Minutes of the First Meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee Under the Yuen Long District Council in 2020
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The minutes were confirmed on 12.3.2020 without amendment. Minutes of the First Meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee under the Yuen Long District Council in 2020 Date : 23 January 2020 (Thursday) Time : 5:53 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Venue : Conference Room, Yuen Long District Council, 13/F., Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long Present Time of Arrival Time of Withdrawal Members: Mr AU Kwok-kuen Beginning of the meeting 6:05 p.m. Mr CHAN King-lun, Kisslan Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Ms CHAN Mei-lin Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr CHAN Shu-fai Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Ms CHAN Sze-nga Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr CHEUNG Chi-yeung, Felix Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr CHEUNG Sau-yin Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr FONG Ho-hin Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr HAU Man-kin Beginning of the meeting 6:35 p.m. Mr HO Wai-pan Beginning of the meeting 6:40 p.m. Mr HONG Chin-wah Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr KWAN Chun-sang Beginning of the meeting 6:40 p.m. Mr KWOK Man-ho Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr LAI Kwok-wing, Samuel Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Ms LAI Po-wa Beginning of the meeting 6:00 p.m. Mr LAM Chun Beginning of the meeting 6:40 p.m. Mr LAM Ting-wai Beginning of the meeting 6:00 p.m. Mr LEE Chun-wai Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr LEE Wai-fung, Deco Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr LEUNG Tak-ming Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr LI Chung-chi Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr MO Kai-hong Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr NG Hin-wang Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Ms NG Yuk-ying Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr SHEK King-ching Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr SZETO Pok-man Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr TO Ka-lun Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr WONG Pak-yu Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr WONG Wai-yin, Zachary Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Secretary: Miss WONG Chung-wai, Executive Officer (District Council)2, Leah Yuen Long District Office In attendance Miss POON Wai-yi, Joanna Assistant District Officer (Yuen Long)2 Ms PANG Ka-fong, Cindy Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Yuen Long District Office Ms TAM Lok-yan, Carol Senior Transport Officer/Yuen Long 1, Transport Department Mr LEUNG Ka-lok, Kelvin Senior Transport Officer/Yuen Long 2, Transport Department Mr TSE Ho-hang Engineer/Boundary, Transport Department Mr LEE Kar-chun, Wilson Engineer/Yuen Long East, Transport Department Mr MAN Ka-ho, Wilson Engineer/Yuen Long West, Transport Department Miss FOK Sze-man, Grace Engineer/Yuen Long Central, Transport Department Ms CHEUNG Pui-yan District Engineer/Yuen Long (East), Highways Department Mr SHIH Yung-chi District Engineer/Yuen Long (West), Highways Department Mr TO Kai-cho Engineer/16 (West), Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr LEUNG Kei-ching Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team (Yuen Long), Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHEUNG Lai-ki Police Community Relations Officer (Yuen Long District), Hong Kong Police Force Item II Mr SIU Yik-ho, Steven Senior Town Planner/Yuen Long West 1, Planning Department Ms IP Yuen-yi, Queenie Engineer/Main River 3, Mainland North Division, Drainage Services Department Item III Mr SIU Yik-ho, Steven Senior Town Planner/Yuen Long West 1, Planning Department Mr LEUNG Kan-yan, Ken Senior Executive Officer/Driving Test 1, Transport Department Mr CHAK Ka-nin Senior Driving Examiner, Transport Department Absent Mr CHING Chan-ming Hon KWONG Chun-yu Mr LAI Wing-tim Mr MAK Ip-sing Mr NG Kin-wai (Absent with apologies) Ms WONG Wing-sze Mr YOUNG Ka-on * * * * * Mr Zachary WONG, the Chairman of Yuen Long District Council (“YLDC”), would handle the first item on the agenda for the meeting until the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Traffic and Transport Committee (“T&TC”) were elected. Item I: Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman of Traffic and Transport Committee (“T&TC”) 2. Mr Zachary WONG said that the Secretariat had received one nomination for T&TC Chairman and one nomination for T&TC Vice Chairman before the meeting. As no further nominations were proposed, the nominations for the two positions of the T&TC were closed. 3. Mr Zachary WONG said that the candidate nominated for T&TC Chairman was Mr CHEUNG Sau-yin, who was nominated by Ms CHAN Sze-nga, and Mr LI Chung-chi and Mr TO Ka-lun subscribed the nomination. Since there was only one candidate running for the chairmanship, Mr Zachary WONG announced that Mr CHEUNG Sau-yin was elected as T&TC Chairman of the sixth-term T&TC under the Yuen Long District Council. 