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Following is the speech delivered by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Nicholas Ng, at the Rotary Club of Victoria luncheon meeting today (May 14):
President Faulkner, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to have the opportunity today to address the Rotary Club of Victoria. My speech will focus on the development of Intelligent Transport Systems in Hong Kong.
Introduction
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Many of us must have encountered some unhappy experience in using our road or transport system : being stuck in a traffic jam without knowing what was happening, getting lost with traffic diversion, or boarding the wrong bus and not knowing where the bus was going. As a road user myself, I fully understand such frustration. While there have been significant improvements in our transport infrastructure and the quality of public transport services over the years, more could be done to make our transport system more "intelligent" to allow it to better serve the users.
Building more roads is no longer sustainable in the long run given the limited land and financial resources. What road users require is more timely and accurate transport information so that they can make an informed choice on the quickest way of moving around. There is also a demand for a more user friendly and better managed transport system in order to enhance the performance of our existing transport infrastructure. We need to develop a comprehensive "Intelligent Transport Systems" strategy.
Development of a "Intelligent Transport Systems" Strategy
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The term "Intelligent Transport Systems" refers to the deployment of advanced IT to enhance the safety, efficiency, reliability, user friendliness of the transport system. In Hong Kong, we have indeed implemented some "Intelligent Transport Systems" for many years. Some examples are the autotoll collection system at tunnels and bridges, the Octopus card, and the variable message signs installed on some of our highways informing road users of the traffic conditions ahead.
However, these are all standalone, piece-meal systems. They are not quite adequate to meet the aspiration of our road users in the 21st century. What we need now is dynamic and coordinated transport information which would enable road users to make pre-trip planning and to avoid congested locations.
Last year, we conducted a review on our Intelligent Transport Systems in Hong Kong, and decided to establish a comprehensive Transport Information System and adopt a new Traffic Management Framework to make our transport system more intelligent.
In the coming ten years, the Government will spend more than $3 billion to implement these systems.
Transport Information System
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What is "Transport Information System"? Simply speaking, it is a map. It is an electronic map which could interact with individual road users. The electronic map will contain all the basic road and traffic information, e.g. the number of lanes and directional movements of individual road sections, information on stopping restrictions, roadworks and related traffic diversion arrangements, etc. It will also contain information related to public transport services, such as route and fare schedules, bus stops location, etc. Apart from the above static information, the Transport Information System will also contain real-time traffic information through input from traffic control centres. It is expected that the system will come into operation in 2003.
So, what is the use of all the above information and what could the Transport Information System do to help us? If you are a driver, you could plan your trip before you start the car engine. You could find the shortest or fastest route to your destination through the internet, the 3G mobile phone or the in-vehicle unit installed in your car. You could find out the progress of any road works being carried out and any traffic diversion measures being implemented in order to determine whether to adopt an alternative route. You could also have access to real-time traffic conditions in order to avoid congestion spots.
If you are a passenger and use public transport, you could find different fare and journey time options for a particular destination before you leave your home.
For franchised bus companies and utilities companies, they could adopt the vehicle positioning system together with the Transport Information System to locate their vehicles for better fleet management. Furthermore, bus companies could develop additional passenger services by providing information, such as when the next bus of a particular route would arrive at a particular stop, the number of seats available, and how long it would take to get to a particular destination.
The private sector could also make use of the system to develop tailor-made services for their customers. For example, vehicle manufacturers could use the electronic map to develop a car navigation system, or even auto-cruise, for individual vehicles. Car park operators could upload the location of their facilities and real-time information on availability of parking spaces onto the system so that reservation service could be provided. Restaurants, theatres, clinics or other service providers could also upload their information onto the system and provide route guidance to customers when they make bookings. Hotels could design specific tours with different transport mode options for tourists.
The above examples only aim to illustrate the kind of value-added services that could be derived from a comprehensive Transport Information System. With our vibrant private sector, we believe that other more innovative and imaginative services can be provided eventually.
Traffic Management Framework
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Apart from providing transport information to road users, another important function of our Intelligent Transport Systems is to ensure a smooth traffic flow in Hong Kong. This is achieved through the establishment of a new traffic management framework.
At present, traffic flow is regulated through traffic lights at road junctions. For the urban area and some of the new towns, we already have an Area Traffic Control system whereby the phasing of traffic lights are regulated by computers in order to ensure a smooth traffic flow. For expressways, traffic flow is monitored by traffic control and surveillance facilities such as Closed Circuit TV and speed detection devices. When a traffic accident is captured by a CCTV or other detection devices, the relevant control centre would inform road users through the lane control signal and variable message signs installed on expressways before they approach the accident spot.
However, the existing coverage of computerised traffic signal system as well as the traffic control and surveillance facilities is not comprehensive. In addition, control centres for these systems are operated on their own with limited linkage among them.
To improve the situation and fill in the gap, we will extend the coverage of the existing computerised traffic signals, and traffic control and surveillance facilities to cover all the developed areas and major highways. In addition, we will link up all traffic control centres under a single "Traffic Management and Information Centre" for a more effective coordination of traffic and incident management in Hong Kong.
The new Centre will in future replace the existing control centres and take direct control of all existing and future computerised traffic signals and traffic control and surveillance facilities. In case of emergency and major accident with widespread impact, the Centre will also be responsible for coordinating with tunnel/bridge operators, the Police, other Government departments and transport operators, in managing traffic. The Centre is expected to become operational in 2006.
While the new Centre will alert road users of any traffic incident through the variable message signs installed on all major highways, it will also feed dynamic traffic information to the Transport Information System so that road users could have access to the latest traffic conditions in Hong Kong.
Conclusions
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The 21st century is an era of IT. Every sector of our community will involve more and more extensive use of IT, and transport is no exception. With the implementation of comprehensive Intelligent Transport Systems in Hong Kong, we expect the transport scene to be very different in future. Driving is much easier and more comfortable as you may only need to input your destination and your vehicle will automatically drive you there. Using public transport is much more convenient, and you can have a cup of coffee while waiting for a bus. With a more reliable transport system, you could also schedule your appointments much more flexibly. However, the downside is that one may no longer be able to use "I have just missed the bus" or "traffic is very congested out there" as an excuse for being late.
Thank you.
END/Monday, May 14, 2001
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