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

(Translation)

Minutes of the 3rd Meeting of the the Traffic and Transport Committee (2019) of Kwai Tsing District Council

Date： 13 June 2019 Time: 2:30 p.m. – 6:17 p.m. Venue: K&T DO Conference Room

Attendee Time of Arrival Time of Departure (p.m.) (p.m.) Mr TSUI Hiu-kit (Chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms KWOK Fu-yung (Vice-chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon Start of Meeting 5:27 Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice Start of Meeting 5:40 Mr CHOW Yick-hay, BBS, JP Start of Meeting 3:23 Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss CHU Lai-ling Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr HUI Kei-cheung 2:41 4:25 Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy, MH 2:44 End of Meeting Mr LAW King-shing, BBS, MH Start of Meeting 3:39 Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Chi-shing 2:50 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Wai-man, MH 3:41 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Kam-wai 2:58 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LI Sai-lung Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss LO Yuen-ting Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr NG Ka-chiu 2:44 End of Meeting Mr NG Kim-sing 3:11 End of Meeting Mr PAU Ming-hong Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr POON Chi-shing, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms TAM Wai-chun, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr WONG Bing-kuen 3:06 End of Meeting Mr WONG Yiu-chung, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr WONG Yun-tat 2:44 End of Meeting Mr CHOW Elson Start of Meeting 5:40 Mr HON Chun-yin Start of Meeting 3:33 Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry Start of Meeting End of Meeting

In Attendance Mr LI Calvin Director, WSP (Asia) Limited Mr CHAN Chun-kai Associate, WSP (Asia) Limited Mr CHAN Chi-tak Senior Engineer/ Kwai Tsing, Transport Department Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew Engineer/ Special Duties 1, Transport Department Mr TSE Mang-hin Senior Engineer/ NT3, Highways Department Miss KAN Yim-fun Project Coordinator/ HK1-3, Highways Department Mr CHAU Wai Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Assessment & Noise) 3, Environmental Protection Department Mr YIM Wai-hung Administrative Assistant/ lands (District Lands Office, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing) Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny Senior Transport Officer/ Kwai Tsing 1, Transport Department Miss LAW Hoi-Ching, Janice Senior Transport Officer/ Kwai Tsing 2, Transport Department Ms LEE Che-ying, Emily Engineer/ Kwai Chung, Transport Department Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter Engineer/ Tsing Yi, Transport Department Mr KONG Tze-man, Stephen Engineer/ New Territories West, Civil Engineering and Development 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 Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong Assistant Manager (Operations), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Ms WONG Peggy Assistant Manager (Planning and Development), The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie Assistant District officer (Kwai Tsing), Kwai Tsing District Office Miss CHEUNG Hoi-ni, Cheryl Executive Officer (District Council) 1, (Secretary) Kwai Tsing District Office

Absent with Apologies Ms LAU Mei-lo (With prior notice) Mr LAM Siu-fai (With prior notice) Mr MAN Tsz-yan (With prior notice) Ms LAU Kwai-mui (With prior notice) Mr MA Ka-chun (Without prior notice)

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 (2019) of Kwai Tsing District Council (“K&TDC”).

2. The Committee unanimously endorsed the application for absence by Ms LAU Mei-lo, Mr LAM Siu-fai, Mr MAN Tsz-yan and Ms LAU Kwai-mui.

Confirmation of Minutes of the 1st Special Meeting (2019) held on 12 March 2019 and 2nd Meeting (2019) held on 11 April 2019

3. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman moved a motion to confirm the minutes. The motion was seconded by Mr PAU Ming-hong. Members endorsed the minutes unanimously.

Introduction of /Consultation Paper

The Latest Progress on The Proposed Lift and Pedestrian Walkway System between Lai Cho Road and Wah Yiu Road (Proposed by the Highways Department) (TTC Paper No. 25/D/2019)

4. Mr TSE Mang-hin, Senior Engineer/ NT3 of Highways Department (HyD) briefly introduced the Paper.

5. Mr WONG Yiu-chung said that the lift and pedestrian access construction (the alternative plan) was managed by the Housing Department (HD) and it could not replace the hillside construction project from Lai Cho Road to Wah Yiu Road (the original plan) managed by HyD. The demand for the hillside construction project of residents in nearby housing estates was great and the alternative plan could only benefit residents at the lower part of the hill but not residents at the upper part of the hill. In contrast, the original plan could favour residents at the upper part of the hill. Hence, he advised HD and HyD to carry out two constructions separately and implement the plan of HyD as soon as possible.

6. Mr TSE Mang-hin responded that the alternative plan by HD would have a larger coverage and would be more comfortable and convenient than the original plan by HyD. Since the distance between two projects was short, after discussion with the consultants 3 Responsible Department and Transport Department (TD), it was thought that the plan of HD could replace the original plan due to the consideration of resources.

7. Mr CHAN Tsz-tat, Senior Engineer/ Kwai Tsing of TD gave a response as follows:

(i) The alternative plan was obviously more advantageous than the original plan.

(ii) There were pathways on the podium of Wah Yiu House linking the intersection of Lai Yiu Street and Wah Yiu Road stated in the alternative plan. Regarding Member’s recommendation, there were difficulties in constructing a lift tower as the slope near Wah Yiu House was steep. A more detailed study needed to be carried out. However, Members’ advice was noted.

8. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis said that two projects were raised by different departments respectively. The original plan could bring easy access for residents of Lai Yiu Estate and the alternative plan could benefit residents of the newly built public housing estate. He thought that there was no conflict between the two projects as they would benefit residents of different housing estates therefore it was inappropriate to choose one out of the two. Allocating the passenger flow to single system might also worsen the congestion at Kwai Fong MTR Station. The Kwai Fong Interchange had been packed nowadays and unable to load further. He hoped that the Departments could implement two projects at the same time.

9. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) He asked why the Departments pointed out the problem of the original plan belatedly. He said that the hillside construction had been raised for 7 years since 2012 and no data was provided that the original plan encountered technical problem.

(ii) Allocating the passenger flow to Kwai Fong Station would increase the traffic stress near Kwai Yi Road.

(iii) Two plans were raised by two departments and the target residents were different. The original plan aimed to provide service for residents near Lai Yiu Estate and there were insufficient transport facilities at Lai King 4 Responsible Department Hill. The original plan should be refined to bring convenience to residents but not be replaced.

