th 5th Wan Chai District Council Hong Kong Special ... · Ms FONG Hau-yin, Fiona Engineer/Wan Chai...

5th term_dptc_min_20_e - 1 -

(Translation)

Minutes of the 20th Meeting of the Development, Planning and Transport Committee

5th Wan Chai District Council

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Date : 12 February 2019 (Tuesday)

Time : 2:30 p.m.

Venue : District Council Conference Room, Wan Chai District Office

Present

Chairperson

Ms LEE Kwun-yee, Kenny, MH

Vice-Chairperson

Mr LAM Wai-man, Wind, Anson

Members

Mr NG Kam-chun, Stephen, BBS, MH, JP

Dr CHOW Kit-bing, Jennifer, BBS, MH

Dr TANG King-yung, Anna, BBS, MH

The Hon TSE Wai-chun, Paul, JP

Ms NG Yuen-ting, Yolanda, MH

Mr WONG Wang-tai, Ivan, MH

Ms LEE Pik-yee, Peggy, MH

Mr LEE Man-lung, Joey

Miss YEUNG Suet-ying, Clarisse

Mr CHENG Ki-kin

Ms CHUNG Ka-man, Jacqueline

Co-opted Members

Ms LAU Pui-shan

Mr NG Hoi-shing

Ms CHING Lei-yuen

Representatives of Government Departments

Miss LAU Hei-yue, Hayley Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai),


Home Affairs Department

Miss CHAN Sum-yee, Rita Senior Liaison Officer (Community Affairs),

Wan Chai District Office, Home Affairs Department

Mr MAK Hon-sum, Ronnie Senior Estate Surveyor/HKE(2), Lands Department

Mr LUK Kwok-on, Anthony Senior Town Planner/HK 3, Planning Department

Ms CHEUNG Pui-kay, Carrie District Operations Officer (Wan Chai),

Hong Kong Police Force

Mr CHOY Ka-ming Acting Officer-in-charge District Traffic Team (Wan Chai),


Dr LEE Yin-chun, Sally Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 42,

Environmental Protection Department

Mr LAI Sing-chuen, Gary Senior Transport Officer/Wan Chai,

Transport Department

Ms FONG Hau-yin, Fiona Engineer/Wan Chai 1, Transport Department

Mr TSE Chau-tong, Franklin Senior Engineer/9 (South),

Civil Engineering and Development Department

Mr CHAN Kai-yin District Engineer/Wan Chai, Highways Department

Mr HO Wai-ming Engineer/ HK (Distribution 4),

Water Supplies Department

Representatives of Other Government Departments and Organisations

Mr TO Chi-hung Engineer/Construction 6, Water Supplies Department

Mr HO Ho-yuan Engineer/Consultant Management Division (7),


Mr CHOW Man-chung Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company Ltd

Mr FU Chi-yet Engineer/Hong Kong East 1,

Drainage Services Department

Mr CHEUNG Sai-kwong, Tony

Senior Engineer 4/ Central Wanchai Bypass,

Highways Department

Mr LAU Chi-ming Senior Engineer/ Project Management 5,


Mr KWOK Wai-kay, Kenton Engineer/ Project Management 13,


Mr CHEUNG Kwan-shek Engineer/Water Loss Management 3,


Mr LAU Wai Project Manager, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited

Mr TSE Tsz-kin, Keith Project Engineer, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited

Miss Yvonne TSUI Senior Transport Officer/Bus Development (Hong Kong) 2,


Mr Thomas MAK Transport Officer/Bus Development (Hong Kong) 2,


Mr Mistral SIN Manager (Planning),

Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited


Mr Brian NG Chief Planning Officer,


Mr LEE Tin-yau Chief Operations Officer,


Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affair Officer,


Mr YUEN Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager,

New World First Bus Services Limited

Mr TAM Chun-hei Manager (Public Affairs),

Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Ltd

Ms Grace WONG Project Coordinator 1/Walkability,


Mr TSANG Hin-man Senior Engineer/CWY2,

Highways Department

Mr CHAN Chun-wai Project Coordinator/CWY2,

Highways Department

Mr LEE Kwok-cheung Director, Ho Tin & Associates Consulting Engineers Limited

Ms LI Tsz-yan, Pinky Estate Surveyor/Special Duties, Lands Department

Mr SO Hung-tak, Charles Executive Director (Strategic Planning and Advisory),

Transportation, Asia,

AECOM Asia Company Ltd

Mr LO Chun-wai, Dicky Senior Project Manager,

Hopewell Project Development Limited

Mr CHAN Chi-shing Officer-in-charge District Traffic Team (Eastern District),


Absent with Apologies

Mr NG Kwok-shing Co-opted Member

Dr CHEUNG Charlton Co-opted Member

Secretary

Mr KO Chin-hung, Simon Executive Officer (District Council) 3,

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Opening Remarks

The Chairperson welcomed Members and representatives of government

departments to the 20th meeting of the Development, Planning and Transport

Committee (DPTC) of the Wan Chai District Council (WCDC). She also

welcomed Mr HO Wai-ming, Engineer/ HK (Distribution 4) of the Water

Supplies Department (WSD), who attended the meeting for the first time.


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2. The Chairperson informed the meeting that Mr LEE Nai-yeung, OC

District Traffic Team (Wan Chai District) of the Hong Kong Police Force

(HKPF) was unable to attend the meeting due to other engagements, and he was

stood in by Mr CHOY Ka-ming, Acting OC District Traffic Team (Wan Chai

District). In addition, Mr YU Wing-lun, Alan, Senior Environmental

Protection Officer (Regional South) 4 was unable to attend the meeting due to

other engagements, and he was stood in by Dr LEE Yin-chun, Sally,

Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 42.

3. The Chairperson asked Members to note the papers and agenda with

suggested discussion time on the conference table. In addition, the meeting

would be timed to ensure it be conducted in an efficient manner. A maximum

of two rounds of speeches were allowed for each agenda item, and each

Member would be allowed to speak for two minutes in each round of speeches.

Item 1: Confirmation of Minutes of the 19th Meeting of DPTC of WCDC

4. The Chairperson said that the Secretariat had received proposed

amendments from Ms Yolanda NG and Miss Clarisse YEUNG prior to the

meeting.

5. Members present raised no other amendments. The minutes of the 19th

meeting were confirmed by means of a motion moved by Mr Anson LAM and

seconded by Dr Jennifer CHOW.

Item 2: Position of WCDC Funds Appropriated to the DPTC for 2018/2019

(DPTC Paper No. 1/2019)

6. The Secretary briefly introduced the paper.

7. The Committee noted the above paper.

Item 3: Action Checklist of the DPTC of the WCDC



Item 4: Summary of Major Temporary Traffic Arrangements in Wan Chai

District – Transport Department


9. Mr Gary LAI of the Transport Department (TD) briefly introduced the

https://www.directory.gov.hk/details.jsp?lang=eng&dn=cn%3D1249001071%2Cou%3DEPD%2Cou%3DPeople%2Co%3Dgovernment%2Cc%3Dhk

https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/wc/doc/2016_2019/en/committee_meetings_doc/dptc/16002/wc_dptc_2019_013_c.pdf


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paper.


Item 5: Major Small-scale Traffic Improvement Works Completed,

Underway or being Planned in Wan Chai District by Transport

Department/Highways Department in the Past Two Months and their

Schedules


11. Mr CHAN Kai-yin of the Highways Department (HyD) briefly introduced

the paper.

12. A Member asked when the pedestrian lights installed at the junction of

Fleming Road and Lockhart Road (Item No. HK/11/02146) would be put into

use since the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) had been commissioned.

Besides, the Member asked when the temporary traffic signs installed at

Lockhart Road to facilitate the commissioning of CWB would be removed.

13. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that after Stage 1 commissioning of CWB

on 20 January 2019, the vehicular flow in Wan Chai North had changed. TD

would conduct a survey on the traffic flow after Stage 2 commissioning, and

review the design of the relevant pedestrian lights. Besides, TD had already

requested HyD to remove the temporary traffic signs.

14. A Member enquired about the date of Stage 2 commissioning of CWB.

15. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that since HyD was still carrying out

relevant associated works for CWB, the date of Stage 2 commissioning would

be announced in due course.


Item 6: Summary of Works in Wan Chai District – Civil Engineering and

Development Department


17. The Chairperson welcomed the following representatives to the meeting:


Mr HO Ho-yuan Engineer/Consultant Management 7

Mr TO Chi-hung Engineer/Construction 6


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Drainage Services Department

Mr FU Chi-yet Engineer/ Hong Kong East 1

Highways Department

Mr CHEUNG Sai-kwong,

Tony

Senior Engineer 4/ Central

Wanchai Bypass

Mr LAW Tsz-ting Engineer 8/ Central Wanchai

Bypass


Mr CHOW Man-chung Resident Engineer

18. Mr Franklin TSE of the Civil Engineering and Development Department

briefly introduced the paper.

19. Regarding the recent suspension of the waterworks at Fenwick Street

(PWP No. 043WS Category A) due to the detection of hazardous gas in the

tunnel, the Chairperson enquired about the works progress and whether other

more advanced construction methods would be used.

20. Mr TO Chi-hung of WSD replied that engineering staff had been

monitoring the changes in the concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the tunnel

over the past few months. After ventilation equipment was further

strengthened, the concentration level of hazardous gas in the tunnel had

decreased gradually, which was expected to drop to the safety level next week.

Engineering staff would further measure the concentration of hazardous gas in

the tunnel, and if all indicators were in line with the safety standards, WSD

would discuss with the Labour Department to resume the tunnel excavation

work. If manual excavation work was considered to be not appropriate after

the assessment, WSD would consider using machinery to carry out the

excavation work.

21. The Chairperson said that since the project would affect the progress of

the lift installation work at Gloucester Road, she hoped that WSD could

complete the excavation work as early as possible.

22. Ms Yolanda NG said that she had mentioned the poor site management of

WSD many times before in past meetings, and such examples included fencing

off excessive road surface as works sites, placing many miscellaneous articles

on works sites, etc. She said that since a large number of waterworks had been

carrying out in Causeway Bay lately, she hoped that WSD would pay greater

attention to site management.

23. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:


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i. She said that following the Stage 1 commissioning of CWB, some

residents told her that no barrier-free facilities had been included in

the road improvement works at Wing Hing Street. She requested

the department concerned to study the feasibility of including

barrier-free facilities in the road improvement works.

ii. She stated that the works at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter had

been completed. She asked when the site would be handed over to

other relevant parties in order to commence relevant beautification

work.

iii. She asked when the beautification work at Watson Road would

commence.

