated light bus route no. 88A. He hoped that the TD would list out a schedule report of route no. 88A in detail. He wanted to know the crux of the problem.

(ii) He asked about the number of complaints on each light bus route and the types of complaints so that Members could monitor the situation. He also urged the TD to not only conduct investigations at terminuses but also send personnel to travel on the relevant light bus routes.

89. Mr KWOK Tsz-kin asked how many warning letters the TD had issued to Kwai Ching United Company.

90. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked about the timetable for implementing the light bus real-time stop announcement system.

(ii) He asked about the full implementation of the specific plan for putting low-floor light buses into service in Kwai Tsing District, such as for light bus route no. 313 and other light bus services to the hospital.

(iii) He requested the TD to provide a report on the monitoring of light buses in Kwai Tsing District from 2019 to 2020, such as the stops or locations where investigations were conducted and how many warning letters were issued.

Responsible Department

91. Miss WONG Pit-man suggested studying the reorganisation of the light bus services in Tsing Yi.

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

(i) He asked if low-floor light buses could not be provided for light bus route no. 413, whether the TD would withdraw its licence or allow it to continue operating without low-floor light buses.

(ii) He opined that the warning letters had no deterrent effect and asked when the licence of light bus route no. 88 would expire.

(iii) The TD had once stated that the public could obtain light bus real-time stop announcement information in the Hong Kong eTransport app of the TD in 2022. He asked why it was still in the research stage at the moment, and whether private companies were willing to disclose their big data.

(iv) He requested the TD to submit lost trip reports of light buses at each meeting. He opined that the Department should obtain information from the light bus companies.

93. Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve opined that through the reply of the TD, it was difficult to know how other light bus operators could join the market. As there were no public guidelines provided by the TD, he believed that the Department had no sincerity in introducing low-floor light buses. He asked if the TD had provided any assistance so that low-floor light buses could be introduced for light bus route no. 413 or other light bus routes as soon as possible.

94. Miss LEUNG Ching-shan put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) She asked under what circumstances the TD would issue a warning letter and what were the relevant guidelines. She hoped that the TD could publish the warning letters it had issued on its website so that the public would know about the warning letters that the light bus companies had received and the frequencies.

Responsible Department

(ii) She asked about the actual plan and timetable for real-time stop announcement of light buses.

95. Mr LAU Chi-kit pointed out that according to the webpage of the TD, the information on light bus route no. 88E was updated on 4 October 2018. He opined that the last time the relevant information was updated was two years ago, and questioned whether the TD had conducted any on-site inspections. He hoped that the TD could provide information on how it made contracts with light bus operators and the effect of the warning letters.

96. Mr HON Chun-yin opined that issuing warning letters to the operators was useless. The TD issued warning letters regarding the schedules of light buses, but it had not addressed public complaints about the service attitude of light bus drivers or the cleanliness of the compartments. Therefore, he asked whether the warning letters issued by the Department were arranged by category, and hoped that the TD could accept the opinions of Members and provide the number of complaints on scheduled light buses.

97. Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen pointed out that he had discussed the installation of a real-time stop announcement system with a light bus operator more than ten years ago. The operator had tried to conduct research and develop but failed in the end due to a lack of resources. At present, the real-time stop announcement system was developed by the government with its funds. He hoped that the TD could provide more details about the use of data in writing, as he was worried about personal privacy issues.

98. Mr HUI Kei-cheung requested the TD to submit information about the monitoring situation and penalty mechanism of light bus routes no. 313 and 89 before the next meeting. He pointed out that light buses of the two routes often bypassed Shek Tau Street.

99. Mr NG Kim-sing asked if the TD and the light bus companies had a hold on operational data, and whether they could submit relevant information at each meeting.

100. The Chairman pointed out that citizens did not know how to complain about scheduled light bus services. There were no stop signs at light bus stops, and there was no contact information of light bus companies. He requested the TD to submit the number of complaints on light bus services at the meeting.

101. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded as follows:

Responsible Department

(i) He noted Members’ requests to provide information such as the number of complaints, investigations, and letters, etc., and would review and consider Members’ opinions.

(ii) The real-time stop announcement system was in the development stage. He would provide more detailed information and the progress of the plan after the meeting. The TD would launch the relevant system.