10. Mr CHOW Yick-hay said that the department needed to consider the living habits of residents. The original plan could improve traffic issues in the community and the alternative plan should be reserved, two plans should therefore continue at the same time.

11. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry enquired about the construction cost of two plans and whether the cost of the alternative plan would be lower.

12. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman said that the alternative plan only provided two lifts. However, with the completion of the new public housing estate, population would grow and two lifts were insufficient to serve new population. Hence, the original plan should not be replaced but be improved with the alternative plan to extend the pedestrian access to arriving not only Kwai Fong but also Lai King.

13. Mr TSE Mang-hin gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) About the budget, it was unknown about the related cost as HD was responsible for the alternative plan. The hillside construction project in the original plan was still being studied. There was no detailed design yet, therefore, exact figures could not be provided now.

(ii) The consultants and the departments thought that the locations of two systems were close to each other and the target of service was similar. The location of HD’s plan was more convenient and it was more comfortable for pedestrians.

(iii) He noted the Members’ opinions and understood the request of adding a lift tower. However, HyD was focusing on studying 114 hillside systems in Hong Kong at the moment. Hence, HyD would discuss with TD and the relevant advice would be considered in the near future.

14. Mr CHAN Tze-tat gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD had studied the road section from Wah Yiu House to Wah Yiu Road for many times and pointed out that there were slopes near the stair, which belonged to retaining walls. Feasibility study had to be conducted 5 Responsible Department for building a lift tower.

(ii) TD had conducted consultation study in December 2017 for investigating the hillside system. Preliminary assessment and filtering would be carried out and would be done in 2020 in estimation. When the hillside system was graded, it would be passed to the District Council for consultation.

(iii) Considering the utilization of resources, the departments thought that if the two infrastructures were to serve the same target, resources could not be used effectively.

(iv) The alternative plan of HD could serve residents at Lai Yiu Estate, Lai Cho Road, Sun Kwai Street and Kwai Tsui Estate. In the original Lai Cho Road footbridge system plan, the distance of residents walking from the bridge to Lai King Station was long, causing sparse passenger flow. The plan of HD would be more convenient and comfortable.

(v) The advice of hillside lift system at podium of Wah Yiu House could be brought up in the hillside lift projects at the next stage. He noted Members’ opinions.

15. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis thought that Members should show their stance about the project. Other departments should not ban the original projects when they had new suggestions as it would be unfair to residents.

16. Mr WONG Yiu-chung said that residents hoped keeping the original plan and were disappointed about the reply from the departments.

17. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan pointed out that two plans were serving different residents respectively and many residents transited for Tung Chung Line at Lai King MTR Station. It was inappropriate to divert them to Kwai Fong Station.

Extempore motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council requested the HyD to keep the lift and footbridge from Lai Cho Road to Wah Yiu Road in the original plan to bring convenience for residents of Lai King Hill housing estate. (Proposed by Mr WONG Yiu-chung, MH; Seconded by Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, MH)

18. The Chairman announced to decide whether to accept the extempore motion by 6 Responsible Department voting. The Committee unanimously accepted the extempore motion.

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

Discussion Items

Request for Partial Removal of the Noise Barriers on Tsing Yi Heung Sze Wui Road Near the Roundabout of Tsing Yi South Bridge (Proposed by Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, MH) (TTC Paper No. 17d, 17e, 17f, 17g/D/2019) (Follow-up on Item 6 of the 2nd meeting (2019) (TTC Paper No. 17/D/2019))

20. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan briefly introduced the paper.

21. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter, Engineer/Tsing Yi, Transport Department (TD) said part of the noise barriers was planned to be removed, but a feasible rerouting measure was being studied. Since lifting tools might be needed during the demolition period, yet there was a roundabout near that road section and it was a one-way road, a feasible rerouting scheme was being studied to ensure the feasibility of the works.

22. Mr CHAU Wai, Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Assessment & Noise)3 of Environmental Protection Department said that the road section had a flyover that could block some noises and there was a slope near the neighboring estates to block noises for the households on the lower floors. After the assessment, the effect of partial removal of the noise barriers was considered to be minor.

Problems of Green Minibus Services in Kwai Tsing District (Proposed by Mr LEE Chi-keung, MH) (TTC Paper No. 26, 26a/D/2019)

23. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan briefly introduced the paper.

24. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) Whether TD could disclose information on the site investigation conducted by relevant personnel and information on issuing warning letters to the violating operators so that Members could learn about the minibus lost trip situation.

7 Responsible Department

(ii) The information on the punishment mechanism.

(iii) Whether the number of drivers and minibuses of the operator was one of the conditions of the tender.

25. Mr HON Chun-yin put forth enquires as follows:

(i) Many residents in Tsing Yi complained about the minibus services, for example, the minibus drivers of route no. 88F had cancelled the last shift on their own while many passengers were waiting at the Maritime Square. He enquired whether TD would monitor the relevant operator.

(ii) The follow-up work on the works at the minibus station near Ching Wai House.

26. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) Route no. 88 would pass through Broadview Garden after 8 pm to allow passengers to get off. However, some passengers boarded the minibus before 8 pm, therefore the drivers did not drive in to Broadview Garden, and only dropped them off at Tsing Yi Estate. He enquired how TD would follow up.

(ii) The morning shifts of route no. 409 to Cheung Hang Estate and Cheung Wang Estate should pass through Broadview Garden, but the relevant shifts did not often pass through Broadview Garden. The residents needed to intercept the minibus outside of the estate. He indicated that the situation had been going on for two to three years. He hoped TD would follow up and asked whether route no. 409 was not following its route.

(iii) Some passengers waited for five shifts of route no. 407 at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and still could not board the minibus. The lost trip situation was serious. Therefore, many residents looked forward to a new minibus route to PMH. He enquired about the progress of the relevant tender.

27. Mr POON Chi-shing said that the residents complained about the unsatisfactory hygiene of route no. 88F minibuses, and the uncertain shifts. He asked how TD would 8 Responsible Department monitor the promised services of the minibus operators. He pointed out that the passenger capacity of the minibuses was low, the minibuses ran every 6 to 18 minutes was insufficient to meet the residents’ need. TD should focus on improving the quality of minibus services.

28. Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice pointed out that the residents had been striving for the minibus services from Tsing Yi to PMH for many years. However, the tender had not yet been carried out. She asked TD for the timetable, travel time and route arrangement.

29. Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon said that the demand for minibus services from Tsing Yi to PMH was high. He hoped TD would schedule the relevant route as soon as possible.

30. Miss LO Yuen-ting put forth enquires as follows:

(i) Whether route no. 407 had applied to adjust its shifts to every 30 to 60 minutes during off-peak hours. Passengers waited at least 30 minutes at the terminus station and students waited for 30 minutes during off-peak period, yet they were still unable to board the minibuses. Passengers traveling from PMH to Tsing Yi waited for 45 minutes, and passengers traveling from Tsing Yi to Kwai Shing were dissatisfied with the wait of 30 to 45 minutes during off-peak hours (around 2 pm).

(ii) Whether TD had monitored the minibus operator since the issue had been going on for years.

31. Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy pointed out that the passengers waited for an hour at Cheung Fat Estate during peak hours in the morning and were still unable to board the minibuses of route no. 407. She asked whether TD had considered making another call for tender since the situation was very serious.

32. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The population of Kwai Tsing District had increased a lot and a number of public housing estates and buildings had been added. However, the minibus services did not enhance. He opined that TD should submit a minibus reorganization plan for discussion.

(ii) The route of route no. 407 was unreasonable. TD should consider reorganizing the green minibus services in the district for long-term 9 Responsible Department planning.

33. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan said TD should review the minibus policy, and opined that the existing policy had failed. Since the Department had difficulty in monitoring the minibus operators, it should consider a long-term planning.

34. Mr WONG Bing-kuen put forth opinions as follows:

(i) TD’s annual work plan regarding the minibus services was too brief. TD should review the minibus services annually, and strengthen communication among Members, operators and TD.

(ii) The service quality of the minibuses traveling to Wonderland Villas was unsatisfactory. He had suggested that the bus company should provide circular route services. However, it could not be implemented due to the limited space at the roundabout. He said TD should conduct a site inspection, and opined that the minibus services could only be improved if there were competitions.

35. The Chairman said that many residents complained about the minibus services in Tsing Yi. He understood that there was a manpower shortage in the industry, but an increase in fare would increase the burden of the residents.

36. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter responded to the works at Ching Chun Court that TD planned to change the “Give way” sign to a “Stop” sign. The locals had already been consulted and there was no objection. TD had entrusted the HyD to conduct the relevant works.

37. Miss LAW Hoi-ching, Janice, Senior Transport Officer/ Kwai Tsing 2 of TD gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) Regarding the punishment mechanism, TD sent staff for reviewing the operation of minibuses from time to time. If the service of minibus did not meet the requirement, follow-up action would be conducted with operators. If the situation did not improve, warning letters would be issued. There was a mid-term review mechanism for reviewing the performance of minibus service. TD would consider factors like the number of warning letters received by operators, number of complaints and the performance of operators.

10 Responsible Department (ii) Route no. 88C, 88M and 88F were run by the same operator. TD had followed up with the operator previously and requested the operator to settle the internal conflict as soon as possible. TD would continue monitoring the related situation.

(iii) Regarding the issues of Route no. 409, staff was sent for site investigation previously and the situation of passengers being required to wave hands for minibus to enter Broadview Garden was not found. TD would send staff again for investigating the situation mentioned by Members.

(iv) About the issues of Route no. 88, it was understood that passengers would be confused as minibuses which drove from the terminus after 8 o’clock would pass by Broadview Garden. The operator would be requested to enhance communication with passengers to avoid misunderstanding.

38. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny, Senior Transport Officer/ Kwai Tsing 1 of TD gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) About the lost trip issues of minibus route no. 407, the operator was requested to explain and make improvements in short term. There was a lack of drivers at the moment and the operator had promised to make improvement according to the situation and consider changing the staff responsible for daily operation.

(ii) He noted the demand of residents for minibus service of PMH. At the beginning of 2019, the District Council was consulted about the minibus service of round-trip from Tsing Yi Public Pier to PMH. The department would arrange gazette according to the set procedure. The service was in preparation stage and would conduct selection process of new operator as soon as possible. It was hoped to complete in this year.

39. Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice put forth enquiries and opinions as follows:

(i) Whether the Tsing Yi Public Pier mentioned by TD was the pier outside Greenfield Garden.

(ii) She hoped obtaining the confirmed information on the relevant minibus

11 Responsible Department route, its midway stops, and the travel time needed.

40. Mr POON Chi-shing enquired about TD’s criteria of setting the service hours for the shifts.

41. Miss LO Yuen-ting pointed out that the issue of route no. 407 had been going on for years. She asked TD for an actual timetable and details of the relevant service improvement.

42. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman put forth opinions and enquires as follows:

(i) He was dissatisfied with how TD handled the service of minibus route no. 407.

(ii) He asked whether TD would review the minibus services in the entire district thoroughly and how it reorganized the route.

43. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry said the Legislative Council paper showed that the minibus services to and from PMH would be tendered in the second quarter of this year, and asked whether TD would carry out the tender in June or if it had been rescheduled.

44. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) The consultation document of minibus service for PMH had listed the suggested route. It would start from Tsing Yi Public Pier opposite to Greenfield Garden, passing Fung Shue Wo Road and area from Tsing King Road to Kwai fong, and arrive PMH through Lai King Hill Road. The whole trip would last for 30 minutes.

(ii) About the gazette of minibus service for PMH inviting interested persons to apply for operation, the last preparation work had been conducted and gazette work would be carried out as soon as possible.

(iii) About the issues of minibus route no. 407, the operator had been requested to make improvement about the lost trip issues. The operator had promised to submit improvement plan in short term about the minibus management.

(iv) About the review of green minibus service, the service quality would be adjusted according to the practical situation and passengers’ demand. The

12 Responsible Department department would review the green minibus service with reference to the development factors e.g. population growth in the community.

45. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman opined that TD’s effort to improve the minibus services was insufficient. He said he had communicated with the personnel responsible for the minibus stops of route no. 407. The responsible personnel had given specific suggestion, however, TD had rejected the relevant suggestion. He said the current bus company did not provide service for the relevant route, the public transportation services had not been improved, therefore the needs of the residents were not met.