24. Miss Clarisse YEUNG pointed out that the relevant government

departments would convene a special meeting with the Central and Western

District Council tomorrow to inform Members of the commissioning

arrangements of CWB at Rumsey Street and traffic arrangements for Stage 2

commissioning. She opined that CWB would significantly affect the traffic in

Wan Chai, thus she requested the department concerned to explain why no

meeting was arranged with WCDC.

25. Mr Tony CHEUNG of HyD responded as follows:

i. He stated that CWB had been commissioned on 20 January 2019,

and the work connecting CWB westbound and Rumsey Street

Flyover was generally completed. Relevant associated facilities

were under preparation to facilitate the commissioning.

ii. With regard to the inclusion of barrier-free facilities in the road

improvement works at Wing Hing Street, he would follow up on the

matter with colleagues of the relevant regional office.

iii. The beautification work at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter had been

completed, and the sites would be handed over successively to

colleagues of relevant regional offices to continue the beautification

works in other areas.

iv. Since the work connecting CWB westbound and Rumsey Street

Flyover was within the Central and Western District, and no

significant impact would be caused to the traffic in Wan Chai, HyD


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had not prepared any information paper for WCDC. Nevertheless,

if Members had any enquiries about the work, he could answer them

at the meeting.

26. Miss Clarisse YEUNG asked HyD if there were any differences in the

papers submitted to the Central and Western District Council and WCDC. She

considered that Stage 2 commissioning of CWB involved critical traffic

alternations, and she requested HyD to provide an explanation. In addition,

she enquired about the date of Stage 2 commissioning of CWB.

27. Mr Tony CHEUNG of HyD replied that the date of Stage 2

commissioning of CWB had not yet confirmed. The Government would

timely announce the commissioning date and the relevant traffic arrangements

after the date was confirmed.

28. The Chairperson asked TD whether the traffic in Wan Chai North was

alleviated after the commissioning of CWB.

29. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that according to their observations after

Stage 1 commissioning of CWB, the traffic conditions of the strategic routes in

the district, including Gloucester Road, had improved in the mornings and

evenings on weekdays.


i. She opined that the progress of the handover of sites was relatively

slow after CWB was commissioned. She hoped that the

department concerned could report at the next meeting that when the

works sites at Watson Road and the walkway at Causeway Bay

Typhoon Shelter would be handed over to the relevant parties, so

that relevant improvement works could be commenced.

ii. She considered that the departments concerned should report on the

traffic conditions in the district on a regular basis after CWB was

commissioned, as well as adjusting the time of the pedestrian lights.

iii. She also reckoned that the department concerned should report on

the air quality monitoring results of CWB to the Council on a

regular basis. She hoped that the department concerned could

report to the Council on the above matters at the next meeting.

31. The Chairperson asked the departments concerned to provide information


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with greater details in response to the above enquires at the next meeting.

(Mr Ivan WONG and Co-opted Member Ms LAU Pui-shan joined the meeting

at 2:50 p.m.)

Written Motion

Item 7: Strongly demanding that the Transport Department and the Hong

Kong Police Force install additional traffic light detectors and strengthen

law enforcement via video-recording


32. Mr Joey LEE briefly introduced the written motion, and requested TD and

HKPF to install additional traffic light detectors and strengthen law enforcement

via video-recording.

33. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF responded as follows:

i. After the Police obtained an understanding of the situation,

additional manpower had been deployed to relevant locations to

divert the traffic, especially during rush hours in the morning and

afternoon.

ii. Between November and December 2018, the Police had issued a

total of 120 fixed penalty tickets (FPTs) at the relevant locations,

and the number was greater than that of the same period in the

presiding year.

iii. The video camera enforcement implemented earlier was in two

phases, with the second phase completed on 31 January 2019. At

present, the management was reviewing the effectiveness of video

camera enforcement. After the review was completed, officers

would strengthen law enforcement with the use of video cameras at

relevant locations in the district.

34. Ms Fiona FONG of TD responded as follows:

i. TD had installed CCTVs at major road junctions in Wan Chai to

monitor the traffic conditions in the district. Moreover, traffic

lights could be adjusted to divert the traffic when necessary, and

appropriate traffic management measures could be implemented in

case a traffic accident happened.





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ii. TD would disseminate footages of the CCTVs via its webpage and

mobile application, so that the public could be informed of the latest

traffic conditions.

iii. TD had installed CCTVs at the junctions of Irving Street, Causeway

Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road to monitor the traffic

conditions at the above locations.

35. The Chairperson asked TD if the CCTVs were equipped with an

automated system which could adjust the traffic light time, so that the green

time could be extended automatically to divert the traffic when there was traffic

congestion.

36. Ms Fiona FONG replied that the CCTVs were mainly monitored by

relevant officers, and the green time would be appropriately adjusted when

traffic congestion took place.

37. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired about the specific locations of the four streets at which

the 120 FPTs had been issued. She pointed out that vehicles had

been parked on the slow lane of Leighton Road for a long period of

time, resulting in traffic obstruction. She asked the Police whether

deploying additional manpower, enforcing the law with the use of

video cameras or advising the motorists to leave would be more

effective in diverting the traffic.

ii. She asked which departments could monitor the footages of the

CCTVs, and how long such footages would be retained.

iii. She pointed out that the traffic lights installed by TD at the above

locations were equipped with the old system which relied on vehicle

pressure sensors and CCTVs, therefore no intelligent adjustment

could be made to the traffic light time in accordance with the road

traffic.

iv. She asked whether TD had planned to install an intelligent traffic

signal system, which could make the best use of green light to divert

traffic.

38. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquires:


Action

i. He pointed out that vehicles were often parked at the section of

Irving Street outside Regal Hongkong Hotel, leaving only one of the

three traffic lanes for use by other vehicles. Similar problem also

existed at Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road. He believed

that the Police knew very well the traffic conditions at the above

road sections, and he requested the Police to step up law

enforcement.

ii. He asked if the CCTVs mentioned by TD earlier were equivalent to

the traffic light detectors as mentioned in the written motion. He

reiterated that what he demanded from the department concerned

was video-recording devices which could assist in law enforcement.

iii. He commented that adjusting the traffic lights manually as

mentioned by TD was a measure to be implemented in case of

severe traffic congestion. However, existing traffic lights could not

be adjusted automatically in accordance with the traffic condition to

solve the traffic congestion instantly. He urged TD not to provide a

perfunctory solution to the Council.

39. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She asked the department concerned whether video recordings had

been made at relevant road sections, based on which the daily traffic

during rush hours at the relevant road sections would be assessed

and hence traffic lights could be adjusted accordingly.

ii. She asked if manpower had been arranged by the department

concerned to monitor the CCTVs around the clock, or actions would

be taken only after a complaint was received.

iii. She explained that the motion requested the installation of traffic

light detectors and strengthened law enforcement via

video-recording because deploying additional manpower to enforce

the law was not effective enough. There were more than 200

streets and roads in Wan Chai, yet the manpower of the department

concerned was limited. She opined that if video-recording was not

adopted to assist in law enforcement, the traffic problems were

unlikely to be tackled.

40. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:


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i. She enquired of the Police about the situation of video camera

enforcement. Despite that 120 FPTs had been issued between

November and December, the traffic problem did not seem to be

improved. She further enquired about the measures to be taken by

the Police at the next stage.

ii. She was of the view that the Police should step up law enforcement

during the hours when traffic congestion was the most serious. She

requested the Police to explain the measures adopted to tackle the

problem.


i. She commented that the departments concerned were duty-bound to

tackle the problem. Causeway Road westbound and the vicinity of

Regal Hongkong Hotel were strategic westbound routes in the

district. However, the traffic condition in Wan Chai was severely

affected by illegal parking.

ii. She suggested that the departments concerned should combat the

problem at source. According to her observations, a large number

of buses would stop at Causeway Road westbound for picking up/

dropping off passengers, thus obstructing the passage of vehicles

behind. She suggested that the departments concerned should

review the relevant arrangement.

iii. In addition, she considered that the departments concerned should

review the number of parking spaces and enhance the transport

facilities, with a view to solving the illegal parking problem.

42. The Chairperson raised the following enquiries:

i. She asked whether a mechanism had been put in place through

which the Police could be asked to tackle serious illegal parking on

site which was found by TD when monitoring the traffic conditions

in the district via the CCTVs.

ii. She also asked when illegal parking occurred, whether auxiliary

police officers would be deployed to assist in diverting the traffic

and resolving the issue.



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i. At present, the signal time of the traffic lights in Wan Chai could not

be automatically adjusted in accordance with the real-time traffic

conditions. Nevertheless, TD’s regional offices could monitor the

traffic conditions via the CCTVs, and adjust the signal time when

necessary. Besides, the duration of green light was different during

different periods of time in a day, with a view to accommodating the

traffic flow at different times.

ii. TD would contact the Police for assistance in diverting the traffic

when necessary.

iii. Under the departmental guidelines, footages of the CCTVs should

not be recorded. Since TD did not have any law enforcement

power to deal with traffic contraventions, illegal parking cases

would be referred to the Police for action.

iv. With regard to the shortage of parking spaces in the district, TD had

been introducing improvement measures progressively in

accordance with the “Report on Study of Road Traffic Congestion in

Hong Kong” prepared by the Transport Advisory Committee.

Such measures included requiring private developers to adopt a

higher parameter in the standard in the provision of parking spaces,

and providing additional night-time parking spaces for commercial

vehicles, etc.


i. The Wan Chai Police District attached great importance to road

safety and the traffic congestion problem. A total of 120 FPTs had

been issued in the vicinities of Irving Street, Leighton Road and

Tung Lo Wan Road between November and December. The

objectives of the law enforcement actions taken by the Police were

to divert the traffic and enhance road safety at the roads mentioned

above.

ii. Traffic congestion often occurred at Causeway Road westbound.