4. Mr Zachary WONG said that the candidate nominated for T&TC Vice Chairman was Mr CHAN Shu-fai, who was nominated by Mr HAU Man-kin, and Mr FONG Ho-hin and Mr LAM Chun subscribed the nomination. As there was only one candidate running for the position, Mr Zachary WONG announced that Mr CHAN Shu-fai was elected as Vice Chairman of the sixth-term T&TC under the YLDC. (Mr CHEUNG Sau-yin, the new T&TC Chairman presided over the meeting) 5. The Chairman thanked Members for their support. He hoped to maintain close cooperation with all Members during the new term of the T&TC. 6. The Chairman invited Ms Cindy PANG, the Secretary of the District Council, to introduce the Secretary of the T&TC. Ms PANG said that Miss Leah WONG, Executive Officer (District Council)2 of Yuen Long District Office, had taken up the position as the Secretary of the T&TC. Item II: Question raised by Members: (1) Mr SZETO Pok-man, Mr FONG Ho-hin and Mr LEE Chun-wai proposed a discussion on “Request to ease traffic congestion around Kung Um Road, Kiu Hing Road and Shap Pat Heung Road traffic lights as soon as possible” (T&TC Paper No. 1/2020) 7. Members’ views on the issue were summarised as follows: (1) Traffic congestion at the roads concerned was a pressing problem. If residents spent a long time waiting for public transport, it would affect their daily lives and increase the social costs. Members considered it necessary to remedy the situation more quickly. They enquired whether the vehicular traffic flow on the roads as estimated by the Transport Department (“TD”) would be sufficient to meet population growth in Shap Pat Heung West, and about the vehicular traffic flow that would increase accordingly; (2) Large numbers of cars entering Kung Um Road via Kiu Hing Road, currently a single-lane carriageway, was not only worsening traffic congestion in the area, but would hinder the development of public transport routes. It was hoped that Yuen Long South Development would lead to an upgrade of Kung Um Road and Kiu Hing Road into two-lane carriageways; (3) An enquiry was made as to whether the relevant departments would initiate the works of widening of Kung Um Road and Kiu Hing Road alone, so that more resources could be deployed to address traffic congestion; (4) Members opined that the one-way carriageway connecting Park Signature to Shap Pat Heung Road might not be sufficient to cope with the vehicular traffic flow from Tai Tong. They enquired whether the estimated traffic flow of the carriageway could be effective in alleviating the traffic congestion problem. They also enquired about the progress of the works and whether the works could be completed ahead of schedule; (5) Members reiterated their request to remove the traffic lights at Shap Pat Heung Road, saying the current waiting time for traffic signals was too long, thereby exacerbating traffic congestion. He suggested that a “Stop and Give Way” sign be set up there to replace traffic lights, and hoped that the TD could conduct field tests to facilitate the suggestion; (6) Members considered that, if the green interval duration of the traffic lights at Kung Um Road northbound was set to 50 seconds during morning peak hours, this would make other road users wait longer and in turn affect the traffic in the vicinity; (7) Members enquired about the planning guidelines, saying that the existing yellow box markings were in close proximity. They pointed out that the yellow box markings could not function effectively, and hoped that the police could step up enforcement actions; (8) Members opined that traffic flow volumes on the roads concerned had reached saturation point, and that improvements could only be made through planning. For example, building new roads and providing more support facilities in the planning for Yuen Long South could help discourage residents from visiting downtown areas only, thereby alleviating traffic and illegal parking problems; (9) Members cited the need to deck some of the nullahs to facilitate the development of Yuen Long, while expressing hope that the Drainage Services Department (“DSD”) could provide more data for Members to judge how flood discharge would be affected if some of the nullahs were decked to increase traffic volumes on the road sections concerned. A Member enquired about the possibility of providing car-parking facilities atop nullahs; (10) Members pointed out that the DSD and the Planning Department (“PlanD”) had different views on whether nullahs should be decked, while at the same time enquiring whether the proposal of the DSD was technically feasible; (11) It was proposed that the enclosed footpath on the north side of the roads be demolished as soon as possible to free up more space for construction of a vehicular bridge; (12) Members enquired whether the Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”) would consider the provision of cycle tracks to ensure both pedestrian and cyclist safety; (13) Members hoped that the departments could address infrastructure problems before proceeding to increasing the population in an area to facilitate development, such as the construction of Route 11; and (14) Members enquired when an environmental impact assessment would be carried out for Yuen Long South Development, when the development would be presented to the Public Works Subcommittee and the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, and when the development would be completed.