46. Mr WONG Bing-kuen said the paper showed that the performance of a minibus operator was unsatisfactory in the past three years, as a result, its contract was not renewed. He asked if TD did not renew the contract of the relevant operator, whether it could bid for other routes, or it had been restricted to make any further bids.

47. Mr LEUNG Chi-shing said that the current minibus drivers belonged to the older age groups. He opined that the manpower shortage was generally due to the monthly gross income limit for the old-age living allowance. Drivers reduced their working hours in order to avoid exceeding the limit. An increase in the monthly gross income limit for the old-age living allowance might increase the manpower of the minibus industry.

48. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Minibuses ran about every 6 to 18 minutes at present, but minibuses had a low passenger capacity. If the standard continued to be loose, it could not meet the needs of the residents.

(ii) The problems of minibus services had been going on for years, but the situation had not improved. TD should use a stronger approach to require the minibus operators to improve their services.

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

(i) She opposed the increase in fare of route no. 407, and pointed out that the service quality had decreased after the increase in fare.

(ii) She asked TD for the service details of route no. 407, and the discussion content with the operator and the effectiveness of the warning letter.

(iii) The residents of Cheung On Estate and Cheung Fat Estate had no means 13 Responsible Department of transportation to and from PMH for a long time. She said that the problem of route no. 407 had lasted for years but TD took a passive attitude. She hoped to obtain data of the minibuses traveling between PMH and Tsing Yi.

50. Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The increase in fare of route no. 407 was drastic. However, the service quality was still not good enough after the increase. The minibus hygiene was unsatisfactory and the drivers’ attitude was also poor.

(ii) Some drivers had pointed out that the hourly rate of driving route no. 407 was low. Therefore, they would not consider driving the relevant route, which led to manpower shortage. She opined that TD should monitor the operation of minibuses to solve the problem of lost trip and poor service quality of route no. 407.

51. Ms TAM Wai-chun asked TD whether the new minibus route would depart from Tsing Yi Public Pier, and pass through Heung Sze Wui Road first before passing through Tsing King Road.

52. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquires as follows:

(i) He learned that a contract was not renewed for a minibus operator because of its poor service. He asked TD which route it was and asked TD about their action.

(ii) The passengers would definitely be affected when the minibus service was re-tendered. The fare would increase once the new operator took over. He enquired about TD’s backup plan.

(iii) The roads in the vicinity of PMH were busy. He hoped TD would plan to construct a lift and pedestrian walkway directly to PMH at Mei Foo MTR Station to reduce road congestion.

53. Mr NG Ka-chiu put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) TD had been receiving complaints and comments on route no. 407 but there was not any follow-up action. He was disappointed with TD.

(ii) He asked under what circumstances TD would allow the minibus operator 14 Responsible Department to increase the fare. When the operator’s contract was renewed, its operating cost had already been measured. He asked why it could increase the fare during the contract period.

(iii) He enquired how much opposition or support TD needed to receive to determine whether to increase the fare.

54. Mr CHAN Siu-man, Simon pointed out that the residents who travelled by minibuses would still need to transfer. The efficiency was relatively low. He opined that the shortage of drivers was not due to the old age living allowance, but the minibus operators exploited the drivers.

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

(i) The current problem was that the operators were not performing well but were not punished. Over the years, only one minibus operator failed to have its contract renewed and TD did not provide details.

(ii) He asked TD how many warning letters had been issued to the operator of route no. 407, the relevant content and the timetable which the operator promised to improve its services.

(iii) He enquired about the data and details of the site inspection conducted by TD.

(iv) He asked what criteria TD used to determine whether to allow the minibus operators to renew its contract, whether the manpower and the number of vehicles would be considered.

56. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) About the lost trip issues of route no. 407, the minibus operator said that there was a lack of staff and TD had requested the operator to explain the practical situation and improvement measures. Follow-up action would be conducted with the operator.

(ii) TD had suggested that the operator should increase wages of drivers to retain them and hire part-time drivers to deal with higher demand of passengers in peak hours. The operator said that the relevant measures

15 Responsible Department would be considered and TD would review the service of route no. 407 seriously.

(iii) About the new route, the previous consultation document had listed details about the route and service. The minibus would start from Tsing Yi Public Pier, passing Fung Shue Wo Road and area from Tsing King Road to Kwai fong, and arrive PMH through Tam Kon Shan Road Roundabouts to the direction of Kwai Fong.

57. Miss LAW Hoi-ching, Janice responded that the selection process of new route operator would be open for public so there were no limitations for the application of operators which had been stopped renewing contract. However, there were strict assessment standards and marking scheme during the selection and the previous performance of minibus operators would be taken as reference. The application form stated in the gazette would disclose the assessment standards. Members could refer to the relevant documents.

58. Mr WONG Bing-kuen asked TD if there was no other minibus operator bid for the route, whether it would consider adopting the operator whose contract was not renewed to re-operate.

59. Mr POON Chi-shing suggested cancelling the license of the unqualified operator so it could not participate in the tender.

60. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny responded that TD continued to request the operator of route no. 407 to submit concrete improvement plan in short term to improve existing problems. If the minibus service could not reach the standard, besides issuing warning letters, not continuing the licence of the operator would be considered. If the operator was stopped for renewing licence, new operator would be selected for the relevant minibus service. Contingency plans would be formulated during the process to ensure the continuation of the service and avoid the situation of the operator coming up after the minibus has stopped for service.

61. Miss LAW Hoi-ching, Janice gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) If there was a need to select new operator for minibus service, arrangement of alternative service would be considered to ensure residents were not affected in the transition period.

16 Responsible Department (ii) About selecting new minibus operator, there were strict selection standards and marking scheme that failed minibus operator could not operate.

62. Miss LO Yuen-ting enquired about the information of TD’s investigation of route no. 407 and the number of warning letters issued.

63. Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman pointed out that TD had not provided any information paper on the relevant minibus to the District Council. Therefore, he requested TD to submit the information on the minibus services in the Kwai Tsing District to the Committee on a regular basis.

64. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren asked TD for an actual timetable regarding the improvement of route no. 407.

65. Mr WONG Ka-chun, Danny gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) The information of the investigation and the number of warning letters would be provided for relevant Members after the meeting.