The Police would deploy additional manpower to take law

enforcement actions and divert the traffic during peak hours. Since

a large number of vehicles would come to pick up students after

school hours, such vehicles would be asked to leave the spot as soon

as possible after picking up the students. The Police would not


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allow such vehicles staying at those road sections for a long time in

order to avoid causing traffic obstruction.

iii. Besides, a lot of vehicles were parked illegally outside Regal

Hongkong Hotel. The Police would take rigorous law enforcement

actions, including issuing FPTs instantly during no-stopping

restriction time periods. Furthermore, the Police would ask the

motorists to leave as far as possible even during normal hours.

iv. The territory-wide law enforcement with the use of video cameras

had been implemented in two phases in July 2018, with the second

phase starting in November 2018. Video camera enforcement

could strengthen the deterrent effect. He noticed that some

members of the public would record videos of frontline officers

conducting law enforcement actions and uploaded such videos to

various social platforms. This could further enhance the deterrent

effect.

v. Following the completion of the second phase of video camera law

enforcement on 31 January 2019, the management was conducting a

review of such enforcement action, and therefore such enforcement

action had been suspended. As to when video camera enforcement

would be resumed, he would report to Members after obtaining

relevant information from the Traffic Headquarters.

45. Mr Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She found it strange for the Police to say that the deterrent effect of

video camera law enforcement could be enhanced through social

platforms.

ii. She asked whether the Police had communicated with schools and

hotels to enhance the publicity and education work, with a view to

telling the public not to stop their vehicles at relevant road sections

for a long period of time to avoid causing traffic obstruction.

iii. She requested the Police to strengthen communication with

stakeholders via the Police Community Relations Office to resolve

the existing traffic issues, apart from stepping up law enforcement.

46. Mr Joey LEE asked why video camera law enforcement was suspended

for a review despite its effectiveness. He further enquired about the time


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required to complete the review, and requested the Police to relay the Council’s

views to the management.


i. From her discussion with St. Paul's Convent School over the illegal

parking problem caused by vehicles for picking up students, she

learnt that due to geographical constraints, the school could not

allow vehicles to pick up students in the school area. In addition,

some parents arrived at the school in advance, causing severe

congestion at the road section as early as three to four o’clock in the

afternoon. She suggested that police officers should be sent to

maintain order on site during busy hours of the school.

ii. She enquired once again about the timetable of the resumption of

video camera enforcement.

iii. She asked which departments were allowed to monitor the footages

of the CCTVs and how long such footages would be retained.

iv. She pointed out that there was a kerb at the road junction of

Causeway Road and Tung Lo Wan Road. She stated that a meeting

had been held earlier with government departments, including TD,

to consider the feasibility of straightening the junction, so that buses

could turn to Tung Lo Wan Road easier, and hence the congestion

could be alleviated.

v. She was of the view that the number of buses was not the main

cause of traffic congestion. She opined that the traffic conditions

were also subject to various road conditions, such as the number of

driving licences and whether road pricing system was established on

the road. She hoped that the departments concerned could address

the problem through engineering measures and law enforcement

actions.

48. The Hon Paul TSE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He enquired about the issues covered by the review of video camera

law enforcement.

ii. He pointed out that video camera law enforcement had proved to be

very effective in some nearby cities. However, since Hong Kong


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was a city which advocated freedom and rule of law, the society had

divergent views on the matter. Besides, the cost of video camera

enforcement was higher since it involved more procedures.

iii. He asked whether the review conducted by the Police would take

public freedom into consideration. Besides, he enquired about the

additional cost required for video camera enforcement as compared

with the conventional actions.


i. She stated that the entire discussion was about installing traffic light

detectors and stepping up law enforcement via video-recording.

She opined that apart from deploying additional manpower to take

law enforcement actions, ancillary facilities in the entire Wan Chai

District should be upgraded.

ii. She opined that the traffic problems at the junctions of Irving Street,

Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road were

mainly caused by illegal parking of private vehicles and trucks,

instead of buses.


i. It was a historic move for the Police to adopt a mobile video camera

system to assist with law enforcement in July 2018. According to

the instructions of the management, district traffic teams would

select a black spot in their district to conduct enforcement with the

use of a video camera every week.

ii. During the video-recording process, frontline officers would not stop

the vehicles which contravened the traffic regulations. Instead,

officers of the traffic division would notify the registered owners of

the vehicles in writing, and requested them to provide information of

the drivers for review.

iii. He considered that video camera enforcement was effective, since

he noticed that members of the public often recorded videos when

frontline officers were conducting law enforcement actions. He

believed that the deterrent effect of law enforcement with the use of

video cameras could be strengthened when more people knew that

the Police had stepped up law enforcement in the front line.


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iv. The Police had maintained close liaison with schools in the vicinity,

and traffic wardens were deployed to take law enforcement actions

on-site every day during morning rush hours of the schools, with a

view to ensuring smooth traffic flow. The Police would

communicate with stakeholders of the schools on a continuous basis,

as well as strengthening publicity and education work.

v. Video footages would be retained until the relevant prosecution

procedures were completed.

vi. He pointed out that if several buses stopped simultaneously at the

bus stop near the junction of Tung Lo Wan Road and Causeway

Road westbound, traffic obstruction might occur. He considered

that relocating the bus stop could alleviate the traffic problem in the

area.

51. The Chairperson asked TD if illegal parking was found during monitoring

of the traffic conditions with the use of CCTVs, and whether collaboration with

the Police would be strengthened with a view to stepping up law enforcement at

the illegal parking blackspots. She further asked the Police whether auxiliary

police officers had been deployed to assist in taking law enforcement actions.

52. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF replied that the Wan Chai Police District

had deployed additional auxiliary police officers in recent months to patrol the

district and assist in handling traffic issues. He would instruct the auxiliary

police officers to mainly patrol road sections with busy traffic, with a view to

combating traffic problems in Wan Chai.

53. The Chairperson pointed out that while the crime rate of Hong Kong had

been declining in recent years, traffic contraventions remained serious. She

suggested that more auxiliary police officers should be deployed to take law

enforcement actions against traffic breaches.

54. The Hon Paul TSE enquired of the Police again about the direction of the

review of video camera enforcement.


i. She pointed out that the motion was raised by a number of Members

in the hope that it would help the Police to obtain additional

resources for carrying out law enforcement duties. Nevertheless,


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the response of the Police seemed to indicate that law enforcement

by police officers was more effective than by video-recording.

ii. She opined that it was inappropriate for the Police to say that law

enforcement via video-recording was effective because some

members of the public had recorded videos when frontline officers

was taking enforcement actions, thus increasing the deterrent effect.

She was of the view that this was not the objective of the law

enforcement action. Instead, if law enforcement was enhanced

through encouraging the public to upload videos of misconduct to

the Internet for online shaming, social hostility would be created.

iii. She pointed out that when the Council discussed the traffic problems

of 200 roads and streets in the district in the past, the Police

responded that their manpower was limited. However, when the

Council requested the Police to step up law enforcement measures,

the Police reckoned that their manpower was sufficient at present.

She criticised that if the Police considered that law enforcement by

police officers was effective, they should be able to tackle the traffic

issues in the entire Wan Chai District instantly.

56. Dr Jennifer CHOW suggested that TD should study the feasibility of

reserving dedicated spaces for buses at the bus stop at Causeway Road, so that

the vehicular flow would not be obstructed when the buses stopped at the bus

stop. Besides, she reckoned that the Police should also consider how long the

deterrent effect of law enforcement by police officers could sustain, since

frontline officers could not take enforcement actions on site for a prolonged

period. If other technologies, such as video-recording, could be adopted to

assist in law enforcement, the Police should conduct further study and planning.

57. Mr Joey LEE clarified that the Council requested the departments

concerned to install traffic detectors with video-recording function at relevant

locations, instead of deploying frontline officers to record videos on-site for a

prolonged period. He commented that as mentioned by other Members earlier,

video camera enforcement had achieved positive results in nearby cities,

therefore he considered that Hong Kong could follow the practice, which would

help save manpower required for on-site law enforcement by police officers via

video-recording.


i. He clarified that the Police had no intention to raise public


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awareness of traffic law enforcement through punitive measures. It

was the hope of the Police that after the public had gained a better

understanding of video camera enforcement, they as road users

would abide by traffic regulations and pay higher attention to road

safety.

ii. He apologised for causing misunderstanding among Members due to

the ambiguous reply given earlier.

iii. While he did not have any information about the review at the

moment, he believed that the effectiveness, cost and other relevant

factors would be covered by the review conducted by the Traffic

Headquarters.

iv. He pointed out that at present, video camera enforcement v required

frontline officers to record video footages on site, and he reckoned

that installing fixed cameras at traffic blackspots would also be an

effective measure.

59. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied as follows:

i. She would convey Members’ opinions on the intelligent traffic lights

system to TD.

ii. TD would maintain communication with the Police to discuss and

map out improvement measures to tackle traffic issues in the district.

iii. She reiterated that TD had no law enforcement power against traffic

contraventions, and CCTVs were only used for monitoring traffic

conditions in the district. If the Police had formulated new

proposals or planned to install new devices to facilitate law

enforcement, TD would study the proposals with the Police.

iv. With regard to Members’ suggestions of conducting improvement

works at the junctions of Tung Lo Wan Road, Yee Wo Street and

Causeway Road and reserving parking spaces for buses at Causeway

Road westbound, TD would follow up on the matter after the

meeting.

60. The Chairperson asked Mr Joey LEE to read out the motion, which stated

“Strongly demanding that the Transport Department and the Hong Kong Police

Force install additional traffic light detectors at the junctions of Irving Street,




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Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Tung Lo Wan Road and strengthen law

enforcement via video-recording.”

61. The written motion moved by Mr Joey LEE and Ms Yolanda NG was

passed in the presence of 16 Members, with 14 Members (Mr NG Hoi-shing,

Ms LAU Pui-shan, Mr Joey LEE, Ms Peggy LEE, Ms Yolanda NG, Ms

Jacqueline CHUNG, Dr Jennifer CHOW, Ms Kenny LEE, Mr Anson LAM, Mr

Stephen NG, Dr Anna TANG, the Hon Paul Tse, Mr Ivan WONG and Ms

CHING Lei-yuen) voting for, and two Members (Mr CHENG Ki-kin and Miss

Clarisse YEUNG) abstaining from voting.

62. The Chairperson announced that the motion was adopted, and she asked

the departments concerned to note the above written motion and follow up on

the matter.

Written Questions

Item 8: Aggravating Traffic Congestion in Broadwood Constituency in

Happy Valley


63. The Chairperson asked the Hon Paul TSE to briefly introduce the written

question.

