For Council meeting on 30 August 2011 SKDC(M) Paper No. 141/11

Progress Report of Sai Kung District Council Traffic & Transport Committee

The fourth meeting of the Sai Kung District Council Traffic & Transport Committee (TTC) was held on 22 July 2011. The main issues discussed at the meeting were summarized as follows:

The construction of a lighted beacon at “One Foot Rock” of 1. The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) briefed the TTC concerning the works at “One Foot Rock”. “One Foot Rock”, a piece of submerged rock at the waters to the south-east of the Ninepin Group, was a nautical hazard point. At present, the Marine Department (MD) had put a lighted buoy at “One Foot Rock” to identify the hazard point. However, as that location was continuously washed by strong waves, the buoy was damaged and the effectiveness of this arrangement was low. Besides this, frontline staff of MD frequently got hurt while performing regular maintenance and inspection for the lighted buoy. It was therefore necessary to construct a safe landing place on “One Foot Rock” and install a lighted buoy there to prevent accidents from happening and to provide the staff of MD with a safe landing place for carrying out maintenance work. The scope of works included the construction of a concrete beacon structure and the installation of the beacon facilities. The estimated project cost was $3.5 million. It was expected that the project would complete in late 2012. The CEDD welcomed comments from SKDC members and hoped that the project would be supported by the SKDC.

Extend the service hours of green mini-bus route nos. 4 and 4A (running between Sai Kung and Tui Min Hoi Chuen) to 12:00 midnight 2. The above motion was adopted. The Transport Department (TD) pointed out that mini-bus route no. 4 provided service in the morning from 5:52 a.m. to 9:10 p.m. in the evening, while mini-bus route no. 4A provided service to Seaside Villa till 11:30 p.m. in the evening. The TD understood that Members’ intention was to extend the service hours of route no. 4A. The TD would convey the above suggestion to the operators for their consideration.

Urge the Transport Department to improve the public transport of , including the launching of more green mini-bus routes, to match with the intake of Shin Ming Estate 3. The above motion was adopted. The TD said that they had been keeping contact with the Housing Department (HD) and knew that occupation permit of Shin Ming Estate had started to be issued to occupants early this year for fitting-out. The TD had also taken note of the loading of buses at Tiu Keng Leng and maintained contact with the Services Limited (NWFB). According to the information of the NWFB, there was a slight increase in the loading of bus route no. 796X in the past two months. However, the TD could not confirm if such increase was due to the route extension to or the

intake of Shin Ming Estate. The TD would continue to take note of the intake of Shin Ming Estate and the traffic condition, and would increase bus frequency or make other arrangements when needed.

Request to extend the service hours of green mini-bus route no. 15A to 12:00 midnight from Monday to Sunday and deploy more mini-bus to provide service for the convenience of residents 4. The above motion was adopted. The TD said that mini-bus route no. 15A run between and Verbena Heights during non-peak hours. This route belonged to the same group as route nos. 15, 15M, 17 and 17M. When the peak hours were over, the demand for the service of route no. 17M and others would decrease. Hence, the TD considered providing route no. 15A service during non-peak hours. If the service of route no. 15A was to extend from the existing non-peak hours to the peak hours in the afternoon, mini-buses would need to be deployed for such arrangement. This would immensely affect other mini-bus routes with high demand (e.g. 17M, etc.).

Request to increase the frequency of green mini-bus route no. 18 during the peak hours in the morning and in the afternoon to enhance the service for the convenience of residents 5. The above motion was adopted. The TD said that at present 12 mini-buses were deployed to run route no. 18 and there were historical reasons to run a relatively long route. The TD pointed out that the demand for the service mainly concentrated in the peak hours. In order not to increase the cost due to the increase in mini-bus, the operators had been arranging mini-buses on the return trip to pick up passengers at Tseung Kwan O as far as possible. The operators had been providing the best service with the available resources. The TD opined that even if the mini-bus frequency was to be increased, the effectiveness would not be high but the cost would increase on the other hand. It was considered that such request should be handled carefully. Members opined that whether the increase in vehicles would increase the cost for the operators should be calculated by the operators themselves. Even if the operators had to adjust the fare due to increase in cost, they should submit the issue to the SKDC before confirming a fare adjustment. Members considered that the TD should not turn down the suggestion to increase mini-bus frequency due to the estimated increase in cost for operators. This would deprive the TTC of the chance to discuss about the route. They suggested the TD to ask the operators to submit a proposal regarding the suggestion for consideration by Members.