(ii) It was hoped that the operator would submit improvement plan about route no. 407 in one to two months for implementation.

Widening of the Walkway at Tai Ha Street Entrance and Improvement of the Pedestrian Crossing (Proposed by Mr WONG Bing-kuen) (TTC Paper No. 27, 27a/D/2019)

66. Mr WONG Bing-kuen briefly introduced the paper.

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

(i) The usage of pedestrian crossings at Tai Ha Street was high but there was often illegal parking which obstructed the vision of the drivers and pedestrians. It was very dangerous.

(ii) There were a number of walkways widening works on Tai Ha Street in the past, which greatly enhanced the safety of the pedestrians. He hoped TD would consider the relevant suggestion, and opined it could not rely solely

17 Responsible Department on the Police enforcement. In the past, illegal parking continued to occur after the Police enforced the law. Therefore, he requested to widen the walkway to ensure the safety of the pedestrians.

68. Mr WONG Yun-tat said there were often vehicles parked on Tai Ha Street which obstructed the vision of the pedestrians, and the current walkway was relatively narrow. Widening the walkway would be good for the pedestrians since it was especially difficult for people using wheelchairs to pass the relevant road.

69. Miss LEE Che-ying, Emily, Engineer/Kwai Chung, TD gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD had examined the environment of the relevant pedestrian crossing on Tai Ha Street. The environment of the aforementioned pedestrian crossing was different from the pedestrian crossings at other locations. She pointed out that the widening of pedestrian crossing works at other locations were mainly located in places where the residents entered and exited, and there were no entrance and exit of public car park nearby. Therefore, the effect of narrowing the road was not significant. As for the Tai Ha Street entrance, there were quite a few on-street shops. There was a public car park fifteen meters downstream from the pedestrian crossing. At present, the road of that section was about six meters wide. When the car park parking spaces were full, the drivers would wait outside the car park to enter, Tai Ha Street would still have sufficient space for other vehicles to pass through. TD had balanced various situations and did not wish to block the one-way road of Tai Ha Street when vehicles were waiting. Therefore, it did not consider widening the pedestrian crossing.

(ii) TD had already implemented a traffic management measure of 24-hours no stopping zone at the entrance of Tai Wo Hau Road and Tai Ha Street to reduce loading and unloading. She opined that the Police enforcement was more effective in response to illegal activities.

70. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis pointed out that many vehicles parked on Tai Ha Street to wait to enter the car park. If the road was being narrowed for the convenience of the pedestrians, it would cause congestion, and would not solve the problem of traffic flow. He suggested that TD should install double yellow lines on Tai Ha Street, and install zebra crossing at the pedestrian crossing. There were many shops nearby, therefore, if Tai Ha Street was being narrowed, it might block the loading and unloading. He hoped TD could obtain a balance. 18 Responsible Department

71. Mr WONG Bing-kuen put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The merchants could load and unload their goods at the downstream of the pedestrian crossing so it would not obstruct the pedestrians from crossing. However, no vehicles should be allowed to park upstream of the pedestrian crossing to block the vision of the pedestrians.

(ii) During peak hours, many vehicles waited at the car park entrance on the side, which seriously obstructed the traffic flow. He opined that TD should take the safety of the pedestrians as its primary consideration and hoped TD would seriously consider the suggestion.

72. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai said the vehicles parked at the upstream of the pedestrian crossing obstructed the vision of the pedestrians completely. The loading and unloading of the merchants and the vehicles waiting to enter the car park obstructed the vision of the pedestrians and the drivers. It was very dangerous for students passed through the relevant road section. He suggested that TD should consider other feasible proposals, such as installing traffic lights. He opined that it was not feasible to rely solely on the Police enforcement.

73. Ms LEE Che-ying, Emily gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD would examine the environment of the site to see whether it was feasible to install zebra crossing and traffic light. Upon completion of the study, they would contact the relevant District Council Members.

(ii) At present, the left side of the road at the car park entrance on Tai Ha Street was a full-day restricted zone, and vehicles were not allowed to park on the other side from 7 am to 7 pm. TD would continue to study for a feasible proposal.

74. Mr WONG Bing-kuen pointed out that it was not feasible to install zebra crossing and traffic light because the distance between where vehicles turned from Tai Wo Hau Road to the pedestrian crossing was only 20 meters. The installation of zebra crossing and traffic light would cause traffic congestion. He also opined that the effectiveness of the Police enforcement was insignificant because it was difficult for the Police to enforce the law in the restricted zone all day.

19 Responsible Department Motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council Requests the Transport Department to Provide Additional Parking Spaces for Motorcycles in Tsing Yi and Solve the Problem of “Abandoned Motorcycles” (Proposed by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren; Seconded by Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry) (TTC Paper No. 28, 28a, 28b, 28c/D/2019)

75. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren briefly introduced the paper.

76. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Each department should make improvement according to the existing law or else the “abandoned vehicles” problem was hard to be solved.

(ii) Complaints of residents that there was insufficient motorcycle parking spaces were received and it was hoped that TD could increase motorcycle parking spaces.

77. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry put forth opinions and enquires as follows:

(i) He welcomed TD to increase motorcycle parking spaces. Yet, there were sufficient motorcycle parking spaces at Tsing Yip Street and Tam Kon Shan Road and some motorcycles were parked outside the parking spaces. He thought that it was not effective to increase motorcycle parking spaces at the two locations.

(ii) There were ‘abandoned vehicles’ at both the Tsing Yip Street and the Tsing Yi Ferry area. He enquired the Police Force (PF) about recent prosecutions against illegal parking and about the number of Tickets against motorcycles that had parked for more than 24 hours. In addition, amongst those the total number of cases that had been referred to the District Lands Office (DLO) for follow up.

(iii) He enquired DLO about the number of successful cases of enforcement.

(iv) He opined that the departments were irresponsible. The current incident was similar to the illegal disposal of bicycles under sharing in the past and in the end it was Kwai Tsing District Office that coordinated the cross departmental action to resolve the issue of abandoned bicycles. He believed that it would be a good reference for the present incident. 20 Responsible Department

78. Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie, Assistant District Officer, Kwai Tsing District Office, thanked Members for their comments and suggestions. She pointed out that the District Office would liaise with relevant departments where necessary to carry out a cross departmental action and would discuss the details with the PF and DLO. She hoped to resolve the pressing issue first.

79. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter, gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) TD was now actively seeking parking spaces for motorcycles in the Tsing Yi District. However, owing to the constraints of the geographical location and the width, the number of spots available for that purpose in the district for motorcycle parking was not ample. The four spaces at the Tsing Yip Street were the result of TD’s active searching efforts.

(ii) Regarding the issue of adding parking spaces for motorcycles underneath the Tsing Yi North Bridge, he pointed out that as the parking spaces for motorcycles in the Maritime Square Car Park remained unoccupied all along, therefore, TD avoided building free parking spaces which would attract people to buy motorcycles as the main form of transportation. TD wished to encourage people to use public means of transportation.

(iii) Regarding the issue of handling illegally abandoned motorcycles, TD did not have the legal authority to handle illegally abandoned motorcycles, as both TD and PF were mainly responsible for the handling of vehicles with licences. Vehicles without a valid licence fell under the category of handling of trash or goods, and hence neither of them had the necessary authority to handle such cases.

80. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim, Traffic Team Leader-in-charge, Kwai Tsing Police District of PF gave a response as follows:

(i) Regarding the handling of motorcycles with licence, after receiving the complaints, PF had recently taken prosecution against them and the owner would receive the Ticket in approximately four weeks’ time. PF would allow sufficient time for the owner to remove the vehicles.

(ii) PF would also go to the site to deal with those vehicles without a registration number and licence and to see whether it would be possible 21 Responsible Department to identify the owner or confirm whether the vehicle had a registration number. PF would also consider whether the vehicles were reported lost vehicles or involved in criminal activities. If the answer turned out to be negative, then they would be referred to DLO for handling according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance.

(iii) TD had sought a legal opinion in 2000 from the Department of Justice (DoJ). DoJ pointed out that it was most appropriate to handle vehicles without a valid licence and registration number according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance. Hence such cases were referred to DLO for handling.

81. Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie pointed out that the work load of the departments was heavy, and hence did not hope that Members misunderstood about the departments being irresponsible. The District Office was willing to coordinate with them in order to discuss how to resolve the issue in the most practicable way.

82. Mr YIM Wai-hung, Administrative Assistant, District Lands Office, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing, responded as follows:

(i) The Lands Department (LandsD) focused on the unauthorized structures on government land and occupying government land for long periods according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance. The Ordinance requested LandsD to post a notice of not less than 24 hours to the owner to remove such structures. The department would use the relevant regulations under the Ordinance to handle movable items that stayed for a short period, i.e. abandoned vehicles.

(ii) LandsD considered that it would be more effective to use the existing Road Traffic Ordinance Section 107 to handle the abandoned vehicles in the public roads.

(iii) LandsD had collaborated with PF and other relevant departments since 2018 to discuss how to enhance the processes of handling abandoned vehicles. LandsD had already written to PF and TD that currently LandsD could only help deal with the abandoned vehicles in the non-public roads, and would take necessary action in accordance with the priority of the cases. Abandoned vehicles in the public roads would be handed over to PF for handling. 22 Responsible Department

(iv) DLO would collaborate with the joint action coordinated by the District Office.

83. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry expressed that the departments were avoiding responsibilities and hoped that the District Office could coordinate with them to resolve the problem of ‘abandoned vehicles’. He also enquired both PF and DLO about the law enforcement and its actual numbers.

84. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren put forth enquiries as follows:

(i) Whether the joint action of DLO was just one-off and how the departments would handle such relevant issues in future.

(ii) Enquired PF and DLO about the actual numbers in enforcement in 2018 and also the relevant Ordinance.

85. Mr POON Chi-shing pointed out that the departments were avoiding responsibilities and enquired whether those vehicles without registration numbers would be handled by DLO. He hoped that citizens would not feel confused and the departments would really focus on the issue of ‘abandoned vehicles’.

86. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan enquired whether it was illegal if there were people removing such abandoned vehicles. He opined that if it was not illegal, then the recycling contractors might be interested or willing to remove such abandoned vehicles.

87. Mr WONG Yiu-chung put forth opinions and enquiries as follows:

(i) People might find it hard to understand the legislation and regulations as stated by the departments, and hence enquired how DLO and PF could enforce the laws.

(ii) He enquired the departments how they would handle the abandoned vehicles, and whether the means of disposal would make the enforcement more difficult.

88. Ms KWOK Fu-yung put forth opinions as follows:

(i) The problem of ‘abandoned vehicles’ also occurred in the Kwai Chung 23 Responsible Department North East area.

(ii) The procedures to handle the ‘abandoned vehicles’ were very similar to those handling the construction waste with the departments avoiding responsibilities.

(iii) She expressed that it would be unreasonable to use public funds to handle the issue of ‘abandoned vehicles’ with nobody being prosecuted or pursued. It would let people have the impression that they could dispose of vehicles at their discretion and make it the black-spot for ‘abandoned vehicles’.

(iv) The piling of ‘abandoned vehicles’ could lead to mosquito issues and the departments should pay attention to the relevant problem.

89. Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie responded that the joint actions to be taken would depend on the state of the complaints received. Currently, the feasibility of the joint action would be studied and the District Office would discuss with relevant departments in due course to resolve the issue.

90. Mr TSANG Yiu-tim responded that currently PF would refer the cases to DLO and pursuant to the current Road Traffic Ordinance, PF would tow away vehicles blocking roads or likely to cause risk to the other road users. Abandoned vehicles would continue to be handled in accordance with the current procedures.

91. Mr YIM Wai-hung responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the current procedure of handling abandoned vehicles, LandsD would firstly post a notice and seek the owner’s information from TD to inform the owner to remove the vehicle accordingly. Upon expiration of the notice, it would inform the contractors of TD to remove the abandoned vehicles. However, as the contract of the current contractors had been terminated, LandsD would have to remove the abandoned vehicles themselves.

(ii) There were a lot of constraints for LandsD in the handling of the abandoned vehicles. It would be difficult to ascertain the identity of the occupier in the process of search for evidence. A lot of the vehicle owners could produce the Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle 24 Responsible Department Registration and a lot of other vehicles did not show the vehicle licence and hence it would be difficult to ascertain their status as abandoned vehicles. However, prosecution could not be taken whenever there was doubt, and hence, LandsD believed it would be more appropriate to handle such cases of abandoned vehicles in accordance with the Road Traffic Ordinance.