(iii) Low-floor light buses were also subject to legal supervision and needed to undergo vehicle examination procedures. The details of individual light bus examinations were information belonging to the applicants. The details could not be disclosed to Members yet. The operator of route no. 413 had to provide a low-floor light bus within one year of service as required. The TD would try its best to follow up on the problem during the period. The relevant matters would be discussed with the operator according to the situation, and the matter according to relevant requirements would be handled.

(iv) The Department had issued warning letters to Kwai Ching United Company, but there was no information on the expiry dates of the passenger service licences of individual light buses.

(v) If any light bus service violated the provisions of the table of service details, the Department would consider issuing a warning letter to the operator. The number of warning letters would be one of the considerations when TD reviewed its performance, and also one of the factors in whether it would renew its passenger service licence.

(vi) If the operator of scheduled light bus route no. 413 failed to provide a low-floor light bus as required one year after the service was launched, the TD would first understand the reasons according to the content of the tender, and then take appropriate follow-up work, and discuss with the operator on how to solve the problem.

102. The Chairman suggested that the TD should provide more information at the next meeting and inviting personnel of the vehicle examination section and agents to attend the

Responsible Department

meeting to give details.

103. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren asked whether it was possible to include lost trip reports of light buses on the regular agenda. He thought that light bus companies could provide data to the TD for report consolidation.

104. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny pointed out that regarding the submission of lost trip reports of light buses, the actual situation needed to be considered before making the decision.

Motion: Requests to Launch the Service of Low-floor Light Buses As Soon As Possible (Proposed by Miss WONG Pit-man and Mr SIN Ho-fai, seconded by Mr WONG Chun-tat)

105. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the motion by voting. The Committee unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

106. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the motion by voting. The Committee unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

107. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the motion by voting. The

Responsible Department

Committee unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

The Transport Department to Introduce Interval-based Speed Enforcement System on Tsuen Wan Road (Proposed by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren and Mr SIN Ho-fai) (TTC Paper No. 32, 32a/D/2020)

108. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren and Mr SIN Ho-fai briefly introduced the paper.

109. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew, Engineer/District Facilities of the TD responded that the interval-based speed enforcement system would be installed on a trial basis on Tsuen Wan Road near Tsuen Wan West Station and Tsuen Wan Park. It was mainly to test the feasibility and reliability of the implementation of the system in Hong Kong, including the impact on the operation of the system under different traffic and weather conditions, and the locations of the test were still in the planning stage.

110. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim, Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team, Kwai Tsing Police District of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) responded that the plan was not regional. He had asked the Police headquarters and liaised closely with the TD. For the time being, the system was in the testing stage. There were no details of any execution actions, and the data would not be used for any prosecution.

111. The Chairman put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) How the relevant system applied for funding in the LegCo.

(ii) Apart from Tsuen Wan Road, whether there were other locations in Hong Kong where the system was being tested.

112. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew responded as follows:

(i) The Department had not decided on the actual installation of the relevant system and the locations for law enforcement. At this stage, it was only preliminary work of system testing.

(ii) In addition to the Tsuen Wan West Station area, the testing locations also included a section of the West Kowloon Corridor from the Cherry Street

Responsible Department

Park Tennis Courts to Cheung Mou Street to test the feasibility of its technology and hardware.

113. Mr LAU Chi-kit put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked the TD about the sources of funding for the preliminary work.

(ii) He asked how many lenses would be installed for the system, whether the entire licence plates would be photographed, and how the distance would be calculated.

(iii) He thought that the system would affect the driving patterns of many drivers and that the public must be consulted. The TD had not provided any information about the interval-based speed enforcement system to Members.

114. Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked about the cost of the interval-based speed enforcement system, where it was ordered from and where it was manufactured.

(ii) He thought that it was unreasonable to use the system on Tsuen Wan Road when the public was not clear about the details. Although the current measures to combat speeding were inadequate and the technologies were quite backward, he hoped that the Department’s use of new technology could make people feel at ease and that their privacy would be protected. Although the Department had stated that the information would not be used in law enforcement, the public had the right to know about the content of the images. The TD also needed to explain matters such as the sources of funding, the trial period of the system, how the system would be formally implemented, and whether it would be used outside of Tsuen Wan Road.