Request to increase the frequency of green mini-bus route no. 15 during the peak hours in the morning and in the afternoon to enhance the service for the convenience of residents 6. The above motion was adopted. The TD pointed out that the service between Hang Hau and Po Lam was made available earlier and fewer complaints were received since then. The complaints received by the TD in the past were mainly on members of the public not being able to get on the mini-bus at Hang Hau. With the launching of this short haul service, the number of complaints dropped apparently. The TD had been monitoring the route regularly and had conducted a service survey in April from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. During this period, a total of 59 mini-buses had passed the en route stop at an average interval of 5

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minutes. The waiting time for passengers was 1-10 minutes. As it was stated in the document that passengers had to wait for over 30 minutes to get on a mini-bus, the TD hoped that Members could provide them with the actual time and location for follow up.

Request to extend the service hours of green mini-bus route no. 15 to 12:00 midnight 7. The above motion was adopted. The TD responded that they need to follow up with the operators regarding whether the service hours of green mini-bus route no. 15 could be extended to 12:00 midnight.

Suggest to extend the route of green mini-bus route no. 110 to Mongkok, Prince Edward and Tong MTR station 8. The above motion was adopted. The TD pointed out that they had received similar suggestions in the past and said that members of the public could take the existing route no. 796C to go to Mongkok or Princess Edward. The TD opined that, as the demand for the service was not high, they would not suggest extending the route of the above mini-bus. For the convenience of residents who were travelling to the industrial area in Kowloon Bay, the TD was conducting a consultation on having route no. 110 to run through the places that were farther away from the MTR station. Residents would be notified of the consultation result when it became available.

Request to launch overnight service for green mini-bus route no. 10M and operate via Hong Sing Garden and King Ming Count for the convenience of residents who come home late 9. The above motion was adopted. The suggestion to extend the service of route no. 10M was not new and the TD had discussed this with the operators. However, as the demand for the service of route no. 10M was quite low at night time, the operators would not consider extending the service hours for the time being. The TD might submit this issue to the operators again for consideration but positive feedback from operators was unlikely.

Request to offer sectional fare and Octopus interchange concession for bus route no. 93K at Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station on the way to Po Lam 10. The above motion was adopted. The TD would convey the suggestion to (KMB) for consideration and would report to the TTC when the result became available. Members hoped that the TD could actively consider the above motion. As residents up the hill needed to rely on such transportation, the provision of concession would help to improve the mode of operation of KMB and reduce the chance of fare increase.

Request to launch a bus route to run to and fro LOHAS Park, Oscar by the Sea and the airport 11. The above motion was adopted. The TD had all along been following up on the transportation development of LOHAS Park. A route that run between LOHAS Park and Tsim Sha Tsui would be launched to provide special departures during the peak hours in the morning and further extend the service of route nos. 796X and 796P. As for whether a new route would be launched, the TD would need to take into account the public transportation network, the service level of public transportation service, demand from passengers and the estimated operation prospect of the new route. The TD opined that at present, the population

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of LOHAS Park was not large enough to support the launching of a new route. Yet, they would confirm the route to Tsim Sha Tsui and further consider if there was a need to launch other routes. Members considered that route no. E22A had to be split to run the southern and northern part of Tseung Kwan O separately to increase the competitiveness of buses. At the same time, monopolization of public services by large consortiums should be reduced to prevent them from increasing fare with excuses. It was hoped that the TD would consider the above motion to match with the development of Tseung Kwan O and the increase in population.

Suggest to construct shelter and seats for the bus stop at Po Hong Road near to Tseung Kwan O Plaza 12. The above motion was adopted. Members considered that as it was at present summer time, quite a lot of residents requested for the construction of shelter. It was hoped that such requests would not have to wait till next summer to be entertained. Members also pointed out that regardless of whether the utilisation rate was high enough to justify for the above suggestion, the shelter should still be constructed as soon as possible.

Request the Transport Department to increase the frequency of bus route no.796X of the New World First Bus as a prerequisite for the route extension 13. The above motion was adopted. The TD would confirm the extension of route no. 796X and expressed its concern about the existing loading of the route. The TD pointed out that a survey was conducted in June 2011 at Choi Ming Street near Choi Ming Court. The survey result revealed that during 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., the overall loading was about 53% while the loading of the peak 30 minutes was about 60%. The bus frequency met the requirements of the TD, with roughly 15 departures during the period. It was believed that the service would be able to meet the demand after route extension. The TD would continue to implement the suggestions concerning the route and would conduct survey on the loading rate after the route extension.

