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Following is a speech delivered by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, at Walkable City, Living Streets - Conference on Pedestrian Network Planning, Safety and Streets as Public Spaces in Hong Kong today (May 7):
Mr Wai (Chi-sing), Mr (Simon) Ng, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am very delighted to be invited to this conference on Walkable City, Living Streets co-organised by the Civic Exchange, Community for Road Safety and Designing Hong Kong. The conference is timely as this new Administration seeks to promote a green transport environment which should include a pedestrian-friendly dimension. Our goal sounds simple, but we do not underestimate the challenges before us - resulting from Hong Kong's compact and congested city space and previous policy legacies. Here I would like to share with you some of my thoughts.
Although Hong Kong has a highly efficient and extensive public transport system which accounts for about 90 per cent of the vehicular trips, everyone walks to different extent each day. According to the territory-wide Travel Characteristics Survey that the Transport Department completed in 2012, about 30 per cent of Hong Kong residents made at least one walk-only trip on a normal weekday, and over 70 per cent of our commuters walked to access a transport mode, and to reach their destinations after alighting from vehicles every day.
A walkable city can reduce the use of motorised transport, helping to benefit our air quality and, in turn, our quality of life. However, this does not mean doing away with public transport. On the contrary, if a densely populated city like Hong Kong is to function well as a walkable city, we must first of all provide an efficient mass transit system so as to free up road space. The entire city should be well served by easily accessible public transport with good intermodal connectivity, and pedestrians should be able to move around in a safe and comfortable environment. At the same time, the needs of the elderly and disabled must be well taken care of.
In other words, we are talking about a system of connectivity and mobility that can facilitate walking as a real and practical choice for most commuters.
Pedestrian Planning
While Hong Kong can generally fit the bill in terms of public transport accessibility and reliability, we need to do much more to make it a truly walkable city. To this end, the Government has been putting more emphasis on planning for pedestrians, and has set comprehensive principles and standards on pedestrian planning and pedestrian facilities in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, which apply to planning studies, the preparation and revision of town plans, and development control.
Take for example the planning of the new Kai Tak Development and the proposed Kwu Tung North New Development Area: much consideration has been given to promoting a pedestrian-friendly environment through careful planning and provision of adequate pedestrian facilities. In the Kai Tak Development, there will be a total of 25 sets of new and enhanced pedestrian links, including subways, footbridges and footpaths, to bring the hinterland of Kai Tak closer together. In the Kwu Tung North New Development Area, walkways and footpaths which are continuous and landscaped will be provided to create a pleasant walking environment.
Universal Accessibility
To promote walkability, we give first priority to the needy ones, especially the elderly and people with disabilities. Last August, the Administration announced a new policy on Universal Accessibility, whereby we will retrofit barrier-free access facilities such as lifts to existing public walkways, i.e. footbridges, elevated walkways and subways maintained by the Highways Department, so as to facilitate access by the public.
In parallel, we continue to pursue a pre-existing programme of about 170 projects for retrofitting of barrier-free access facilities to meet the requirements of the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Pedestrian Environment Improvement Schemes
To minimise vehicle-pedestrian conflicts and improve roadside air quality, the Administration is taking forward various schemes to improve the pedestrian environment in business districts, shopping centres and leisure areas with heavy pedestrian flows.
The Pedestrian Environment Improvement Scheme for the Yuen Long Town, presently undertaken by the Highways Department, is a good example. Some of the medium and minor improvement works have already been completed, involving widening of existing footpaths, straightening of pedestrian crossings and implementation of no-stopping restrictions on vehicles.
We have also proposed to construct a footbridge of around 520 metres long along Yuen Long Town Nullah, connecting West Rail Long Ping Station in the north to Ma Tin Road in the south to serve as a strategic north-south pedestrian route.
Hillside Escalator Links and Elevator Systems
Many of you should have been to the Soho district by taking the hillside escalator in Central District. You may like to know the Administration is taking forward similar projects in other areas of Hong Kong. For instance, the Centre Street escalator system, which was proposed earlier, is under construction and will be in full operation by the third quarter of this year. The pedestrian link at Tsz Wan Shan has been included in the Shatin to Central Link project, for completion by phases between 2014 and 2016. Also, the pedestrian link system at Yuet Wah Street will be implemented in relation to the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment, for completion in 2015.
However, not all proposed Hillside Escalator Systems are technically feasible or financially justified, and not all are welcomed by the local communities. For example, there is local opposition to a proposed project in Pound Lane, which will undergo public engagement.
Pedestrian Schemes
There are also dedicated pedestrian schemes. Since 2000, the Transport Department has implemented more than 70 pedestrian schemes in various parts of Hong Kong, including Causeway Bay, Central, Wan Chai, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. These pedestrian schemes impose different degrees of restriction against vehicle access to provide a more pedestrian-friendly environment. While they are generally welcomed by the public, further introduction of pedestrian schemes is becoming more difficult due to limited road space available for competing needs and street management considerations. Some local residents and District Councils have raised concerns about noise and environmental problems created by the pedestrians and on-street promotion activities. This has highlighted an important factor in promoting walkability, that is, the support from the community.
A walkable city pre-supposes a community of people willing to take up walking as one of their regular ways of travelling. We need local support in introducing pedestrian facilities in specific areas, and an efficient public transport system to cover distant journeys, as well as a systemic vision and design that can free up road space and reduce motorised transport.
Ladies and gentlemen, what I have described is, of course, far short of what an ideal walkable city should be. For too long, like other big cities, Hong Kong has been working hard to cope with motorised transport by building more roads and highways, yet the number of cars keeps on increasing and traffic congestion and roadside emission worsens. It is indeed time for us to pause, to rethink the future of our city design and transport planning, and to put pedestrians back on our policy map.
When I was a young boy, I lived in Wan Chai, and I went to school by walking. I walked to the City Hall library every Saturday, and I walked to Causeway Bay and Happy Valley for leisure and shopping. Road traffic then wasn't as busy as now. I am not advocating a simple return to the past, but we need a more balanced mobility landscape, with good public transport access and pedestrian walkability. Walking enables us to be more observant of our interesting street scenes and to have a closer encounter with people on streets, a social experience that travelling by cars cannot provide.
In a way, walkability or not reflects the pace and character of our city, and the pace of our working life and social life. While contemplating walkability, we are at the same time reflecting on how our life should be organised, a much bigger challenge for us all.
Finally, in closing, I would like to wish this conference a great success with every participant benefiting from a multi-perspective, cross-disciplinary and constructive exchange of views and ideas. Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:10
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