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Following is a question by the Hon Starry Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (April 30):
Question:
Quite a number of tourists go by coach and local residents go by car to Lei Yue Mun, an internationally acclaimed tourist attraction famous for seafood, to patronize the restaurants there. Last year, the Planning Department proposed that two sites at Lei Yue Mun Path currently used as temporary open-air car parks be rezoned for private residential uses, and subsequently even decided to increase the plot ratio of the sites from the original 5.5 to 9. Some restaurant operators in Lei Yue Mun have relayed to me that the closure of the temporary car parks will strike a blow to the business of their restaurants. Although the aforesaid residential development will provide 200 public parking spaces in future, the population growth arising from the residential development will worsen the traffic congestion and shortage of public parking spaces in the district, thus impeding the development of Lei Yue Mun as a tourist attraction. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the existing number of public parking spaces in Lei Yue Mun and their geographical distribution; the demand for public parking spaces in the district; whether it knows the respective utilization rates of the two aforesaid open-air car parks during peak hours at night during holidays;
(2) whether, in order to alleviate the tight supply of parking spaces in Lei Yue Mun, it will consider specifying in the land sale conditions of the aforesaid and the neighbouring private residential developments the provision of more public parking spaces by the developers; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether it will, during the construction of the aforesaid private residential development, take measures (e.g. providing new temporary car parks) to prevent the shortage of public parking spaces in Lei Yue Mun from worsening; if it will, of the specific measures to be taken, the implementation timetable and the number of public parking spaces to be provided; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether it will, from the perspective of promoting the long-term development of district tourism, enhance the ancillary transport facilities in Lei Yue Mun, including providing additional public parking spaces and more convenient places for coach parking, as well as addressing the traffic congestion problem in the district; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
When proposing the rezoning of the existing site which is being used as two open-air car parks under short-term tenancy (STT) at Lei Yue Mun Path to private residential development, the Government has duly considered the traffic situation of the Lei Yue Mun area and a number of factors, such as the convenience and efficiency of public transport (including public buses, MTR trains, green minibuses and taxis, etc), the supply and demand of parking spaces within the area as well as the needs of the tourism industry and restaurants, etc.
My reply to the Hon Starry Lee's question is as follows:
(1) The number and location of public parking spaces for private cars in Lei Yue Mun and its vicinity are at Annex. The demand and utilisation rates of these parking spaces vary in different hours of the day. Taking the two open-air car parks under STT at Lei Yue Mun Path as an example, their utilisation rates sometimes reach 90 per cent or above during peak hours (i.e. around 8pm to 10pm during holidays) but fall to lower levels in other periods, with the lowest utilisation rate of only about 10 per cent.
(2) The existing site which is being used as two open-air car parks under STT at Lei Yue Mun Path provides a total of 136 temporary parking spaces for private cars. Locating at the fringe of Yau Tong residential area, the site is suitable for residential development. In January 2013, the Government consulted the Kwun Tong District Council (KTDC) and members of the public on the proposed residential use before amending the relevant Outline Zoning Plan. The KTDC gave its in-principle support and requested the provision of parking spaces at the site not less than that being provided by the existing temporary car parks. Taking into account the views of the KTDC and the public, the Government revised the development proposal as appropriate and increased the number of public parking spaces to be provided to not less than 200, which is an increase of nearly half (47 per cent) of the existing 136 parking spaces. As for other new developments within the area, the Government will examine the provision of additional public parking spaces at those developments if the demand is keen and the developments are of suitable size and location.
(3) During the construction period of the above proposed private residential development, the Government is of the preliminary view that part of an adjoining "Government, Institution or Community" site can be considered for temporary use as a fee-paying public car park to cope with the demand for public parking spaces during the transitional period. The tendering exercise is already underway. The Government will continue to explore whether there are other suitable sites for the provision of temporary parking spaces.
(4) Currently, vehicles queueing along the downhill lane of Shung Shun Street for entering into the temporary open-air car parks at Lei Yue Mun Path during peak hours results in busier traffic in the Lei Yue Mun area. To alleviate the traffic situation, the Government plans to convert the carriageway from single-lane to two-lane at the downhill section of Shung Shun Street between Yan Wing Street and Lei Yue Mun Path so as to enhance the traffic capacity, on the condition that the existing loading/unloading facilities will not be affected. The Government is conducting trial pit investigation, the findings of which will be taken into account in the subsequent design and construction work. Regarding the provision of additional public parking spaces, as mentioned in part (2) of the reply, the Government has required the provision of not less than 200 public parking spaces under the development project concerned. Apart from maintaining the alighting/boarding facilities for coaches at Lei Yue Mun Path, the Government plans to add six more parking spaces for coaches along Shung Shun Street. District consultation for the proposal is underway. If the proposal is supported by the local communities, it will be implemented as soon as possible.
Ends/Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:56
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