64. The Hon Paul TSE’s briefing on his written question was as follows:

i. There were two large-scale construction sites at Ventris Road at

present, which had caused severe traffic congestion. Repeated

complaints from residents of Broadwood constituency had been

received. Besides, Broadwood Road and Link Road also had traffic

congestion problem.

ii. He asked the departments concerned to follow up on the illegal

parking problem at Ventris Road before and after school, as well as

stepping up actions against illegal parking in the vicinities of Blue

Pool Road, Tsoi Tak Street and Ventris Road.

iii. He requested the departments concerned to review the location and

number of parking spaces on both sides of Ventris Road.


i. The Police had implemented relevant measures at Broadwood Road.




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Over the past couple of months, additional frontline officers had

been deployed to patrol the area concerned and strengthen law

enforcement in order to divert the traffic.

ii. The Police had also requested the responsible persons of the two

large-scale construction sites at Ventris Road to avoid arranging

large vehicles to access the sites during rush hours, as well as using

Wong Nai Chung Road as far as possible to transport construction

materials, so as to minimise the traffic impact.

iii. In addition, the Police had strengthened publicity and education

work targeting motorists, parents and students of the schools in the

vicinity, with a view to reminding them to abide by the traffic

regulations and pay attention to road safety.


i. TD had installed a traffic detector for the traffic lights at the junction

of Broadwood Road and Link Road. The traffic signal for drivers

would only change to green when a vehicle needed to turn right and

go uphill via Broadwood Road, otherwise vehicles would be allowed

to pass through Broadwood Road and Link Road as far as possible.

i i . The pedestrian lights at Link Road were installed with a touch

sensor. The traffic signal for drivers would remain green for the

passage of vehicles if the sensor was not activated by pedestrians.

iii. According to TD’s observations, the existing roadside parking

spaces along Ventris Road were often occupied, showing the

demand for parking spaces at the above location was relatively high.

Nevertheless, in reviewing the provision of roadside parking spaces

at the above location, TD needed to strike a balance between the

different needs of road users.


i. If TD considered that the demand for parking spaces at Ventris Road

was high because the parking spaces were often occupied, then the

demand for parking should be equally high at most of the roads in

Hong Kong. He reckoned that it was a costly arrangement if both

sides of the road were allowed to be parked with vehicles. Since

Ventris Road was relatively narrow, if only one lane was available


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for use, it would be difficult for vehicles to turn to Broadwood Road.

ii. He asked under what circumstances the arrangement of parking

spaces at the above location would be reviewed by TD. Besides,

he suggested that certain metered parking spaces outside Pioneer

Court should be removed.

iii. He asked whether the right-turning junction from Ventris Road to

Broadwood Road could be converted to a roundabout, making it

easier for vehicles to turn right to Broadwood Road.

68. Miss Clarisse YEUNG enquired about the changing pattern of the traffic

lights outside Po Leung Kuk Gold and Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang

School. She further requested the provision of data of parking meters in the

vicinity of the school, and asked whether parking fees were paid for parking

vehicles at the above metered parking spaces.

69. Mr Ivan WONG pointed out that there was a driving test centre in Happy

Valley. There were views that due to limited driving skills of learner drivers,

vehicular speed was relatively slow. In view of the growing traffic burden on

Happy Valley, he asked whether TD had assessed the impacts of the driving test

centre on the surrounding traffic, and considered moving the driving test centre

away from a district with busy traffic, as well as implementing relevant

measures to minimise the traffic impact of the driving test centre.


i. According to TD’s observations, motorists had a relatively high

demand for parking spaces in Happy Valley. If the existing

parking spaces affected the traffic flow or road safety, TD would

review the locations and number of such parking spaces.

ii. With regard to Member’s suggestion of constructing a roundabout at

the junction of Broadwood Road and Link Road, TD needed to

conduct further studies on the suggestion.

iii. In general, the duration of traffic light signals varied during different

periods of time. She did not have detailed information about the

signal time of the traffic lights outside Po Leung Kuk Gold and

Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tsang School at the moment.

iv. While TD had kept usage data of parking meters, TD was not a law


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enforcement department, and its staff would not conduct any

on-street inspection to check whether the metered park parking fees

had been paid.

v. She would convey to the relevant division Member’s suggestion of

reviewing the location of the driving test centre in Happy Valley.

At present, learner drivers were only allowed to learn driving during

designated hours, and they were not allowed to learn driving during

morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. In addition, learner

drivers were not allowed to access certain sections of Ventris Road

and Broadwood Road.

71. Mr CHOY Ka-ming of HKPF replied that after the Police noted the traffic

issue at Ventris road and Broadwood Road, they were highly concerned about

the traffic condition near the driving test centre. Therefore, officers would be

often deployed to patrol the area concerned to deter learner drivers from driving

on the roads in the vicinity of the driving test centre during rush hours.

72. Mr Ivan WONG opined that the routes of the driving test would directly

affect the learning routes of learner drivers. He suggested that the department

concerned should review the prevailing driving test routes in light of the

changes in the traffic conditions.


i. He considered that things had changed over time. Ventris Road

used to be a quiet road in the past, thus more parking spaces could

be established there. However, the traffic at Ventris Road had

become busier nowadays, thus he suggested that parking spaces on

one side of Ventris Road should be removed. If vehicles were

parked on both sides of the road, when a vehicle needed to stop to

pick up or drop off passengers, three lanes would be blocked,

causing great inconvenience to other drivers.

ii. He hoped that the department concerned could reply in writing with

respect to the suggestion of constructing a roundabout at the

right-turning junction of Ventris Road and Broadwood Road, as well

as studying the feasibility of the proposal.

iii. According to the written reply of the Police, a total of 71 FPTs had

been issued between November and December 2018. He asked the

Police how many FPTs had been issued in other months, and


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whether the 71 FPTs issued were more than the number of FPTs

issued on other normal days.

iv. He pointed out that members of the public often complained that no

follow-up action was taken after they reported traffic issues via the

1823 hotline. Relevant staff also suggested that members of the

public should contact Happy Valley Police Station, yet no follow-up

action was taken after the complainants made a phone call to the

police station. He asked which way was more effective in terms of

lodging a traffic complaint.

74. A Member stated that vehicles in Happy Valley mainly used Wong Nai

Chung Road and Ventris Road to travel to other districts at present. As both

sides of Ventris Road were parked with vehicles, traffic obstruction would take

place easily indeed, and the vehicular flow would be affected inevitably. He

said that many residents had recently conveyed to him their views that a review

was necessary to decide whether the driving test centre in Happy Valley should

be retained, since there were many other locations for learning driving on Hong

Kong Island. He requested TD to seriously consider whether the existing

driving test centre in Happy Valley should be suspended.


i. With regard to Members’ comments on the driving test centre in

Happy Valley, she would refer the matter to the division concerned.

ii. At present, only some sections of Ventris Road were provided with

parking spaces on both sides. She would follow up with Members

after the meeting on the suggestion of removing the parking spaces

on one side of the road.

iii. Regarding the suggestion of constructing a roundabout at the

junction of Broadwood Road and Link Road, given the geographical

constraints and the presence of private lands in the surrounding area,

her preliminary view was that it might not be feasible to convert the

junction to a roundabout. Nevertheless, comments raised by

Members were noted by TD.


i. He did not have information about the number of FPTs issued at

Ventris Road in other months at the moment, yet additional police


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officers had been deployed to step up law enforcement at the area

concerned after the Police noted the traffic issue at Ventris Road.

The Police would maintain close cooperation with TD to work out

more effective measures to tackle the traffic problems.

ii. He noted the inconvenience caused to motorists and road users.

The Police would deploy additional manpower to Ventris Road with

a view to diverting the traffic there.

iii. He explained that if the public lodged a complaint via 1823 hotline,

it would take time for the case handler to refer the complaint to the

Police. For non-emergent matters, members of the public could

directly contact the Happy Valley Police Station, and staff members

on duty were assigned to answer phone calls around the clock. He

believed that this would be an effective way for the public to lodge a

complaint.

77. The Chairperson thanked the Police and TD for their replies. She also

asked both departments to continue to step up law enforcement and consider the

suggestions raised by Members, with a view to resolving the traffic issues in the

district through closer collaboration.

(The Hon Paul TSE, Co-opted Members Ms LAU Pui-shan and Ms CHING

Lei-yuen left the meeting at 4:00 p.m.)

Item 9: Traffic Congestion at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessy

Road and at the junction of Luard Road and Hennessy Road


78. The Chairperson invited Dr Jennifer CHOW, Ms Jacqueline CHUNG and

Dr Anna TANG to introduce the written question.

79. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG introduced the written question as follows:

i. The matter had been discussed by the Council in the past, and she

had conducted a site visit with staff of the department concerned in

August 2018. However, traffic congestion continued to take place

at the road sections concerned after six months. Therefore they

raised the written question.

ii. She enquired about the time periods to which the Police referred as

traffic rush hours in its reply.


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iii. The Police had mentioned in its written reply that it was their

long-time hope that additional manpower could be obtained, and it

was necessary to flexibly make use of the resources. The Police

had also mentioned during the discussion of the previous agenda

item that it was necessary to flexibly deploy resources in carrying

out their law enforcement duties. She asked the Police whether

their existing law enforcement efforts were effective.

iv. She pointed out that the traffic obstruction at the junction of Marsh

Road and Hennessey Road was caused by vehicles which stayed

within the yellow box markings, and opined that whether the

commissioning of CWB could alleviate traffic congestion on Hong

Kong Island would have little relevance to the traffic obstruction at

the above junction.

v. She opined that the major cause of the problem was the failure of

motorists in complying with the traffic instructions. She was of the

view that TD’s proposal to adjust the signal time of the traffic lights

at the junction above would not solve the problem. Furthermore,

she requested the Police to strengthen law enforcement.

80. The Chairperson raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She asked TD whether the commissioning of CWB could divert the

traffic flow in Wan Chai North. She requested TD to adjust the

signal time of the traffic lights in the vicinity of Wan Chai North

having regard to the changes in the vehicular flow after the

commissioning of CWB, so that vehicles in the vicinity of Tin Lok

Lane could access Wan Chai North smoothly, without the need to

stay within the yellow box marking.

ii. As for the traffic congestion at the junction of Luard Road and

Hennessey Road, the major cause was insufficient spaces at Luard

Road, making it impossible for vehicles on westbound Hennessey

Road to turn to Luard Road. As a result, those vehicles had to stay

within the yellow box markings, causing serious obstruction to

vehicles on eastbound Hennessey Road.

iii. She requested the Police to step up traffic law enforcement to

combat illegal parking and occupation of yellow box markings at

relevant roads.


