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Following is a question by the Hon Wu Chi-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (November 20):
Question:
It was mentioned in the Policy Agendas of the past two years that the Government and franchised bus companies were vigorously pursuing a holistic review and rationalisation of franchised bus services based on an "Area Approach". The Transport Department (TD) is exploring with the bus companies the setting up of bus-bus interchanges (BBIs) to cater for the Area Approach bus service rationalisations. On the other hand, it has been reported that the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited plans to implement Area Approach bus service rationalisations in Kowloon next year and will provide a number of additional BBIs in Kowloon, including converting the existing bus stops at Wong Tai Sin Plaza on Lung Cheung Road into a BBI. There are views that the implementation of large-scale development projects such as the Kai Tak Development, Energizing Kowloon East and Development of Anderson Road Quarry site by the Government in Kowloon East will substantially increase the demand for transport services in the area and the Government therefore should review afresh the demand for transport services in Kowloon East expeditiously. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether TD has reviewed the effectiveness of those Area Approach bus service rationalisations which have been implemented, including their impacts on the traffic flows of various trunk roads, the number of buses travelling on roads, the number of bus routes eliminated/rationalised, their impacts on the financial conditions of the bus companies and reaction of the public, etc.;
(2) of the progress and details of the aforesaid Area Approach bus service rationalisations in Kowloon, including the bus routes and districts involved, when public consultations will be conducted, as well as the locations of the additional BBIs under planning and the progress of related conversion works (including the expected commencement and completion dates of the works, etc.);
(3) whether it has discussed with various franchised bus companies, with reference to the Tuen Mun Road BBIs located in Tuen Mun heading to and from Kowloon, the setting up of BBIs in the following locations: (i) the junction of Choi Hung Road Interchange and Prince Edward Road East, (ii) the section of Kwun Tong Road outside Kowloon Bay MTR Station, and (iii) the section of Kwun Tong Road between Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong MTR Stations; if it has discussed, of the details and the implementation time; if not, whether it will discuss as early as possible;
(4) whether it has examined the designation of new bus-only lanes or extension of the operating time periods and areas of the existing bus-only lanes in Kowloon, so as to ensure that public transport services with higher efficiency in utilisation of roads will get priority in the use of limited road resources; apart from designating bus-only lanes, whether it has studied implementing other measures to accord priority in the use of roads to public transport means;
(5) as TD conducted a number of district traffic studies in the past few years, including the West Kowloon Reclamation Development Traffic Study and the Traffic Study for Admiralty, etc., of the criteria for TD to conduct district traffic studies; whether TD conducted any district traffic studies in the past three years on the travelling habits and transport demand of residents in Kowloon East; if it did, of the details; if not, whether it will conduct such studies expeditiously; and
(6) whether the authorities have assessed the impacts of the three large-scale development projects, namely the Kai Tak Development, Energizing Kowloon East and the Development of Anderson Road Quarry site, on the demand for public transport services in Kowloon East; if they have, of the details; whether they will conduct district traffic studies for Kowloon East in the light of the construction of the East Kowloon Line proposed in the Railway Development Strategy 2014, so as to assess the impacts of the proposed railway line and the three development projects on the traffic in Kowloon East; if they will not, how the authorities assess the demand for transport services in Kowloon East?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been actively pursuing bus route rationalisation. The franchised bus companies would submit route development programmes to the Government annually to put forward specific proposals for service adjustment. Since last year (2013), the Transport Department (TD) and the franchised bus companies have started to use a new Area Approach to review franchised bus services in a holistic manner on a district basis. The objective is to improve the routes, enhance network efficiency, ease traffic congestion and reduce roadside emission, so that the district can benefit as a whole. In planning new development projects, the Government will arrange appropriate public transport services to meet passenger demand of the new development areas.
My reply to the various parts of the Hon Wu Chi-wai's question is as follows:
(1) Last year, TD and the franchised bus company used a new Area Approach to holistically review bus services in Tuen Mun and North District. Routes with persistently low patronage were rationalised, while new services were introduced and existing services were strengthened to meet passenger and district demand. Under the Area Approach, the franchised bus company cancelled four routes and truncated/reduced the services of 14 routes in Tuen Mun and North District. Meanwhile, five new routes were introduced and services of 19 routes were extended/enhanced having regard to district demand. Overall speaking, bus resources are used in a more cost-effective manner and the efficiency of the bus networks is enhanced after route rationalisation. Moreover, rationalising overly circuitous routes and deploying resources from low-utilisation routes to high-demand ones can optimise the use of road resources. The implementation of rationalisation proposals has been smooth in general, bringing total increase of about 6% in patronage (including interchange passenger trips) in Tuen Mun and North District. This results in a win-win situation for both the community and operator. The route rationalisation proposals may affect routings, frequencies and patronage, thereby affecting the expenditure and revenue of bus companies. Yet, as a considerate proportion of franchised bus routes provide cross-district service, external factors such as demographic changes outside the districts concerned may also affect pattern of patronage, expenditure and revenue. Hence, it is difficult to isolate the financial implications solely from route rationalisation proposals implemented in an individual district. As of today, Area Approach rationalisation for all districts in the New Territories has generally been finalised or implemented. TD and the franchised bus companies have continued to use the Area Approach to rationalise bus services in Shatin, Tai Po, Tsing Yi and Yuen Long. The rationalisation proposals have been rolled out by phases since the third quarter of this year onwards, and are expected to be fully implemented in the first quarter of 2015. Rationalisation for urban districts will commence gradually from next year onwards and is expected to be completed in 2016/17. By then, the public can have a better understanding of the overall operating revenue and expenditure position of the franchised bus companies taking into account Area Approach rationalisation through their operating accounts published annually.