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

(i) The system would be piloted in 2021. The section was an important road linking Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, and Tsuen Wan, but the TD had not

Responsible Department

conducted consultation beforehand and it was a big problem.

(ii) He asked the TD about the sources of funding for the preliminary work, the testing locations of the system, and how the data and information would be processed after the test was completed.

(iii) If the system was successfully tested, whether it would be implemented in Hong Kong. He asked about the timetable for the implementation of the system.

(iv) He thought that it was difficult to support the testing work of the TD without detailed information.

116. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He had reservations about the system testing. The TD should take the initiative to submit documents to explain the details and consult the public. There was currently a lack of information.

(ii) There was a similar average speed detection system at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. He asked the TD what the original intention of the testing was.

(iii) The significance of the system was to assist the subsequent law enforcement work. He thought that the TD needed to explain how it would process the collected data and how long and where it would be stored.

117. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai opined that the use of the system involved privacy issues. The LegCo had stated at the time that it did not support the implementation of the relevant system, but the TD continued to implement it, which was unreasonable. He suggested that the relevant department of the TD explain the pilot plan to the Committee and provide more complete details of the plan at the next meeting.

118. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman opined that the TD did not have enough information to explain the details of the whole plan. He suggested inviting the personnel responsible for the system to attend the next meeting to explain the operation of the system and how they dealt with privacy issues in a complete and detailed manner. He

Responsible Department supported the use of new technology to solve the speeding problem, but it should not affect public privacy. He was worried that data would be misused. The way the Department was handling it had caused doubts amongst the public. He thought that there was a need for the Department to disclose the details.

119. Mr CHOI Nga-man asked whether the Committee could overrule the system testing.

120. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew responded as follows:

(i) There was currently no information on the funding for the preliminary work and the actual locations for installation. The installation of the relevant system required a camera to be set up at the exit and the entrance respectively. The exact locations would depend on the road section for the testing.

(ii) The TD had engaged a consulting company to conduct a privacy impact assessment, and would strictly abide by the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance when collecting and processing data through the application of the system.

(iii) The operation of the interval-based speed enforcement system would identify the licence plate numbers of vehicles passing through the exits and entrances, and calculate the average speed of the vehicles on the road section. After the calculation, the system would only store the licence plate numbers of vehicles that had exceeded the statutory speed of the road section. The maximum speed on the section of Tsuen Wan Road was 70 kilometres per hour. The system would only record the licence plate numbers of vehicles with a speed exceeding 70 kilometres per hour, and delete the licence plate numbers of other vehicles immediately.

121. Mr CHEUNG Kwan-kiu, Steve hoped that the representative of the TD could clarify whether there was no relevant information of the system for the time being, or the entire department of the TD did not have the relevant information.

122. The Chairman suggested inviting relevant personnel from the TD and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to introduce the system. He also

Responsible Department requested that the testing be suspended temporarily, and the details be explained to the public to clear up doubts.

Information Papers

Kwai Tsing District Traffic Accident Report (TTC Paper No. 33/I/2020)

123. Mr WONG Bing-kuen suggested that the Police should make a brief report first at each meeting.

124. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim briefly introduced the above-mentioned Paper.

125. Mr LEUNG Wing-kuen said that there was a traffic black spot near the area of an American fast food restaurant on Wo Yi Hop Road, Yuen Secondary School, and Shui King Building. Many residents complained that there were often red minibuses making U-turns in the centre of the road. He hoped that the Police would step up prosecutions at the black spots.

126. Mr LAU Chi-kit pointed out that parking violations in the area may lead to traffic accidents. At night, many heavy vehicles were parked illegally on Ching Hong Road and Tam Kon Shan Road, obstructing the vision of drivers and posing a danger. The problem of illegal parking involved the long-term planning of parking spaces for heavy vehicles in Tsing Yi, but he did not see the Police taking any enforcement actions. He asked what actions the Police had taken to avoid traffic accidents.

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

(i) The illegal parking of heavy vehicles on Ching Hong Road was serious. The Police had recently carried out law enforcement and towing operations, but the illegal parking situation continued on weekends. There were vehicles parked at bus stops, making it impossible for buses to pick up and drop off passengers. He hoped that the Police would pay attention to the situation.

