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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (December 12):
Question:
It has been reported that the car journey speed in the urban areas of Hong Kong had continued to slow down over the past four years from an average of 24.9 kilometres per hour (km/h) in 2002 to only 24 km/h last year, reflecting that the problem of traffic congestion in Hong Kong had worsened. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the traffic congestion data for the major trunk roads in the urban areas (e.g. Nathan Road, Princess Margaret Road, Gloucester Road, Hennessy Road, Des Voeux Road Central, Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road, Queen's Road Central and the Eastern Corridor,etc.) during peak hours and off-peak hours in the past four years;
(b) of the reasons for the worsening traffic congestion in the urban areas, and whether any improvement measures have been formulated to address the problem; if so, of the progress; and
(c) whether the worsening traffic congestion in the urban areas has affected the car journey speed in the three road-harbour crossings; if so, how the crossings have been affected and of the authorities' strategies to address the problem; if not, whether the authorities have analysed why those crossings have not been affected?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Transport Department (TD)'s survey on vehicle speed shows that there is a trend of reduced vehicle speed on some roads in the urban areas during the morning peak hours. Comparing the 2002 and 2006 situations, between 8:00 am to 9:30 am, vehicle speed of the major roads approaching the business district in Central such as Gloucester Road, Harcourt Road, Hennessy Road and Queen's Road Central approaching Central has reduced by 10%, 4%, 8% and 37% respectively. In the same period, vehicle speed of Princess Margaret Road approaching Tsim Sha Tsui and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel has reduced by 57%. The actual figures on vehicle speed are as follows –
Road Average Vehicle Speed Reduction
in the Morning Peak Hours Rate
(km/hour)
2002 2006
Gloucester Road
(approaching Central) 27.1 24.5 -9.6%
Harcourt Road
(approaching Central) 36.3 34.7 -4.4%
Hennessy Road
(approaching Central) 17.3 16.0 -7.6%
Queen's Road Central
(approaching Central) 23.3 14.6 -37.0%
Princess Margaret Road 20.7 8.9 -57.0%
(approaching Tsim Sha Tsui
and Cross-Harbour Tunnel)
We cannot provide vehicle speed data during off-peak hours because TD does not conduct separate surveys for this.
(b) The decrease in vehicle speed in some roads in the urban areas in 2006,as compared to that in 2002, is probably due to more journeys to and from urban areas made in tandem with the economic upturn in recent years. We have been taking measures on various fronts to improve traffic conditions in urban areas –
(i) We will continue to promote the use of mass transit systems. Railway is the backbone of our public passenger transport system and we are expanding the major railway projects. Among them, the Kowloon Southern Link which links the Nam Cheong Station of the West Rail Line and the East Tsim Sha Tsui Station of the East Rail Line is expected to commence operation by end 2009 to improve the rail link between the New Territories and urban areas. As for the West Island Line, we are now seeking funding from the Council for the detailed design. This railway proposal has also been gazetted for public consultation. In addition, the planning work for South Island Line and Shatin to Central Link is also in progress. With the implementation and completion of these railway projects, road congestion will be significantly relieved.
(ii) On bus services, TD, in collaboration with the franchised bus operators, has rationalised bus routes, particularly those routes with low utilisation rates and operating along busy roads in the urban areas, so as to enhance the efficiency of the bus service network and alleviate traffic congestion. Since 1999 and up to 2006, through TD's bus route rationalisation including frequency adjustments, daily bus trips going in and out of Central had been reduced by over 2,800 trips (about 18%). Bus trips via Yee Wo Street at Causeway Bay had been reduced by 1,900 trips (about 22%), and those via Nathan Road had been reduced by 1,100 trips (about 7%).
(iii) We will continue to plan for the implementation of major road facilities, including the Road P2, Central-Wanchai Bypass, Central Kowloon Route, etc. with a view to further improving the traffic conditions in busy areas. These road projects are in pressing need and have gone through rounds of consultation and examination. We hope that the planning work, as well as the statutory and funding process, can be completed as soon as possible for the early commencement of the road construction. If the Central-Wan Chai Bypass is not in place by 2016, vehicular traffic along the existing Connaught Road Central/Harcourt Road/Gloucester Road corridor would exceed its capacity by about 30%. During peak hours, the vehicle journey time from Rumsey Street to Causeway Bay would sharply increase from 15 to about 45 minutes. Regarding the Central Kowloon Route, as most of the existing east-west trunk roads in Central Kowloon are saturated during peak hours, if the Central Kowloon Route is not in place by 2016, traffic flow at Lung Cheung Road, Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road, Argyle Street, Waterloo Road, Gascoign Road Flyover and Chatham Road North, etc. would exceed their capacities by about 30%.
(iv) Regarding daily traffic management, TD monitors traffic conditions across the territory on a continual basis, and reviews traffic situations at major roads from time to time. Moreover, they also consult and listen to the views of the local community and will implement suitable traffic management measures, such as road diversion, erection of additional road signs, designation of no-stopping restriction zones and lay-bys, as necessary.
(c) The growth in traffic flow puts pressure on the traffic conditions of all cross-harbour tunnels. To improve traffic conditions in these tunnels, we actively encourage the use of the mass transit system. According to the statistics from TD, the daily number of cross-harbour passenger trips on the railway has increased through the years, from 760,000 in 2002 to 850,000 in 2006.
Moreover, TD has also installed the Journey Time Indication System (JTIS) on Hong Kong Island to provide journey time information to motorists, so as to facilitate motorists travelling on the major approach roads to the three cross-harbour tunnels to choose suitable routes on the basis of latest traffic information, and to alleviate traffic congestion in the tunnels. Extension of the JTIS to Kowloon will be completed in 2009.
The construction of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass will help divert the east-west traffic along the Connaught Road/Harcourt Road/Gloucester Road corridor away from the central business district, and alleviate traffic congestion along this corridor and the existing local road networks in the area. It will also further improve the traffic conditions of major approach roads to the three cross-harbour tunnels.
Ends/Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:51
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