(2)&(3) The bus network of different districts in Kowloon are more complex. Many routes are cross-district ones serving passengers in different districts. To achieve maximum complementarity and benefit residents in Kowloon as a whole, the franchised bus companies have to conduct detailed analyses of passenger demand of different bus routes so as to formulate appropriate rationalisation proposals. As it will take time to come up with the proposals, the franchised bus companies plan to submit their specific recommendations to TD within next year (2015). TD will commence consultation after scrutinising the proposals. We are therefore unable to provide information such as the routes involved at this stage.
To facilitate franchised bus route rationalisation and to provide passengers with more route choices, TD and the franchised bus companies have been actively exploring the setup of large-scale bus-bus interchanges (BBI) at appropriate locations. Generally speaking, owing to the high pedestrian and vehicular flows in urban areas and the relatively narrower pavements and carriageways, setting up large-scale BBIs similar to the Tuen Mun Road one in urban areas is subject to certain geographical and technical constraints. Yet, the Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO) of the Development Bureau (DEVB) has commissioned a consultancy study and will explore the feasibility of setting up a new BBI in Kowloon East under the Energizing Kowloon East initiative. The consultant will recommend possible locations for the BBI. Upon completion of the consultancy study, TD and the franchised bus companies will cooperate with EKEO in considering the recommendations having regard to actual demand.
(4) TD has been considering measures for giving priority to public transport over road use with a view to optimising the use of limited road resources. At present, buses are given priority in using major trunk roads in Hong Kong if circumstances permit, mostly in the form of bus-only lanes. Bus priority measures enable buses to pass through busy road sections more quickly and hence reduce journey time.
In setting up bus-only lanes, TD would assess the overall benefits (including reduced journey time) to bus operation, whether the road sections can absorb the traffic flows upon the introduction of bus-only lanes, the impacts on other road users etc. TD is studying the proposals on the extension of existing bus-only lanes and the introduction of new ones in Kowloon submitted by the franchised bus companies. Meanwhile, to optimise road use and achieve smooth traffic flow, TD has, where practicable, designated pick-up/drop-off points for taxis, minibuses and other public transport services, or appropriately relaxed restrictions on prohibited zones, subject to service demand and actual road circumstances.
(5)&(6) TD has been closely monitoring the traffic conditions in East Kowloon and has adjusted its traffic management measures in light of passenger demand and planning need. When handling new development projects, TD will require project proponents to conduct traffic impact assessments and recommend improvement measures to minimise the impact on traffic.
EKEO of DEVB is actively taking forward the creation of a "walkable" Kowloon East. A feasibility study to formulate short, medium and long-term improvement proposals for the pedestrian and traffic environment in the Kowloon Bay Business Area was commissioned in February 2013. The study is expected to be completed in early 2015. Road improvement proposals will be implemented progressively afterwards. To enhance the walkability and connectivity in the Kwun Tong Business Area, DEVB commissioned another pedestrian and traffic study in May 2014 for completion in mid-2016. Separately, DEVB and other departments have already conducted the overall traffic impact assessment for Kai Tak Development (KTD). Road and infrastructural works will commence progressively in tandem with the phased completion of various development projects at KTD.
As regards the Development of Anderson Road Quarry site, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has conducted traffic impact assessment under its feasibility study. To cater for the anticipated passenger demand arising from the population intake of the project as well as to serve residents of the Anderson Road Public Housing Development, the study recommended a series of road and pedestrian linkage facilities, junction improvement works, a public transport terminus at the northern end of the quarry site, and loading/unloading bays for public transport near the ingress/egress point in the middle part of the site. Departments will formulate a comprehensive plan for public transport with a view to providing appropriate feeder services to divert vehicles and pedestrians to different pick-up/drop-off points and MTR stations respectively.
Further planning of individual railway projects (including the East Kowloon Line) under Railway Development Strategy 2014 will be subject to detailed engineering, environmental and financial studies relating to each project, as well as the latest assessment of passenger demand etc. In line with past practice, prior to the completion of a new railway project, we will assess the impact of the project on other road-based public transport services, and devise service rationalisation proposals to achieve better co-ordination among different public transport modes, thereby providing more efficient services as a whole.
Ends/Thursday, November 20, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:30
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