92. The Chairman pointed out that the ways to handle the issue of the ‘abandoned vehicles’ were contentious and the District Office could coordinate with relevant departments to handle the issue.

93. Miss YIM Yik-huen, Bonnie responded that she would liaise with DLO and PF to resolve the issue.

(Post-meeting note: The District Office indicated that as there was the same issue of abandoned vehicles in every district, feasible solutions were currently being studied by the Transport and Housing Bureau and it was also trying to clarify the responsibilities amongst the departments for the benefit of future action plans. The District Office had already liaised with relevant departments to understand more about the issue of abandoned vehicles in the district and would also coordinate t the collection of relevant information and pass them onto the responsible departments for follow-up action.)

Motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council Requests the Transport Department to Provide Additional Parking Spaces for Motorcycles in Tsing Yi and Solve the Problem of “Abandoned Motorcycles” (Proposed by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren; seconded by Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry)

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

(Post-meeting note: The Secretariat informed Members on 9 August 2019 about the reply to the above motion by the Police, DLO and the District Office through the Traffic & Transport (Circulation) Paper no. 34, 35 and 36/2019.)

Motion: The Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kwai Tsing District Council Requests the Transport Department to Include Tsing Yi in the Pilot Sites of the Pilot Projects on Automated Parking Systems so as to Solve the Problem of Inadequate Parking Spaces (Proposed by Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren; Seconded by Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry)

25 Responsible Department (TTC Paper No. 29, 29a/D/2019)

95. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren briefly introduced the Paper.

96. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan enquired about the definition of smart car park.

97. Mr SIN Ho-fai, Henry opined that the Tsing Yi District was an ideal pilot site for smart car parks. The Maritime Square car park was full before 11 am on weekends. The vehicles constantly moved on Tsing King Road during the wait which increased traffic pressure. The open-air car park at St Paul’s village was a good pilot site. He hoped TD would explain the criteria for selecting the pilot site.

98. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter gave a response as follows:

(i) The system of the smart car park would automatically park the vehicle to an appropriate location, and different types of smart car park would have different moving modes. Compared to a car park of the same size, it could park 30 to 100 percent more vehicles.

(ii) TD’s smart car park pilot scheme would not limit to short-term tenancy car parks. Since the Government had adopted the policy of “single site, multiple uses”, the pilot site would include Government organizations, sites for community uses and open spaces to test different parking systems for different land uses.

(iii) When selecting the site, the demand for parking spaces in the district would be considered to balance its cost. If a traditional car park could not be constructed due to geographical constraints in the location, it would also be considered as a selected site for smart car park. Finally, it was necessary to ensure that the smart car park would not impact the traffic in the district when determining the pilot site.

99. The Chairman announced to decide whether to endorse the motion by voting. The Committee unanimously endorsed the motion. 26 Responsible Department

Report Items

Working Group Reports

Road Safety Working Group (TTC Paper No. 30/R/2019)

100. Members unanimously noted the above paper.

Public Transport Services Working Group (TTC Paper No. 31/R/2019)

101. Members unanimously noted the above paper.

Information Papers

Kwai Tsing District Traffic Accident Report (TTC Paper No. 32/I/2019)

102. Members noted the above paper.

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. 33/I/2019)

103. Mr WONG Bing-kuen enquired about the details of NW/19/00781 mentioned in the paper.

104. Mr POON Chi-shing enquired about the details of the addition of traffic markings and signs of NW/19/00610 and whether the addition of traffic markings and signs of NW/19/00967 referred to the addition of double yellow lines. He hoped to know the details of the works.

105. Miss LO Yuen-ting enquired about the change of design of NW/18/01126 to widening of walkway, and indicated that the projects had been in progress for some time.

106. Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis pointed out that the proposal of changing the passage between Golden Industrial Building and Kwai Shun Industrial Centre at the 27 Responsible Department Container Terminal to a one-way road had been discussed in the previous meeting. The road was now occupied by the shops. However, the works had not progressed for a long time. He asked TD and HyD to follow up on the situation.

107. Mr POON Chi-shing enquired about the progress of the widening works of Tsing Yi Road and Tsing Sha Highway roundabout.

108. Ms NG Wai-ki, District Engineer/Works (SW) of HyD responded that the relevant details of NW/19/00781, NW/19/00610 and NW/19/00967 would be explained to the Members after the meeting, and the widening works of Tsing Yi Road and Tsing Sha Highway roundabout would be reported to the Members after the relevant information was obtained.

109. Mr FUNG Ka-kit, Peter responded as follows:

(i) NW/18/01126 was about changing the three-beam barriers to pedestrian railings to widen the walkway. However, the magnitude of the slope was found to be relatively large when the works was being carried out. If a bus hit the three-beam barriers, it might rush downhill. Therefore, the walkway would now be widened and the parapets would be moved to locations further outside.

(ii) Regarding the proposal of changing the passage between Golden Industrial Building and Kwai Shun Industrial Centre at the Container Terminal to a one-way road, it would be discussed with HyD, and the works would be included in the next report.

(Post-meeting notes: The relevant works progress had already been showed on TTC Paper No. 33/I/2019, item no. NW/13/0063)

110. Ms LEE Che-ying, Emily said the details of NW/19/00781 would be explained to Members after the meeting.

(Post-meeting notes: TD had explained the details of NW/19/00781 to Members on 3 July 2019.)

111. The Chairman suggested that the report should be sorted by numbers which would be clearer.

Lost Trip Report of Buses in Kwai Tsing District (March to April 2019) (TTC Paper No. 34/I/2019) 28 Responsible Department

112. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai pointed out that the lost trip situation of route no. 40X and 34 had improved, but the lost trip situation was still serious in the afternoon. He hoped KMB could solve the problem for that route.

113. Mr WONG Bing-kuen pointed out that the lost trip situation had improved in March and April compared to the last report, and hoped the bus company would continue to improve.

114. Miss LO Yuen-ting pointed out that the lost trip situation often occurred on route no. 43A from Kwai Chung to Tsing Yi during peak hours in the afternoon. She suggested the bus company should consider scheduling special trips from Kwai Fong or special return trips of route no. 43D to meet the demand of the residents.