Request to launch overnight transport service within Tseung Kwan O 14. The above motion was adopted. The overnight transport service arrangement by the TD was mainly trunk road service that provided members of the public with bus service of basic frequency at night time. The TD had to take into account the noise problem brought about by overnight transport operation. At present, four bus routes and 5 mini-bus routes in Tseung Kwan O provided overnight service and this had given members of the public with adequate choice.

Request the Transport Department to negotiate with Kowloon Motor Bus Company to reduce the fare of bus route no. 95M 15. The above motion was adopted. The TD said that the full-scale use of air-conditioned buses for route no. 95M was under the 2010/2011 Bus Route Development Programme of the TD. The KMB proposed the full-scale use of air-conditioned buses to run route no. 95M and adjusted the fare to $4.4. In principle, if air-conditioned buses were used in full scale, the fare had to be adjusted according to the scale of air-conditioned bus fares. As no objection was received, the TD would implement the proposal.

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Request for the provision of full day service by the proposed bus route (no. 93M) which run to and fro Hong Sing, Tsui Lam and Tiu Keng Leng 16. The above motion was adopted. The TD had submitted via the SKDC Secretariat their proposal on extending route no. 93M to Tiu Keng Leng (Lam Tin direction) to the TTC for information. The TD was conducting consultation regarding this matter and most of the residents accepted the proposal. The TD would discuss with the bus company to confirm the proposed route to Lam Tin and then take into consideration the demand from passengers for route no. 93M and conduct a review. Members welcomed such study but questioned whether the above service arrangements would meet the demands of the public. It was also pointed out that quite a lot of organizations of the disabled had expressed their hope that the TD could provide them with the above transportation service to facilitate them to travel to Tsui Lam for training. Besides, the two departures in the morning at 6:50 a.m. and 7:05 a.m. could not meet the needs of the disabled groups concerned. Hence, it was considered that the resources were not fully utilized. It was hoped that the service of route no. 296M could be extended.

Provide more bicycle parking spaces at the appropriate locations 17. The above motion was adopted. The TD had all along considered that cycling was a recreational activity and hence it could not be treated as a major means of transportation. Bicycle parking spaces were regarded as part of the ancillary facilities of the cycle track network located nearby. The main criterion was that its location would not block the pedestrian link, e.g. public transport interchange, etc. At present, there was no cycle track network in Sai Kung. The CEDD was looking into constructing a cycle track on Sai Sha Road for connection to . The bicycle parking facilities would also be located near to the cycle track network. The TD at this stage would not consider constructing free standing bicycle parking facility.

Designate See Cheung Street of Sai Kung as part-time pedestrianised street 18. The above motion was adopted. The TD said that See Cheung Street was designated as closed area in September 2008. The closed area included Yi Chun Street and the Wholesale Fish Market. Only vehicles with permit granted by the Commissioner for Transport could enter into that road section. At present, the permit holders were mainly tenants of the Wholesale Fish Market and See Cheung Street who needed access to that road section. According to the record of the TD, at present, vehicles with permit could only enter into See Cheung Street before 12:00 noon and access to the road section was prohibited at other times. Vehicles of tenants were not allowed to enter See Cheung Street after 7:00 p.m. Members opined that the intention behind paving Besser blocks on See Cheung Street was to make it a pedestrian zone. As for the granting of permit, Members questioned if the permits were issued excessively. Besides, if vehicles were allowed on that road, it would be difficult to distinguish who should be given the priority to use the road. Members opined that there was a need to set a time limit.

Request to conduct comprehensive review and road improvement on the steep roads and roundabouts within Tseung Kwan O 19. The above motion was adopted. The TD pointed out that steep roads within Tseung Kwan O included Ying Yip Road to Hau Tak Estate direction and Hang Hau Road to Tseung

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Kwan O Hospital direction. The TD had reviewed the problem with Ying Yip Road and would put warning signs and road surface signs on Hang Hau Road to Tseung Kwan O Hospital direction so as to remind drivers to slow down. Besides, the central divider was also extended to Chap Fuk Road.