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i. The matter had been discussed by the Committee at the last meeting.

She enquired of the department concerned about the follow-up

measures implemented after the last meeting and the progress of

TD’s study on the relevant intersections.

ii. She pointed out that 49 additional traffic wardens would be

appointed this year. Given that the traffic flow in Wan Chai was

heavier, she asked whether more traffic wardens could be assigned

to Wan Chai to carry out law enforcement duties.

iii. She suggested that a countdown timer could be installed on trial

basis for the traffic lights at the yellow box junction, to enable

motorists to know whether there was sufficient time for them to turn

to the road they intended to go.

iv. She pointed out that in the written question and reply from the

Police, there were different Chinese names for “Marsh Road”, with

some containing a wrong character for the word “師”.

82. Ms Peggy LEE pointed out that traffic congestion often took place at the

junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road during rush hours. She enquired

of the Police about the locations and situation of law enforcement during rush

hours.


i. All vehicles were not allowed to stop within the yellow box

markings during no-stopping restriction hours. Given the impact of

the commissioning of CWB on the traffic in the district, the Police

had deployed frontline officers to monitor the above-mentioned

junctions on a long-term basis, in order to deter vehicles from

stopping within the yellow box markings illegally.

ii. The commissioning of CWB was effective in diverting the traffic

flow in Wan Chai. However, the vehicular flow of Hennessey

Road remained heavy. The Police would deploy additional

manpower, including auxiliary police officers, to take law

enforcement actions at Hennessey Road during peak hours.


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iii. He agreed that the traffic issues at the junction of Marsh Road and

Hennessey Road and the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey

Road were affected by the terrain and other traffic facilities.


i. Following the commissioning of CWB, the traffic flow in the

vicinity of Wan Chai North had changed. TD would continue to

monitor the traffic condition after the Stage 2 commissioning, and

adjust the signal time of the traffic lights where necessary.

ii. With regard to Member’s suggestion of installing a countdown timer

for the traffic lights at the yellow box junction, she would relay the

suggestion to the relevant division.

85. The Chairperson requested TD and the Police to closely follow up on the

traffic congestion issues at the junction of Marsh Road and Hennessey Road and

the junction of Luard Road and Hennessey Road, as well as adjusting the signal

time of the traffic lights in the vicinity of Wan Chai North taking into account

the commissioning of CWB.

Discussion Items

Item 10: Implementation of Water Intelligent Network - Remaining Works



Water Supplies Department (WSD)

Mr LAU Chi-ming

Mr Kenton KWOK

Mr CHEUNG Kwan-shek

Senior Engineer/Project Management 5

Engineer/ Project Management 13

Engineer/Water Loss Management 3

Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited (B&V)

Mr LAU Wai

Mr Keith TSE

Project Manager

Project Engineer

87. Mr LAU Chi-ming of WSD and Mr LAU Wai of B&V briefed Members

with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on the works in Wan Chai District

under PWP No. 196WC – Implementation of Water Intelligent Network

(WIN) – Remaining Works.

88. Mr Ivan WONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He asked if WSD had established a database of the age of water


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mains for assessing the health condition of water mains and their

risk of leakage.

ii. He asked why WSD needed to set up WIN and if the existing

database was inadequate for effectively assessing the condition of

water mains.

iii. He enquired about the proposed time required for the works. He

was worried that the prolonged fencing of each of the locations of

works would affect local traffic. He suggested WSD establish

close communication with local stakeholders before the

commencement of works at each location, with a view to reducing

the number of complaints from the public about the road closures

arising from the works.

89. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. She enquired about the accuracy of WIN and if it could accurately

estimate the risk of water main bursts so that precautionary measures

could be taken in advance.

ii. She stated that water main bursts happened due to the ageing of gate

valves in water mains, and it took a rather long time for WSD to

complete the rehabilitation work. She enquired if WSD could

upgrade the existing water main facilities, and what actions would

be taken when the risk of a water main burst was detected.

iii. She said that replacement of water mains had been carrying out in

Wan Chai District over the past few years. She enquired why the

works of WIN were not carried out together with the replacement of

water mains. Now, due to the implementation of WIN, road

excavation works had to be carried out again, which would affect the

local traffic.

90. Mr Joey LEE agreed with the comments of Ms Peggy LEE. He

suggested various departments coordinate among themselves in carrying out

excavation works so that all the necessary works could be carried out after

opening of a road.


i. She enquired what measures had been taken in the past to monitor

the ageing and leakage of water mains before WSD decided to

implement WIN.

ii. With respect to WSD’s decision to rehabilitate 3 000 km of aged


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water mains in 2000, she enquired how much work had been

completed so far.

iii. She stated that a considerable number of major water main bursts

had occurred in Wan Chai between 2009 and 2011. At that time,

the representatives of WSD had said that detectors had been

installed to monitor the condition of underground water mains, but

some of them burst prior to rehabilitation. In view of this, WSD

had sped up the rehabilitation of water mains in the district.

iv. She enquired why the works of WIN were not carried out together

with the rehabilitation of water mains. She considered that it was a

waste of time if excavation works had to be carried out again.

v. She said that poor management was common in the works of WSD,

with problems including excessive fenced works areas, untidy works

sites and parking of private vehicles at works sites. She asked

WSD what actions would be taken to step up monitoring of site

management.

vi. She enquired if the works would be carried out during peak hours,

and she suggested WSD should not carry out the works during night

time.


i. She supported the implementation of WIN to prevent water main

bursts. Since Phase 3 and 4 of water mains laying works in the

district were in progress, she suggested the water mains laying

works and the works of WIN be carried out together if the same

manholes were involved.

ii. It was mentioned in the paper that the work in each manhole would

take two to three months to complete, and each water suspension

would last about eight hours. She enquired if water supply had to

be suspended once for every work.

iii. She enquired about the relevance between the planned monitoring

points and the existing 2 000 monitoring points. She said that

according to the representatives of WSD, the subsidence problems

caused earlier by the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) would not affect

the nearby water mains. She enquired if sufficient monitoring

points had been installed at water mains near SCL.

93. The Chairperson raised the following comments and enquiries:


Action

i. She enquired if water supply had to be suspended for a number of

days when the works of WIN were being carried out and how long

each water suspension would last.

ii. She suggested that the works should not be carried out during night

time to avoid causing noise nuisance to the residents living near the

works sites.

94. Mr LAU Chi-ming of WSD responded as follows:

i. Water suspension was required during the works period because

relevant work must be carried out to connect the installed devices to

the water supply system which would generally take a number of

hours to complete. Water suspension of eight hours as mentioned

in the paper was the estimated maximum duration. During water

suspension, the works staff would strive to complete the works as

soon as possible to ensure early resumption of water supply.

ii. In general, water supply would have to be suspended once in each

area, and water suspension would not last for a number of days.

iii. WSD would make arrangements as far as practicable to enable

works close to each other to be carried out together, in order to

reduce the number of water suspensions and minimise the impact on

the nearby residents.

iv. Large-scale water mains replacement works had been carried out

between 2000 and 2015. The works of WIN had been incorporated

into the contract of the replacement works as far as possible to avoid

repeated road excavation works and minimise water suspensions.

v. Apart from works under the purview of WSD, works staff would

pay attention to the excavation works in the district to be carried out

by other works departments, and where possible, they would

coordinate with other departments in carrying out the works, such as

carrying out all the necessary excavation works together to minimise

the impact on the public.

vi. Each works project was expected to take two to three months to

complete. If everything went smoothly, a project might be

completed within one or two months.

95. Mr LAU Wai of B&V responded as follows:

i. The concept of WIN was to cover the entire water mains network.

Through WIN, works staff could monitor all the monitoring zones in


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the entire water supply system. When abnormalities arose, further

seepage detection work would be carried out in the monitoring zone

suspected to have problems and rehabilitation work would be

conducted as soon as possible.

ii. Compared with the past method for monitoring underground water

mains, WIN would be more effective in narrowing down the area

suspected to have seepage, thus seepage detection work could be

conducted and the progress of the necessary work could be sped up.

iii. In fact, the works conducted earlier for the establishment of WIN

had almost covered all water mains on Hong Kong Island, including

the site area of SCL. Under the “Implementation of WIN –

Remaining Works”, about 400 additional monitoring points were

proposed with the aim to narrow down the area of each monitoring

zone, so that the system could be more effective in monitoring the

seepage problem of water mains, and hence works staff could be

quicker in identifying the location of seepage.

iv. WSD had been greatly concerned about the impact of the works on

different districts. Therefore, once the preliminary work

arrangements were available, works staff would consult the

Members of the constituencies concerned, with a view to drawing up

appropriate work arrangements to minimise the impact caused to the

community.

v. The works would be arranged to be conducted on pavements as far

as practicable to minimise the impact on local traffic and facilitate

future repairs of water mains.

96. The Chairperson said that the Committee was in support of the project,

and she thanked the representatives of WSD and B&V for attending the

meeting.

(Co-opted Member Mr NG Hoi-shing left the meeting at 4:30 p.m.)

Item 11: Bus Route Planning Programme 2019 - 2020 for Wan Chai District




Miss Yvonne TSUI

Mr Thomas MAK

Senior Transport Officer/ Bus

Development/ Hong Kong 2

Transport Officer/ Bus Development


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/Hong Kong 2

Citybus Limited/ New World First Bus Services Limited

Mr Mistral SIN

Mr Brian NG

Mr LEE Tin-yau

Miss Joyce WAN

Manager (Planning)

Chief Planning Officer

Chief Operations Officer

Chief Public Affairs Officer


Mr YUEN Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager

Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Ltd

Mr TAM Chun-hei

Manager (Public Affairs)

98. Miss Yvonne TSUI of TD briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint

presentation on the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019 -2020 for Wan Chai

District.

99. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. He doubted if the headway of Bus Route 18 could be maintained at

an interval of 15 minutes after the relocation of the bus terminus and

lengthening of the bus journey. He hoped that the rationalisation

would not aggravate the lost trip problem.

ii. He found it hard to support the proposed Route E11S since no route

map was provided.

iii. In the absence of any route maps for the proposed additional bus

routes, he wondered if TD would formulate the routes freely after

obtaining support from the Council. He opined that it was difficult

to thoroughly discuss the proposals without any route maps.


i. She had written to TD prior to the meeting enquiring about the

service improvement of Routes 2, 81, 25A, 11 and 511, and the

locations where TD conducted the passenger patronage surveys.

ii. She enquired about the additional time required for the extension of

Routes 8X, 19 and 25 to cover Tai Hang. She further asked if it

would take only a few more minutes for the said routes to be

extended to Tai Hang, why the existing routes did not operate via

Tai Hang to serve the residents there.



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i. She stated that since 2013, the Chief Executive had made it clear in

the Policy Address that the Government would continue to adopt the

public transport-oriented strategy with railway as the backbone of

the public transport system, with a view to easing road traffic

congestion and reducing vehicle emissions.

ii. She understood that given the population growth in the New

Territories, there would be certain demands for the additional routes

running to and from the New Territories, whereas the service

frequency of some bus routes on Hong Kong Island would reduce

following the commissioning of the new railways on Hong Kong

Island.

iii. She enquired about the overall increase and decrease in bus trips of

the routes running via Wan Chai under the Bus Route Planning

Programme 2019-2020.

102. The Chairperson enquired about the changes in the number of bus trips

running via Yee Wo Street, Moreton Terrace and Hennessy Road.

103. Miss Yvonne TSUI of TD replied as follows:

i. The paper on the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019-2020 set out

the respective numbers of bus trips and numbers of buses of Route

18 during morning rush hours under the existing and proposed

planning. TD supplemented that if the service hours of Route 18

were extended as proposed, New World First Bus (NWFB) would

increase the number of buses during non-peak hours, and the

headway during the extended service hours would be maintained at

an interval of 15 minutes. TD would provide Members with the

relevant supplementary information after the meeting.

ii. The route map of City Bus Route E11S was not provided because it

was an existing route. At present, Route E11S ran between Yat

Tung Estate and Causeway Bay via North Lantau Hospital, Seaview

Crescent, Coastal Skyline, Lantau Link, Western Harbour Tunnel,

etc.

iii. The route maps of the proposed additional routes were attached at

the discussion paper. TD aimed to consult Members on the

proposed additional bus routes. Before the operation of the new

bus routes, TD would decide on the locations of the bus stops having

regard to the prevailing road conditions relevant to the bus routes.

iv. She briefed Members with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on

the changes in the number of bus trips on major roads in the district.


Action

She stated that under the Bus Route Planning Programme

2019-2020, the numbers of daytime bus trips on Hennessy Road,

Leighton Road and Yee Wo Street during weekdays would increase

by 35, 1 and 17 respectively, while the number of daytime bus trips

on Gluocester Road would reduce by 18.

104. The Chairperson said that the relevant information should be included in

the paper submitted to the Committee, and all the information should be

submitted to the Committee in advance to allow ample time for Members to

seek and collect public views. Besides, she was concerned about the increase

in the number of bus trips on Tonnochy Road, and requested TD to provide

relevant information.


i. It was necessary to consider the burden on the strategic routes in the

district and the needs of the residents living in remote areas during

the annual rationalisation of bus routes.

ii. She opined that the paper tabled at this meeting was sketchy

compared with the one submitted last year. It was emphasised in

the paper that railway would be used as the backbone of the

passenger transport system with buses serving a complementary

role. It was also mentioned that TD would promote the full use of

railways which was complemented by feeder services of other

modes of public transport. However, the introduction of a number

of additional bus routes as proposed in the paper was not in line with

the transport planning policy of using railway as the backbone of the

transport system.

iii. In its past presentations on the improvement of bus service, TD

stressed that service frequency would be improved, and interchange

and feeder services would be strengthened. However, the changes

proposed this time mainly involved the extension of the journeys of

some bus routes.

iv. She asked apart from Route 18, whether there were any other routes

which were expected to increase service frequency but were not

mentioned in the paper.

v. She wondered why the PowerPoint slide showing the changes in the

daytime trips of the franchised bus routes running via the major

streets in Wan Chai was only shown to the Council after Members

raised the relevant enquiries, instead of being provided to the

Council beforehand.


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i. She pointed out that Members had complained several times that no

ample time was allowed for Members to study the papers when TD

introduced its bus route planning programme every year.

Moreover, some revised PowerPoint slides or slides which were not

submitted to the Council beforehand were shown at the meeting.

Members were asked to read the additional information

immediately. It was unfair to the Council as no ample time was

allowed for Members to conduct discussion.

ii. She was of the view that the information provided in the paper

tabled at today’s meeting was insufficient. Therefore, it was not

suitable for the Committee to continue to discuss the rationalisation

of bus routes in Wan Chai. She requested the Chairperson to

postpone the discussion of this agenda item to next meeting.

iii. She asked TD and the bus companies concerned to submit all the

papers as early as possible before the next meeting, so as to allow

ample time for Members to consult local residents and conduct

detailed discussion at the meeting.

107. Mr Joey LEE expressed dissatisfaction with the presentation of papers by

TD and the bus companies concerned. He enquired if there were any other bus

routes not mentioned in the paper, apart from Route 18. He expressed

dissatisfaction with the paper since it did not provide sufficient information for

Members’ discussion.

108. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments:

i. She wondered why TD only showed the PowerPoint slide in

question to the meeting after Members made the relevant enquiries.

ii. She opined that the presentation given by the representative of TD

was not in line with the content of the paper. She strongly

demanded that TD prepare another paper which should include all

the changes proposed in the bus route planning programme before

seeking views from the Committee again.


i. She enquired about the increase in service frequency in strategic

routes, and considered the information in the paper was insufficient.

ii. She said that in discussing the bus route planning programme every

year, she would propose bus routes to meet the needs of the residents


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in Tai Hang. She did so because it was mentioned in the paper that

the Government adopted the transport planning policy of using

railway as the backbone of the passenger transport system with

buses serving a complementary role. She pointed out that there

were no railway facilities in Tai Hang. Therefore, feeder services

provided by other modes of public transport such as buses were

required. Nevertheless, over the years, TD had not paid heed to the

needs of the residents in Tai Hang for bus service.

iii. She considered that there was a mismatch in resources in the

existing bus routes. Moreover, TD had kept reducing bus service

frequency on the ground that “railway was used as the backbone of

the passenger transport system”. She hoped that TD would

maintain good communication with the Council regarding the bus

routes in the district. She also hoped that TD would show greater

sincerity in communicating with the Council.


i. She said that TD had not addressed the demands of local residents

for bus service. She hoped that the paper submitted for next

meeting would address such demands.

ii. She stressed that Members were reluctant to discuss the paper

because they were not satisfied with the insufficiency and

unclearness of the paper. They had no intention to ignore the needs

of the residents in other districts and remote areas. She pointed out

that TD always cited opposition from other district councils (DCs)

as a reason for its refusal to introduce additional bus routes. She

hoped that TD would not deploy the same strategy.

111. The Vice-Chairperson stated that Members had expressed a lot of views

regarding TD’ handling of papers. He considered that the paper was very

sketchy indeed.

112. The Chairperson raised the following comments:

i. She stated that after her repeated demands, an informal meeting was

convened with TD and the bus companies concerned about 10 days

before this meeting. She considered not satisfactory to have a

meeting near Lunar New Year.

ii. She requested TD and the bus companies concerned to submit a

more detailed paper including the changes in the number of bus trips

during different time periods on different road sections when they

briefed Members on the bus route planning programme for this year

at the next meeting.


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iii. She suggested TD should hold an informal meeting as soon as

possible. TD was also advised to make reference to its past

handling of papers, and not to show information prepared

beforehand only when Members made relevant enquiries.

iv. She said that while the information about Route 18 was included in

the paper, the relevant PowerPoint slide should also be provided to

enable Members to better understand the key points of the

programme.

v. She was of the view that bus route rationalisation was a long

process, and it was not possible to cover all the changes in bus

routes in a single meeting. Therefore, she decided to include the

agenda item in the matters arising, and requested TD to send

representatives to each meeting to explain the changes in bus routes.

113. Ms Yolanda NG clarified that she was unable to attend the informal

meeting arranged by TD not because of the coming of Lunar New Year. Since

the meeting was held at short notice, she was unable to cancel other jobs

arranged earlier.

114. The Chairperson asked TD to provide Members with the PowerPoint

slides to be presented at the next meeting as early as possible, and thanked the

representatives of TD and the bus companies concerned for attending the

meeting.

(Post-meeting note: TD provided the supplementary information about the

extended service hours of Route 18 and the relocation of the bus terminus after

the meeting. The Secretariat has circulated such supplementary information to

Members for reference.)

Item 12: Provision of Covered Walkway outside Victoria Park near

Causeway Road




Ms Grace WONG Project Coordinator 1/ Walkability

Highways Department

Mr TSANG Hin-man

Mr CHAN Chun-wai

Senior Engineer/ CWY2

Project Coordinator/CWY2-1

Ho Tin & Associates Consulting Engineers Limited

http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/wc/doc/2016_2019/en/committee_meetings_doc/dptc/11556/wc_dptc_2017_016_c.pdf


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Mr LEE Kwok-cheung

Director

116. Mr CHAN Chun-wai of HyD and Mr LEE Kwok-cheung of Ho Tin &

Associates Consulting Engineers Limited briefed Members with the aid of a

PowerPoint presentation on the findings of the feasibility study on the provision

of a covered walkway outside Victoria Park near Causeway Road, and the

findings of the preliminary study on the provision of a covered walkway

between Eastern Hospital Road near The Hong Kong Buddhist Association

Cultural Centre and Moreton Terrace Bus Terminus.

117. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD said that the two walkways proposed by the

Committee earlier were not suitable for being provided with covers, thus they

invited WCDC again to suggest major walkways in the district suitable for the

provision of covers.

118. A Member expressed disappointment with the findings of the studies.

The Member said that most of the walkways in the district had their own

constraints such as the presence of trees and underground utilities, and the

Committee had thoroughly discussed the suggested locations in 2016. She

asked the departments concerned if they could assist the Council in selecting

suitable locations with the use of their professional knowledge. She also

enquired about the requirements of a suitable location. She opined that it was

a waste of time to continue to discuss the issue if they were not provided with

such assistance and information.