115. Mr PAU Ming-hong pointed out that the lost trip situation of route no. 46X during peak hours in the morning was serious. The shifts from 7:50 am to 8:46 am to Hin Keng were originally every 11 to 12 minutes, but it did not match the display of the KMB mobile application. In the case of lost trip, the gap between shifts was 26 minutes. He hoped KMB would pay attention to the relevant situation.

116. Miss CHU Lai-ling said that the gap between shifts in the vicinity of Lai King Hill Road was over 20 minutes, and the lost trip situation was serious with route no. 42C and 46X during peak hours. KMB and TD should pay attention to the relevant situation.

117. Mr POON Chi-shing put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Route no. X42C was not mentioned in the paper. He hoped to know the details.

(ii) The lost trip situation of route no. 43A had intensified during peak hours in the afternoon.

(iii) Although route no. 948 and 249X met the service requirements, many residents were still unable to board the bus, therefore he requested to add more shifts. Route no. 948 was operated jointly by the Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services (NWFB) and KMB, but he opined that NWFB did not have enough resources to operate and suggested allowing KMB to operate the route independently.

29 Responsible Department 118. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan indicated that the mobile application would cancel one shift of route no. 42A for no reason, and the situation had occurred more than once. He asked whether KMB had deployed the vehicles of route no. 42A for other routes.

119. Mr NG Ka-chiu asked whether KMB and TD could break down the special trips for investigation, for example route no. 40 and 40P had different routes, putting the two together could not show the actual situation. He hoped the lost trip report in the future could show the special trips and regular trips separately.

120. Ms KWOK Fu-yung said only route no. 40P, 38 and 42C traveled from Kwai Chung North East Area to Kowloon, but the lost trip situation had intensified. She hoped KMB could actively monitor the relevant situation and consider increasing the bus frequency. The residents had to wait more than 25 minutes for route no. 31, which was quite different from the original shift time.

121. The Chairman suggested using double-decker buses for route no. 43M, and increasing bus frequency to satisfy the needs of the residents.

122. Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong, Assistant Manager (Operations) of KMB gave a response as follows:

(i) The service stability had increased from March to April, but the lost trip situation was more serious during peak hours in the morning than in the afternoon due to road conditions.

(ii) Several traffic accidents had occurred in Kwun Tong due to rainy weather, which caused the lost trips of route no. 40P, 38 and 42C.

(iii) KMB would pay attention to the situation of route no. 43A, and promised to continue to improve and increase manpower to enhance stability.

(iv) KMB would keep the number of passengers in close view to consider the proposal of using double-decker buses for route no. 43M.

(v) The mobile application would not suddenly change the number of shifts. The road conditions might affect the accuracy of estimated time, therefore, the mobile application could not show the shift.

(vi) Individual situations of route no. 46X would be explained to the relevant Member after the meeting. 30 Responsible Department

(vii) KMB would study whether it was feasible to break down special trips and regular trips for statistics.

123. Miss LAW Hoi-ching, Janice gave a response as follows:

(i) TD would discuss with the bus company about increasing bus frequency of route no. 948 and 249X. It was now arranging for site investigation.

(ii) Regarding the joint venture of route no. 948, she pointed out that a joint venture was decided when selecting the operating companies. If it was to be changed, it was necessary to study the relevant the relevant conditions.

(iii) TD would follow up on the increase in resources and bus frequency with the bus companies, regardless of the operation mode. TD would also discuss the service arrangement with the bus companies to meet passengers’ needs.

124. Mr POON Chi-shing said that lost trips often occurred on route no. 948 when it was the NWFB shift. However, since it was a joint venture, KMB could not deploy their vehicles. He hoped TD would pay attention to the relevant matters.

125. The Chairman said Members could provide relevant lost trip information to TD to follow up.

Any Other Business

126. Mr TAM Ka-chun, Warren asked TD when it would re-submit the annual work plan.

127. Mr LEUNG Wai-man asked KMB to gather all buses traveling to Tsing Yi at one station to pick up and drop off passengers so that it would be more convenient for the residents to wait for buses.

128. Miss LO Yuen-ting put forth opinions as follows:

(i) Route no. 43C did not stop at Kwai Chung Road. She hoped that a station could be added to Kwai Chung Road.

(ii) The display monitor at Tsing Yi Cheung Hang Estate Station would be

31 Responsible Department damaged every time after raining. She hoped the bus company would follow up.

129. Mr WONG Bing-kuen said that TD’s implemented bus route plan did not include the proposal to provide circular bus services for the residents of Wonderland Villas. Regarding the problem of the Wonderland Villas roundabout, TD said it would conduct a site investigation at that time but there was still no action.

130. Mr LEUNG Kam-wai asked TD when it could re-submit the annual work plan.

131. Ms LEE Che-ying, Emily said that the revised annual work plan would be sent to Members through the Secretariat one week after the meeting.

(Post-meeting notes: The Secretariat had informed Members about the “Work Plan of the Transport Department in 2019-2020" through the Traffic & Transport (Circulation) Paper no. 27/2019 on 4 July 2019)

132. Mr LI Hok-lai, Matthew, Engineer/Special Duties 1 of TD said he would schedule a date with the relevant Member to inspect the situation of the Wonderland Villas roundabout.

133. Miss LAW Hoi-ching, Janice said TD had revised the bus route plan according to Members’ earlier comments and the unscheduled proposals were noted. TD would study the feasibility of the proposals and would consider incorporating the comments into the bus route plan for the coming year.

134. Mr LEUNG Wang-cheong gave a response as follows:

(i) Regarding the proposal to gather all buses to Tsing Yi at one station, different bus routes had been put in stops not far from each other due to the limited space of the station.

(ii) There was insufficient space at the Kwai Chung Road Station, and the traffic was fast at that road section. It could not accommodate multiple buses at the same time. It was difficult to add a stop at Kwai Chung Road at this stage.

(iii) KMB noted the situation of the display monitor at Cheung Hang Estate Station and would pay attention to the relevant situation.

32 Responsible Department Date of Next Meeting

135. The next meeting was scheduled to be held on 2 September 2019.

Kwai Tsing District Council Secretariat August 2019