Request to confirm the construction of pedestrian crossing facilities and facilities for the disabled at the bus terminus of Lam Shing Road, Tseung Kwan O as soon as possible 20. The above motion was adopted. The TD had conducted consultation earlier. The facilities included tactile guide path, waiting space for people with disabilities, etc. The TD had already issued the Permitted Works Permit. However, as the horizontal railing of the bus stop shelter over the waiting area had to be altered, the TD was liaising with the bus company to facilitate the Highways Department (HyD) to commence the works.

Request the Transport Department to add a left turn traffic light signal at the junction of Po Fung Road and Po Lam Road North 21. The above motion was adopted. The TD had observed the existing traffic signals and opined that it was adequate to meet the demands in peak hours. The TD considered the existing arrangements very appropriate and therefore would not support the above suggestion. Members opined that pedestrians would not be affected as there was no zebra crossing at the left turn of that road section. Besides, the addition of a left turn traffic light signal would also help to reduce the number of right turn vehicles.

Request to attach importance to the illegal motor racing problem on Road at mid-night 22. The above motion was adopted. The Police pointed out that road safety was one of the Police Commissioner’s Operational Priorities. The Police would enforce law against any driver with inappropriate driving attitude. The law enforcement against speeding and illegal motor racing was mainly carried out by the Enforcement and Control Division of Traffic Kowloon East. The Police had received five complaints concerning illegal motor racing on Clear Water Bay Road in the past six months. However, when the personnel of the Enforcement and Control Division arrived at the scene, nothing was found. The Police had patrolled that road frequently and conducted anti-speeding operations. In fact, one month before the traffic accident happened in May, the Police had conducted anti-speeding operations in the Mang Kung Uk and Clear Water Bay Second Beach sections of Clear Water Bay Road and had issued fixed penalty tickets.

Request to improve the information on the display board at the platform of Hang Hau MTR Station, so as to let passengers know about the arrival time of at least the next two trains for the convenience of residents of Hang Hau 23. The above motion was adopted. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) had been paying attention to the station facilities of and particular attention was paid on the display boards. Improvements to display boards at the platforms (including Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng Stations) were made after the LOHAS Park Station came into use. In fact, the design of the display boards at the platforms of Tseung Kwan O Line was the same as other MTR lines, so was the design of the display boards at . The MTR considered the operation of the existing arrangement smooth and when the train

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reached the platform, public address was available. The MTR pointed out that there was no occurrence of passengers having to wait for a long time or passengers having difficulties in getting on a train for the time being.

Request the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to provide more seats at the platform of Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng MTR Stations 24. The above motion was adopted. The MTR had been paying close attention to the platform facilities. More seats were added at the platforms of interchange stations (e.g. ) earlier to cater for the needs of passengers. At present, the seats available at Tiu Keng Leng and Tseung Kwan O Stations exceeded all other stations. The MTR would continue to take note of this issue and make reference to Members’ comments when reviewing the station facilities in response to the development of the community in the future. Members pointed out that 13 seats were confirmed to be added at the LOHAS Park Station earlier. It was considered that with an apparent increase in passenger flow at Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng Stations, more seats should also be added at North Point Station. The adding of seats was not just for the elderly, as residents of the district would also need those seats after shopping. It was hoped that the MTR could actively consider this suggestion.

Request the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to install more MTR Fare Savers in Tseung Kwan O 25. The above motion was adopted. The MTR explained to Members the circumstances under which MTR Fare Savers were installed. The installation of MTR Fare Saver was a commercial promotion project to provide members of the public with an incentive to walk to the nearest MTR station and use the MTR service. The factors to be considered in the installation of MTR Fare Savers included the distance between the MTR Fare Saver location and the nearest MTR station, the effectiveness of the Fare Saver in attracting new customers, the availability of concession offered by other feeder service to MTR station, etc. The basic facilities available at the location (e.g. space for installation and electricity supply) should also be taken into account. At present, MTR Fare Savers were installed at certain locations of Tseung Kwan O. If there were other locations that Members considered appropriate, they could submit their suggestions to the MTR for consideration.

Request to construct an escalator at Exit C of LOHAS Park MTR Station 26. The above motion was adopted. The MTR pointed out that Exit C of LOHAS Park MTR Station was well equipped, with elevator carrying people from the platform to the pedestrian link that led to the direction of the Capitol. Escalators and stairs were also available for use and the pedestrian flow of that exit was smooth without any congestion. At present, the utilisation of that exit was lower than other exits of all other stations along the Tseung Kwan O Line. The existing facilities were also adequate to meet the needs of the public. The MTR would take into account Members’ comments when considering the upgrading of station facilities in the future.

