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Following is a question by the Hon Martin Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng (in the absence of the Secretary for the Environment) in the Legislative Council today (April 23):
Question:
Regarding air pollution in districts with heavy traffic, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether air pollution in Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Central has shown signs of deterioration in the past three years;
(b) of the policies the Government had implemented to reduce air pollution in districts with heavy traffic in the past five years, as well as the expenditure involved, and whether it has assessed the effectiveness of such policies; if it has conducted such an assessment, of the outcome; and
(c) whether it has looked into the main sources of air pollution in districts with heavy traffic, as well as the impact of public transport and other commercial vehicles on air pollution in such districts?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) In the past three years, the annual average concentrations of air pollutants measured at the three roadside air quality monitoring stations did not vary much and showed no sign of deterioration. The details are given in Table 1 of the Annex.
(b) & (c) Motor vehicle emissions are the main source of air pollution in districts with heavy traffic (such as Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Central). The air quality in these districts is also affected by regional air pollution.
To reduce air pollution at the roadside and in districts with heavy traffic, the Government has a standing policy to implement as soon as possible practicable motor vehicle emission reduction measures. In the past five years, the Government continued the implementation of the comprehensive motor vehicle emission control measures announced in 1999, and launched new measures to further improve air quality at the roadside and in districts with heavy traffic. Details of the measures and their expenditures are given in Table 2 of the Annex.
At present, the Government has fully implemented all the motor vehicle emission control measures announced in 1999. Air quality in districts with heavy traffic has already improved. Compared with 1999, the roadside concentrations of the major air pollutant emissions from vehicles, namely respirable suspended particulates (RSP) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), had been reduced by 15% and 24% respectively last year. The relevant air quality data are given in Table 3 of the Annex.
The new motor vehicle emission reduction measures that were launched by the Government in the past three years included measures that can provide continuous improvement in the overall emissions from motor vehicles. For example, more stringent standards for motor vehicle fuel and the emissions of newly registered vehicles will be introduced whenever practicable; a one-off grant to encourage vehicle owners to replace their pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles with new commercial vehicles compliant with the prevailing emission requirements for newly registered vehicles has been launched; tax incentives to encourage vehicle owners to use environment-friendly vehicles have been introduced. These measures will replace in coming years existing vehicles with more environment-friendly vehicles. Hence, air quality at the roadside and in districts with heavy traffic will improve continuously.
On the other hand, the Government is joining hands with the Guangdong Province to reduce regional air pollution in the Pearl River Delta to improve air quality in Hong Kong including districts with heavy traffic.
Ends/Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:55
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