(ii) The southwestern area of Tsing Yi was developing continuously. He predicted that the problem of insufficient parking spaces would become

Responsible Department

more and more serious. He hoped that the Committee would have in-depth discussions about the issue in the future.

128. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai wished to follow up on the traffic accident that occurred in Wo Kwai Lane on 17 March. On that day, a private car lost control and crashed into a light bus, causing serious injuries to passengers. He learnt that the injured had been unable to work for some time and asked the Police whether anyone was prosecuted in the incident. He hoped that the Police would investigate seriously and enforce the law strictly.

129. Mr LEUNG Kwok-wah put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) Regarding the traffic accident on Shek Yam Road on 12 April, he asked the Police about the definition of a minor traffic accident. He said that the injured fainted at the time and was taken to the hospital, who needed to stay in the hospital for one day and went for follow-up consultations in May and June. He thought the accident was not minor.

(ii) Following up on the traffic black spot on Shek Pai Street, he said that the bus stop at Shek Chun House was often fully parked with container trucks and coaches at night. The Police used to take law enforcement actions at this location, but the illegal parking situation had continued recently. Another traffic black spot was at the entrance of Salesian Yip Hon Millennium Primary School. Turning right was not allowed at this location, but many drivers turned right to Castle Peak Road for convenience. However, there was a pedestrian crossing nearby, thus danger was caused easily. He asked if there were measures to prevent drivers from turning right at that location.

130. Mr CHEUNG Man-lung pointed out that many traffic accidents occurred on Tam Kon Shan Road and Tam Kon Shan Interchange, which involved bicycle accidents. He asked whether the TD could study the feasibility of constructing cycling tracks to protect the safety of cyclists. At present, the illegal parking of heavy vehicles on this section of the road was serious, and the obstructions at the interchange had caused accidents. He hoped that the Police would strictly prosecute illegally parked vehicles.

131. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim responded as follows:

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(i) He noted the illegal parking of vehicles and would arrange for enforcement again.

(ii) If there were new developments in the accident of Wo Kwai Lane, he would explain them to the relevant Member.

(iii) Assessing the levels of injury and severities of traffic accidents may sometimes be delayed. When a case was classified again, it may become a serious accident. Initially, if the injured in a general traffic accident stayed in the hospital for more than 12 hours, it would be classified as a serious traffic accident. Sometimes the injured person was re-admitted to the hospital after being discharged from the hospital, then the calculation had to be done again. The Police had guidelines to define the severity of traffic accidents.

132. Mr NG Ho-leung, Jacky, Engineer/Tsing Yi of the TD responded that the TD had studied the feasibility of constructing a cycling track on Tam Kon Shan Road, but there were many large vehicles driving at this location, and the space was limited, while there were many large shipyards and industrial sites. It was difficult to build additional cycling tracks. The Department recommended that cyclists pay special attention to the vehicles there and refer to the Road Users’ Code. When cycling, they needed to stay in the left-hand lane and wear a helmet.

133. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily responded that Millennium Primary School and Shek Pai Street were not black spots of traffic accidents. She had visited Millennium Primary School with DC members of the district to study whether there were temporary measures to prevent vehicles from turning right. She would discuss measures with the Police after the meeting.

134. The Chairman said that red minibuses often made U-turns in the centre of the road, posing a danger to pedestrians. He hoped that the Police could pay more attention and strictly enforce the law.

Projects and Timetables of Major Traffic Improvement Works Completed in the Past Two Months, In Progress or to be Commenced in Six Months by the Highways Department (TTC Paper No. 34/I/2020)

Responsible Department

135. Mr HUI Kei-cheung pointed out that item 7 of the Paper concerning the pit works at the junction of Texaco Road near Tai Wo Hau Road had been delayed for some time. There were accidents when elderly people passed by at this location from time to time. He hoped that the road improvement works could be completed as soon as possible with the assistance of all parties.

136. Mr LAU Chi-kit enquired about the working drawings and approximate location of the pit works at the existing scheduled light bus parking area for the reconstruction and extension at Tam Kon Shan Road near Christian Nationals’ Evangelism Commission Lui Ming Choi Primary School, which was item 89 of the Paper. He said that widening the light bus parking area would allow more light buses to be parked there. However, a large number of private vehicles were parked at this location at night, which had to be reported to the Police. He asked the department whether the extension of the parking area would attract more private vehicles and how it could ensure that light buses could be parked there in the midnight, and whether the widening of Tam Kon Shan Road would affect the traffic lanes in both directions.

137. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman said that he was following up on item 41 of the Paper regarding the change of road signs on Kwai Luen near the bus terminus. At present, taxis were often parked at this location during peak hours, which blocked the road. However, after the road signs were replaced in May, the actual traffic situation had not improved. Taxis were parked at the bus stop for a long time, causing congestion. He asked the TD and the Police whether they would work together to drive away taxis during peak hours and study the conversion of the taxi stand in the front into a bus stop to reduce congestion and accidents.

138. Ms NG Wai-ki, District Engineer/Works (SW) of the HyD responded as follows:

(i) She understood Members’ concerns about item 7 of the Paper concerning the improvement works at the junction of Texaco Road near Tai Wo Hau Road. The Department was beginning to study temporary traffic measures and would maintain communication with Members and relevant stakeholders, and conduct on-site inspections with DC members of the district if necessary.

(ii) Item 89 of the Paper concerning the reconstruction of Tam Kon Shan Road

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near Christian Nationals’ Evangelism Commission Lui Ming Choi Primary School and the extension of the existing scheduled light bus parking area was nearing completion, and it was found that underground utilities would hinder future improvement works. The Department would contact relevant agencies to relocate their facilities later.

139. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily responded that she had received reports from Members and citizens about the illegal parking at the pedestrian crossing near Kwai Luen Road. Pedestrians could not see the direction of coming cars at the crossing due to blocked visions, which caused danger. Therefore, the TD has entrusted the HyD with the task to add double yellow lines in front of the crossing, hoping to improve pedestrian safety. As for the proposal to convert the taxi stand on Kwai Luen Road to a bus stop, it had to be discussed with the Transport Officer. It may affect the operation of taxis.

140. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim responded that concerning the illegal parking of taxis on Kwai Luen Road, the Police had taken actions to drive them away and enforce the law by video recording, and prosecuted an average of 10 to 12 taxis.

141. Mr NG Ho-leung, Jacky responded that the design concept of item 89 of the Paper to reconstruct and extend the light bus parking area was to meet the needs of light bus parking. Regarding the illegal use of light bus parking areas by other vehicles, the TD would step up liaison and communication with the Police to assist the Police in strengthening law enforcement.

Lost Trip Reports of Buses from March to April 2020 (TTC Paper No. 35/I/2020)

142. Mr HON Chun-yin pointed out that the Paper was too brief. The TD stated that the lost trips of buses were due to the epidemic, but classed had been resumed in schools and he still received complaints from residents about lost trips of buses. Residents said they spent 30 minutes waiting for route no. 42A at the bus stop at Ching Tao House. He pointed out that in the southern area of Tsing Yi, buses were used as the main means of transportation, and the problem of lost trips affected the lives of residents.

143. Mr LAU Chi-kit put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) He asked the TD why there was no data of schedules from February to

Responsible Department

April. The TD should submit relevant information again.

(ii) He had noticed that a captain of route no. 44M had immediately let passengers board the bus after arriving at the terminus without taking a break. The journey of route no. 44M took more than 40 minutes, and he thought the situation was unreasonable. KMB should deploy services in a way that captains could take a break. Insufficient rest of captains may endanger the safety of passengers. He hoped KMB would follow up on the incident.

144. Miss LEUNG Ching-shan pointed out that the lost trip reports reflected the status of the schedules from March to April. In previous meetings, the Committee had repeatedly raised the problem of lost trips of buses. KMB had used the epidemic as an excuse to reduce schedules. She asked when the TD could submit lost trip reports again.

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

(i) Documents of the TD stated that the franchised bus company needed to allocate resources flexibly due to the epidemic, but he believed that the Department and the bus company could still submit lost trip reports and should re-consolidate the reports using approved schedules as a standard. He asked whether the TD was not willing to submit the report or the bus company was not willing to submit the data.

(ii) Regarding the situation where the captain did not take a break for route no. 44M, he said it was not the first time he had noticed the problem. KMB should pay attention to the rights and interests of captains. He said he could not accept the situation.

146. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai pointed out that the TD had not submitted lost trip reports of buses since the last meeting. Members had suggested that if the calculation method of the lost trip reports of buses was to be adjusted, the TD should discuss with the Committee how to make the statistics. He thought that when there was no new statistical method, the old method should be used first. The TD should submit lost trip reports from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the present for Members’ reference. He asked whether KMB had not provided the data or the TD held the data but had not submitted it to the Committee.

Responsible Department

147. Mr KWOK Tsz-kin opined that the problem of lost trips of buses had nothing to do with the epidemic, and the problem had always existed. For example, the frequency of route no. 248M was insufficient. Passengers had difficulty getting on the bus at the bus stop at Ching Tao House, and there had been lost trips for route no. 42A for a long time before the epidemic. He asked the TD and KMB how they dealt with the situation of passengers stranded at the bus stop.

148. Mr CHEUNG Man-lung pointed out that route no. 44M had resumed normal, but he thought that the frequency in the mornings was still insufficient. During peak hours, residents needed to wait 15 minutes for a bus. He thought that the TD needed to provide data about lost trips of buses as soon as possible.

149. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded that the bus company had applied to the TD for service adjustments during March and April 2020. The approved actual operating schedules of the bus company were different from the fixed schedules. Therefore, the bus company needed time to adjust the relevant data. There were quite some bus routes involved and the duration of service adjustments was relatively long. The Department and the bus company would submit relevant data to the Committee after finishing the collation.

150. Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong responded as follows:

(i) The frequencies had returned to normal levels since April. He noted Members’ opinions that the frequencies were insufficient, such as route nos. 42A, 44M, and 948. KMB would send staff to observe them from time to time and would learn about the situation at the last stop of route no. 42A.

(ii) The journey of route no. 44M took about 40 minutes. Under normal road conditions, there was sufficient time for travelling from Cheung On Estate to Kwai Chung Estate. He would find out whether the driving time was affected by road conditions, resulting in a shorter break for the captain, but he emphasised that KMB would not reduce the break time of captains and he would further learn about the situation.

Any Other Business

Responsible Department

151. The Chairman received the following extempore motion:

Extempore motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing DC urged the Lands Department (LandsD) to strengthen the supervision of tenants of short-term tenancy car parks under the LandsD of Kwai Tsing District, not to monopolise government support relief measures, and to ride through the difficult times with drivers and adjust the rents of the car parks. (Proposed by Mr WONG Chun-tat, seconded by Miss WONG Pit-man and Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren)

152. The Chairman announced to decide whether to accept the extempore motion by voting. The Committee unanimously accepted the extempore motion.

153. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the extempore motion by voting. The Committee unanimously endorsed the extempore motion.

154. Mr CHOI Nga-man said that traffic radars for the pilot project of a real-time traffic light adjustment system had been installed in Cho Yiu area. The system had not been implemented and tested, but video pedestrian detectors would be installed to sense pedestrians. Residents expressed concern about the system. He hoped that the TD would reply squarely on the clarity of the images, how it would store the images, and whether the images would be made public.

155. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew responded that the TD had a dedicated department in charge of the pilot programme. He would relay the opinions of Members and ask the relevant personnel to contact the DC members of the district and provide them with the information.

156. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren wished to discuss the issue of smart parking in the district and hoped that the responsible personnel of the TD could attend the next meeting.

157. Mr WONG Tin-yan asked how the problem of insufficient parking spaces for medium and large vehicles would be solved in addition to police enforcement, and whether the TD and the LandsD would conduct a large-scale review to examine the parking problem in Kwai Tsing District. He pointed out that there was a container terminal in Kwai Tsing District, and with subsequent building developments, the traffic problem would only become more serious.

Responsible Department

158. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew responded that the TD would conduct an investigation every year to review the parking situation and vacancy rate of short-term tenancy car parks. In some new contracts of short-term tenancy car parks, clauses would be added to require operators to provide real-time parking information to the TD. The Department also planned to release real-time information to drivers. According to a survey conducted in 2019, there were still surplus parking spaces for container trucks in the container terminal area.

159. The Chairman said that due to a large number of items on the agenda of the TTC, he recommended that the next meeting start at 10 am so that Members would have ample time for discussion.

Date of Next Meeting

160. The next meeting was scheduled to be held on 13 August 2020.

Kwai Tsing District Council Secretariat July 2020