Request the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to treat all alike and open up its premises for the public to hold social movement activities 27. The MTR pointed out that, as a railway operator, their purpose was to provide

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passengers with safe, comfortable and reliable railway service. Train operation and passengers’ safety were of first priority in the operation of the MTR stations. The MTR respected the freedom of speech of others. And yet, anyone who carried out such activities inside any MTR station should follow the stipulations of the Mass Transit Railway By-laws. They should obtain the consent of the MTR beforehand and carry out such activities provided that it would not affect the operation of the station or hinder pedestrian flow.

The progress of extending the terminus of green mini-bus route no. 103M to Tiu Keng Leng 28. The TD pointed out that the progress of extending the terminus of green mini-bus route no. 103M to Tiu Keng Leng was reported in the progress report of 24 September 2010.

Reduction of bus resources in Tiu Keng Leng by the New World First Bus 29. The TD pointed out that the NWFB had only redeployed, instead of reduced, its resources in the past few years. It was hoped that Members should look at this matter from the perspective of the whole Tseung Kwan O South district and should not just focus on Tiu Keng Leng.

Suggest to launch special departures of route no. 798 from LOHAS Park and Oscar by the Sea to 30. The TD pointed out that, although there was an apparent increase in passenger volume of route no. 798, they considered that there was still not enough justification to split route no. 798 into other routes. It was hoped that Members should take note that the departure intervals of 15-20 minutes during peak hours had already fully utilized the available resources of route no. 798. The existing service was enough to meet the demand and passengers had accepted the existing frequency of service. The TD hoped that the existing frequency of service could be maintained. If the resources of route no. 798 were to be split, the existing frequency of service would be reduced, which would reduce the incentive of the public to take route no. 798. This would do more harm than good for route no. 798.

Request the government to solve the encroachment problem of parking spaces at Shek Kok Road Carpark and the Crown land nearby as soon as possible 31. The TD referred to point 2 in the paper concerning the comment on changing the goods vehicle parking space at Shek Kok Road into private car parking space. Ever since the two open-air car parks in Tseung Kwan O south ceased operation, the demand for parking space of goods vehicles and coaches had been rather keen. If the goods vehicle parking space at Shek Kok Road were changed into private car parking space, the trade might be affected. At present, the TD had been observing the utilisation of goods vehicle parking space at the car parks of the Industrial Estate and Shek Kok Road. At present, the parking space for goods vehicle could not be changed into private car parking space. The TD would continue to observe the utilisation of the goods vehicle parking space.

Request to expedite the follow-up work on the Hiram’s Highway Improvement Stage 1 and Stage 2 projects 32. The TD pointed out that the HyD was responsible for studying and promoting the Hiram’s Highway Improvement Stage 1 and Stage 2 projects. Stage 1 of the project was

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gazetted in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Quite a lot of objections were received in the process. As some of the objections were not conciliated, those objections were required to be submitted to the Chief Executive in Council for consideration. If the project was approved, the HyD would formulate detailed design for the project and decide on the schedule of funding application. As for Stage 2 of the project, the HyD was at present conducting survey and assessment for the revised plan. The HyD would consult the SKDC concerning Stage 2 of the project at the appropriate time.

Request the Kowloon Motor Bus Company to extend its service to Tiu Keng Leng 33. The TD hoped that Members could understand that, although the bus routes for Tseung Kwan O North were operated by KMB and bus routes for Tseung Kwan O South were mainly operated by NWFB, the TD made decisions regarding whether extension of a route would be needed based on different circumstances and the extent to which the routes overlapped. Such decisions would not be made only by referring to the service areas of KMB or NWFB.

Request to relocate the bus stop of route no. E22A to Tiu Keng Leng Transport Interchange on the return trip 34. The TD pointed out that if the existing bus stop of route no. E22A outside the Hong Kong Design Institute were to be relocated to the Tiu Keng Leng Transport Interchange, the bus would need to run through Po Shun Road for twice. This would increase the journey time. The TD therefore had all along tried not to relocate this bus stop to avoid affecting the operation of the whole route.

Traffic and Transport Committee Sai Kung District Council August 2011

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