119. Mr Joey LEE suggested the Secretariat collect the proposed locations from

Members for discussion by the Committee.


i. She pointed out that it had been two years since the Committee

made the proposal in 2017. She opined that if a feasibility study

had been carried out when the proposal was raised, it would not have

to wait until today to confirm that the proposal was infeasible.

ii. Although it was infeasible to provide a covered walkway outside

Victoria Park near Causeway Road, she suggested the departments

concerned provide more covered bus stops outside Victoria Park

near Causeway Road, arrange the bus stops of various bus routes in

a more systematic manner and provide more shaded areas on that

road section to protect people from the sun and rain.

iii. She said that even the Council made other proposals, the works for

the provision of covers on the proposed walkways could hardly be

completed within this DC term. She asked if any new proposals

made again could still meet the Government’s deadline for seeking


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funding support.

iv. She asked if there were any other districts facing the same situation.

v. She was of the view that the bottom-up approach used for proposing

suitable locations was infeasible. She asked if the departments

concerned could propose suitable locations in the district for the

consideration of the Committee.

121. The Chairperson suggested providing covers on the walkway outside Wan

Chai Ferry Pier between Hung Hing Road and Convention Avenue at Wan Chai

North. She said that such road section would become a permanent walkway in

future which would connect the bus terminus and Wan Chai Ferry Pier. Since

there were only temporary covers on the walkway at present, she opined that

covers should be provided on that road section to enhance its walkability.


i. The Committee had thoroughly discussed the various proposed

locations in 2017, and no matter which locations were chosen,

Members hoped that the local residents could enjoy the results of the

scheme as soon as possible.

ii. Members had pointed out at that time that there were complex

underground utilities in Wan Chai District, and therefore they hoped

that advance works could be carried out to avoid wasting time.

However, over a year had been wasted now and it was indeed

disappointing.

iii. Although the two locations proposed earlier by the Committee were

not suitable for the provision of covers, she requested the

departments concerned to enhance the facilities of the two road

sections since they were heavily used by local residents.

iv. She said that the Committee could make the third proposal if the

deadline of the scheme set by the Government could still be met.

123. Miss Clarisse YEUNG enquired about the proposals made by other 17

districts and their latest progress.

124. Mr Joey LEE suggested providing covers on the walkway between Lai

Tak Tsuen Road and Tai Hang Road since the lost trip problem of buses was

frequent and local residents had to access the downtown area via that walkway.

125. The Chairperson asked the Secretary to collect views from Members by

circulation of paper. Members should be asked to suggest suitable locations in


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their constituencies and submit proposals to the departments concerned for

discussion at future meetings. Moreover, she said that the Government did not

set any deadline for the scheme.

126. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD responded as follows:

i. Upon receipt of the proposal from the Committee, HyD had

conducted a preliminary study which found that the constraints such

as the presence of trees and underground utilities could be overcome

by appropriate designs. A consultant was appointed in 2018 to

conduct an in-depth study on the proposal to provide a covered

walkway at Causeway Road. Having considered all the works

methods, the consultant found that it was not possible to provide a

cover on the said walkway owing to the physical constraints.

ii. To avoid the recurrence of the same situation in handling the second

proposal which involved Eastern Hospital Road, HyD had conducted

a preliminary study before the meeting which found that the

proposed road section was not suitable for the provision of a cover.

Therefore, HyD invited the Council to raise the third proposal.

iii. He said that HyD would conduct more pre-assessment to assess the

feasibility of the new proposal, and would report to the Council on

the feasibility of the proposal for consideration.

iv. At present, the proposals of six to seven districts had passed the

feasibility studies, and such proposals had been endorsed by the

relevant DCs. However, the first two proposals of some DCs were

found to be infeasible and those DCs also needed to make the third

proposal.

v. He said that an advance feasibility study would be conducted upon

receipt of proposals from the Council. They would then report to

the Council on the feasibility of the proposals for consideration of

the priority of each proposal.

127. The Chairperson said that the Committee would submit the proposed

locations collected from Members to the departments concerned, and would

invite departmental representatives to attend future meetings.

128. Ms Peggy LEE enquired how long a feasibility study took to complete in

general.

129. Miss Clarisse YEUNG clarified that her enquiry made just now was about

the details of the works approved by other DCs or the works in progress, such as

the locations of the covers to be provided on walkways. She opined that it


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would help Members propose suitable locations if such relevant information

was provided to Members for perusal when they were asked to make another

proposal.

130. Mr Ivan WONG suggested the departments concerned provide

supplementary information after the meeting.

131. Mr TSANG Hin-man of HyD responded that an advance preliminary

feasibility study mainly included the collection of information from various

utility companies, and such a study on a proposal would be completed within

one to two meeting sessions.

132. The Chairperson asked the departments concerned to submit

supplementary information after the meeting, and the Committee would provide

the proposed locations collected from Members to the departments concerned.

She said that departmental representatives would later be invited to attend the

Committee’s meetings again. She also thanked the departmental

representatives for attending the meeting

(Post-meeting note: HyD provided the supplementary information about the

proposals on the alignment of the covers on walkways made by other DCs after

the meeting. The Secretariat has provided such supplementary information to

Members and invited them to submit proposals by circulation of papers. The

proposals made by Members have been submitted to HyD and TD for

consideration.)

Item 13: Report on the Progress of Matters Arising of the DPTC of the

WCDC




Mr CHAN Chi-shing Officer-in-charge District Traffic

Team (Eastern District)

Lands Department

Ms LI Tsz-yan, Pinky Estate Surveyor/Special Duties


Mr SO Hung-tak, Charles Executive Director (Strategic Planning

and Advisory), Transportation, Asia

Hopewell Project Development Limited

Mr LO Chun-wai, Dicky Senior Project Manager


Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affair Officer

Mr LEE Tin-yau Chief Operations Officer


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Mr Yuen Chi-wai Assistant Operations Manager

134. The Chairperson stated that given the time limit, she asked Members to

discuss the “Action Checklist of District Issues”, “Checklist of Illegal Parking

Blackspots” and “Checklist of Noise Pollution Blackspots” at the same time.


i. With regard to the provision of barrier-free access at Lau Sin Street

and Tin Hau Temple Road in Tin Hau, he had learned that TD had

submitted a consultant report to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in

December 2018. He asked why such information was not

submitted to the Council.

ii. Regarding the illegal parking issue in the vicinities of 42-60 Tin

Hau Temple Road, he reckoned that the condition had somewhat

improved, yet the problem remained serious, thus he requested the

Police to step up law enforcement.

iii. He also requested the Police to strengthen law enforcement to

combat illegal parking at Dragon Terrace.


i. The department concerned reported the works arrangements and

way forward of the road improvement works for Hopewell Centre

II (HCII) in Appendix 15. She pointed out that it was decided at

the Council’s meeting on 9 January 2018 that the road

improvement works could be gazetted again only after relevant

structural drawings and road designs were approved by TD and

relevant departments. However, according to the information

provided in Appendix 15, it appeared that the road improvement

works had to be gazetted before relevant detailed structural

drawings and road designs could be scrutinised.

ii. She acknowledged that the road improvement works were

necessary since they were related to the development of HCII.

She asked the Lands Department (LandsD) whether other similar

works were also required to be gazetted and submitted to the

Executive Council before relevant structural drawings and road

designs could be scrutinised.


Action

iii. The design drawings attached to the paper also provided

information including the sight distance standard, radian of the

footbridge and safety, over which Members had expressed grave

concern at the meeting last year. She asked if such design had

been approved by relevant departments already. She requested

the department concerned to explain the general approval

procedures for works projects. In addition, she asked whether

relevant departments had preliminarily vetted the existing general

design drawing, and whether the design was in compliance with

the relevant standards of TD, the Buildings Department, HyD, etc.

137. Mr Ivan WONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

i. Resident in the district expressed to him their hope for the early

completion of HCII project, since greater inconvenience would be

caused to residents if the project was further delayed. Besides,

residents wondered why Hopewell could submit the design

drawings to relevant departments before arranging for gazettal. It

was hoped that the works could be completed as soon as possible

in accordance with established procedures.

ii. It was hoped that the road improvement works could comply with

all safety standards, as well as catering for the needs of residents in

the district. He hoped that the works project could be conducted

according to the general procedures, to prevent any public

misunderstanding that the Council had processed the works project

in a different way, resulting in the delay of works progress.

iii. The works project had been discussed by the Council for a long

time, and residents hoped that the works could be completed as

early as possible.


iv. She requested MTR Corporation (MTRC) to provide additional

information about Exit B of Tin Hau Station, so that Members

could understand why the proposed construction of a lift was

infeasible.

v. Illegal parking at Watson Road, King Ming Road and Whitfield

Road remained rampant, and she requested the department


Action

concerned to continue to step up law enforcement.

vi. The number of street performers outside Exit A of Tin Hau Station

had been increasing in the evening, and their performances had

generated noise nuisances. She asked the department concerned

to follow up on the matter and step up law enforcement.


i. With regard to the “phantom bus” issue, he noted from the

information provided by TD in Appendix 4 that the headway of

NWFB Route 15C was maintained at an interval of 2-17 minutes

from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. He commented that a headway

interval of two minutes had indicated the use of “phantom buses”,

and he asked why TD still considered that the bus company was

providing bus service according to the required schedule.

ii. He pointed out that according to the information provided in

Appendix 4, one bus trip of NWFB Route 81 was cancelled in each

of the two time periods within 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon due to bus

drivers’ absence. He considered that the bus company should

immediately assign reserved bus drivers to maintain the bus

service, and it was unacceptable to reduce the number of bus trips

for the entire morning because of absence of bus drivers.


i. She had noted a noise nuisance case at the junction of Spring

Garden Lane and Sam Pan Street which involved noise generated

by singing. After investigation by the Police, no noise nuisance

was identified. She enquired of the Police about the details of the

case.

ii. Regarding the HCII project, she stressed that the Council had no

intention to delay the works progress. The works could not be

completed as soon as possible because Hopewell kept revising the

works proposal.


i. The Town Planning Board (TPB) had decided to refuse the

planning application no. A/H6/87 involving 4-4C Tai Hang Road


Action

after consideration on 18 January. She stated that the Council had

discussed earlier the fact that the applicant could submit the

application repeatedly and the consultation papers were often

issued before holidays. The Council had requested the Planning

Department (PlanD) to relay its request to TPB for the public

consultation to be conducted in a fairer and more appropriate

manner through legislative amendments. Nevertheless, PlanD

had made no response to such request.

ii. With respect to the development at Caroline Hill Road in

Causeway Bay, she pointed out that the Council suspended

relevant discussion on 8 January 2019, and requested the

department concerned to resubmit the revised papers to the

Council. She stated that PlanD should resubmit the proposal to

the Council for discussion before submitting it to TPB.

Therefore, she could not understand why it was stated in the paper

by PlanD that the introduction of amendments to the Wong Nai

Chung Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/H7/19 was still scheduled

for the first quarter of 2019. She reiterated that she could not

understand why the department concerned appeared to be receptive

to the Council’s advice, but actually maintained its own schedule.

iii. Regarding the proposed installation of a lift at Exit B of Tin Hau

Station, MTRC had not replied whether they could communicate

with the owners’ corporation of Park Towers and whether they

needed the Council’s assistance in contacting the owners’

corporation. She was of the view that MTRC should solve the

matter of Tin Hau Station as soon as possible.

142. Mr Ivan WONG reckoned that the works of HCII should be carried out in

accordance with the established procedures. He continued that the Council

could thoroughly reflect and balance the opinions of different stakeholders, yet

it should not insist on any practice which was against the established

procedures. He said that most members of the public he had come into contact

hoped that the works could be completed as early as possible, so that they could

enjoy more convenience.


i. She pointed out that the storage issue of construction materials

continued to exist all over Wan Chai, thus she hoped that the

department concerned could take the initiative to conduct


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inspections to tackle the matter.

ii. With regard to the noise nuisance problem caused by street

performances, the Environmental Protection Department replied

that one complaint had been received between November and

December 2018. She reckoned that there should be more than

one complaint in the district, and performances in the vicinities of

Paterson Street, Great George Street and Wan Chai MTR station

had caused nuisances as well. She hoped that the department

concerned could follow up on the issue.

iii. She clarified that the noise complaint involving Lee Garden One

was not about the Christmas music played in the shops, but the

noise generated by the filming of a music programme on the street

at night. She stated that she had handled the case personally, and

she asked the department concerned to pay more attention when

processing noise complaints.

iv. She pointed out that there were cargo trucks loading and unloading

throughout the day at Paterson Street and Cleveland Street, leading

to traffic congestion. She asked the department concerned to

correct the information on the “Checklist of Illegal Parking

Blackspots”.

v. Regarding the greening and transplanting of the tram power

substation at Causeway Bay Tram Terminus, she noticed that the

“last reply” column had not been updated for several months. She

suggested that the information in Annex 5 to Annex 7 should be

deleted.

144. The Chairperson requested the Police to follow up on the midnight noise

nuisances generated by the pubs and bars at 15 and 25 Luard Road, 76 Jaffe

Road and 39 Lockhart Road, as well as including the above locations in the

“Checklist of Noise Pollution Blackspots”.

145. Mr Ronnie MAK of LandsD responded as follows:

i. He thanked Members for their concerns over the road improvement

works for HCII. According to the advice obtained by LandsD

from the relevant departments, the gazettal procedures of the

project were in line with the government practice for general public

works.


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ii. Prior to the commencement of works, Hopewell should submit the

preliminary design drawings to relevant departments. After

relevant departments confirmed that such preliminary design

drawings were in compliance with the standards stipulated in the

Transport Planning and Design Manual, the gazettal procedures

would be conducted in accordance with the relevant requirements

under the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Cap.

370).

iii. When the gazettal procedures were completed and the

authorisation for the road works was granted by the Chief

Executive-in-Council, such works could only be commenced after

relevant structural plans, detailed design drawings and tentative

work arrangements were approved by relevant departments.

iv. Government departments would safeguard the safety of pedestrians

and motorists, and ensure such works were complied with the

standards promulgated in the Transport Planning and Design

Manual.

v. The Government also hoped that the works could be commenced

as early as possible, yet the detailed design must be approved by

relevant departments before commencing the works.

146. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that as mentioned by their representative at

the meeting of WCDC on 9 January 2018, the preliminary road designs

submitted by Hopewell, including the sight distance, radian, gradient and width,

etc., were in compliance with the standards stipulated in relevant government

guidelines. Therefore, TD was not opposed to the preliminary road designs in

principle.

147. Ms Pinky LI of LandsD supplemented that they planned to commence the

gazettal procedures since the relevant departments had vetted and approved in

principle the design drawings attached in Appendix 15.

148. Mr Anthony LUK of PlanD responded as follows:

i. TPB decided to reject the planning application no. A/H6/87 on 18

January after thorough consideration. With regard to Members’

comments concerning the repeated submission of applications by

the applicant and commencement of public consultation before


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long holidays, he would relay these views to his department.

ii. With respect to the development of Caroline Hill Road, PlanD

would relay the opinions raised by Members during the

consultation with WCDC on 8 January to the bureaux and

departments concerned. If gazettal procedures were conducted

under the Town Planning Ordinance in future, PlanD would

consult the Council again on the revisions during the statutory

publication period of relevant drawings.


i. The Police was highly concerned about the noise nuisances caused

by pubs and bars in the district during late night hours. The

Police would strengthen patrolling.

ii. Regarding the noise complaint at the junction of Spring Garden

Lane and Sam Pan Street, he did not have the detailed information

of the case. Nevertheless, when handling a noise complaint,

police officers would immediately give a warning to the person(s)

generating the noise. If the problem continued, the Police would

demand immediate suspension of relevant activities.

iii. He was aware that traffic congestion took place at Paterson Street

and Cleveland Street most of the time, and the Police would pay

more attention to the matter, as well as deploying additional

manpower to address the issue.

150. Mr CHAN Chi-shing of HKPF responded as follows:

i. Since Dragon Terrace fell within the ambit of two police districts,

frontline staff of both police districts would work closely together

to combat illegal parking there.

ii. Watson Road, King Ming Road, Lau Li Street and Whitfield Road

were areas mixed with industrial, commercial and residential

buildings. The keen demand for parking spaces had led to illegal

parking. The Police had conducted an on-site inspection with TD

last month and gave its views regarding the above road sections.

The Police would continue to address the traffic problem through

public engagement, road improvements and active law

enforcement.


Action

151. Mr LEE Tin-yau of Citybus Limited/ New World First Bus Services

Limited responded as follows:

i. The bus schedule displayed at a bus stop was formulated with TD.

However, due to unexpected road incidents and traffic congestion,

the frequency of bus service might not fully meet the schedule.

ii. When any delay of bus service occurred, frontline staff would

deploy the necessary manpower based on the actual situation.

iii. Since TD would not inform the bus company prior to an

investigation, if TD could provide the date and time of the

investigation, he could follow up on the irregular service

frequency.

iv. The bus company was highly concerned about the health condition

of bus drivers. When an absence notification was received from a

bus driver, frontline staff would deploy standby manpower with a

view to minimising the impact on the provision of bus service.

152. Mr Gary LAI of TD responded as follows:

i. The result of the investigation was obtained based on the actual

arrival of buses, which might be affected by the road traffic

conditions. According to the investigation conducted by TD

between October to November 2018, the number of scheduled bus

trips of NWFB Route 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. was eight,

and the observation result was in line with the scheduled

frequency. The headway of NWFB Route 26 should be

maintained at an interval of 12-20 minutes during the said period

of time, thus the actual number of bus trips observed could meet

the relevant requirement.

ii. According to the results of the investigation carried out between

December 2018 and January 2019 as shown in Appendix 16, the

service and number of bus trips of NWFB Route 26 of the said

time period could meet the bus schedule.

153. Ms Fiona FONG of TD replied that TD had reported the proposed

amendments to the assessment mechanism for hillside escalator links and

elevator system to the Panel on Transport of LegCo in December 2018. TD


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was following up on the comments raised by Members and continued to carry

out the consultancy study, which included preliminary technical assessment,

preliminary screening and rating, etc. TD would timely report to the Council

on the latest progress.

154. The Chairperson stated that MTRC did not send any representative to the

meeting, yet she would request MTRC to send representatives to attend

meetings in future.

155. Mr Joey LEE considered that TD’s reply was unacceptable, which showed

that TD allowed the bus company to make use of “phantom buses” to replace

the actual bus trips. The bus company was unable to achieve the service

pledge at all. He reckoned that TD failed to properly play its role as a

watchdog and condoned the use of “phantom buses” to be counted as actual bus

trips. It was completely unacceptable.

156. Ms Peggy LEE stated that the majority of residents in her constituency

hoped that the gazettal procedures of the road improvement works for HCII

would be commenced after the design drawings were vetted by relevant

departments. She expressed disappointment if the works had to be gazetted

first according to the established procedures. She hoped that relevant

departments, including TD and LandsD, would keep tabs on the project, so as to

avoid the emergence of problems after the works were completed.


i. She was disappointed with the reply of PlanD. She criticized that

PlanD should have reflected comments of the Council in past

meetings. She hoped that PlanD could update the Council on the

progress in the next meeting.

ii. With regard to the development of Caroline Hill Road, she asked

whether PlanD would first submit the proposed amendments to

Wong Nai Chung OZP No. S/H7/19 to the Council for discussion,

and if such amendments would be submitted to TPB only after

obtaining the Council’s consent. She requested PlanD to provide

a direct response.

iii. She pointed out that the Government had privately handed over

Ship Street Playground to Hopewell. It was an example of

privatisation of public facilities without any consultation with the

Council or the public. She considered that surveillance by the


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public was very important, and she did not hope that similar

incidents would happen again.

158. The Vice-Chairperson commented that the journey of Bus Route 11 was

very long, and irregular service frequency was common due to traffic

congestion. He requested the representatives of the bus company to convey

their views to the top management. He also called on the bus company not to

introduce too many additional bus trips in the district, otherwise the traffic

congestion would be aggravated. He hoped that the bus company could make

better planning for bus routes.

159. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of the departments for

attending the meeting, and asked them to note the comments raised by

Members.

Item 14: Any Other Business

160. Members raised no other matters for discussion.

Item 15: Date of Next Meeting

161. The Chairperson announced that the next meeting would be held at 2:30

p.m. on 9 April 2019 (Tuesday).

162. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

Wan Chai District Council Secretariat

April 2019

These minutes of meeting were confirmed on 9 April 2019.

th 5th Wan Chai District Council Hong Kong Special ... · Ms FONG Hau-yin, Fiona Engineer/Wan Chai...

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Transcript of th 5th Wan Chai District Council Hong Kong Special ... · Ms FONG Hau-yin, Fiona Engineer/Wan Chai...