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LCQ14: Lantau traffic arrangements
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     Following is a question by the Hon Leung Che-cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (December 9):

Question:

     Recently, the Transport Department has put forward proposals for relaxation of the traffic restrictions in South Lantau to promote the development of tourism and local economy on Lantau Island.  The proposals include increasing the current daily quota for coaches entering South Lantau from 30 to 50 (representing a 67 per cent increase), and providing a daily quota of 50 from Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays) for non-resident private cars entering South Lantau.  However, some residents of Lantau Island oppose the proposals.  They hold the views that as the existing South Lantau Road, Keung Shan Road and Tai O Road are bendy and narrow, relaxing the traffic restrictions may compromise road safety.  Moreover, the parking spaces and other ancillary transport facilities in the district cannot cope with the implementation of such proposals.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has assessed the impacts of the aforesaid proposals on the traffic of South Lantau; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as the Islands District Council has requested the authorities to first properly tackle the problems relating to road safety and parking spaces shortage before discussing the aforesaid proposals further, of the progress of the relevant bend improvement works and the study on the provision of additional parking spaces; the implementation timetable for the aforesaid proposals projected on the basis of the current progress of the relevant works;

(3) as the Government has indicated that it will consult other stakeholders on the aforesaid proposals, of the outcome of such consultation; and

(4) given that some residents have suggested converting the open-air car park at Mui Wo into a multi-storey car park to alleviate the shortage of parking spaces, whether the authorities have conducted any feasibility study on this suggestion; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:

President,

     My reply to the various parts of the Hon Leung Che-cheung's question is as follows:

(1) to (3) In January 2015, the Chief Executive announced in the Policy Address that review of the arrangements for closed roads and issuance of closed road permits for Lantau (LCRP) would be conducted in full swing to cope with the short-term economic and community development on Lantau.

     At present, Tung Chung Road (the section at the south of Shek Mun Kap Road) and all other roads on South Lantau are designated as closed roads where motorists are not allowed to enter.  Motorists may apply to the Transport Department (TD) for LCRPs if they need to enter the area.  In 2014, the TD issued a total of 12 700 LCRPs, about 4 000 of which were issued to persons residing or doing business on South Lantau while the remaining 8 700 LCRPs were temporary permits issued to persons with genuine needs to enter South Lantau (such as carrying out construction projects, performing official business, attending weddings or funerals or tomb sweeping, etc).  However, applications for tourist and leisure purposes will not be entertained.

     To promote the economic and tourism development on Lantau, the TD, having considered the road conditions, traffic flow, parking facilities and their utilisation on South Lantau, proposed in June this year to increase the maximum number of coaches permitted to enter South Lantau from 30 to 50 per day; and to permit 50 private cars to enter roads on South Lantau on Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays) for recreational and leisure purposes.  The TD then consulted relevant stakeholders, including the Traffic and Transport Subcommittee of the Lantau Development Advisory Committee, Traffic and Transport Committee of the Islands District Council, four Rural Committees in Lantau, relevant public transport operators, the tourism sector and green groups, etc.

     In sum, the TD received both supporting and opposing views during the consultation.  Supporters agreed that the roads on South Lantau should be opened up in a gradual and orderly manner to enhance the accessibility of the area.  They also proposed providing more parking spaces at tourist spots as soon as possible, streamlining application procedures for LCRPs and stepping up publicity upon implementation of measures.  On the other hand, opponents were mainly concerned about the impact of the proposals on the natural rural environment of South Lantau.  They were also of the view that the road design on South Lantau was substandard and could not cope with the substantial traffic volume.  They also worried that increasing number of vehicles from areas outside South Lantau would worsen the parking problem on South Lantau.  Besides, the motorists from outside who might be unfamiliar with the road conditions on Lantau would be prone to traffic accidents.

     The TD has assessed the views collected.  With respect to roads in South Lantau, while major roads such as Tung Chung Road, South Lantau Road and Keung Shan Road are built along hillsides with steep gradients and sharp bends at some road sections, they are safe enough for vehicle use.  In fact, the TD committed to improving the traffic conditions of the roads on South Lantau.  Apart from the provision of additional suitable traffic signs and road markings (such as "Steep Road Ahead", "Sharp Bend", etc) on relevant road sections to remind motorists, the TD has been actively working with relevant works departments in recent years in undertaking a number of road widening and road bend improvement projects along South Lantau Road and Keung Shan Road.  Of which, 12 projects are completed and the remaining projects are carried out in full swing.  The TD will continue to closely monitor the utilisation of roads on South Lantau and take appropriate measures where necessary to ensure safe and smooth road traffic.

     In respect of traffic volume, the design capacity of Tung Chung Road is 10 000 vehicles per day while that of South Lantau Road and Keung Shan Road are both 8 000 vehicles per day.  According to the statistics of the TD, the current average daily traffic is 4 700 vehicles on Tung Chung Road and 3 200 vehicles on South Lantau Road.  The average daily traffic is 2 560 vehicles on the section of Keung Shan Road between South Lantau Road and Sham Wat Road and only 1 100 vehicles on the section between Sham Wat Road and Tai O Road.  Therefore, these road sections still have considerable spare capacity to accommodate additional traffic brought about by the proposed measures.

     As regards parking facilities, there are a total of 48 parking spaces for coaches and 436 public parking spaces for private cars in South Lantau, located in major scenic spots and residential neighborhoods.  According to a recent on-site survey conducted by the TD, there should be adequate parking spaces for coaches and private cars to meet the additional parking demand brought about by the proposed measures so long as such additional vehicles would not gather at the same place at the same time.  In light of the residents' concerns, the TD is actively exploring with the Lands Department in turning vacant government land at suitable locations (including Yim Tin Pok in Tai O, Shui Hau, Tong Fuk, etc) into short-term tenancy car parks to increase the provision of public parking spaces for private cars.

     The TD considers that the proposed measures to relax the restrictions on coaches and private cars entering the closed roads on South Lantau are mild and will have minimal impact on the environment and traffic conditions.  Having considered various stakeholders' concerns over the proposal, the TD has decided to implement the measures in phases as follows:

(a) the maximum number of coaches permitted to enter South Lantau per day will increase from 30 to 40.  The measure of raising the maximum number to 40 coaches will take effect from December 25, 2015.  The application procedures will remain unchanged.

(b) private cars will be allowed to enter South Lantau on Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays) for recreational and leisure purposes but the maximum number will be 25.  For the purpose of promoting environmental protection, five out of the 25 quota will be assigned to electric vehicles on a priority basis.  Private cars will be allowed to enter South Lantau from 8am to 7pm.  The TD will publish driving guides for motorists who are permitted to enter South Lantau so as to familiarise them with the road conditions thereat.  The TD is preparing for an online computer system for application by the public.  It is expected that this measure will be implemented in February 2016 the earliest.  Details of the measure will be announced in due course.
 
     The TD will closely monitor the traffic condition as well as the supply and utilisation of parking spaces on South Lantau after the implementation of the above measures.  It will review the implementation schedule for Phase II as appropriate.

(4) The Government notes the illegal parking situation in Mui Wo and has been providing more parking spaces to meet the demand proactively through various measures.  Stage 1 of the Improvement Works (Phase 2) in Mui Wo will commence in mid-2016.  According to the plan, car parking spaces for private cars in the open car park adjacent to the former New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Southern District Secondary School will increase from 59 to 149.  Besides, the TD is considering using the playground of the above-mentioned secondary school as a short-term tenancy public car park for provision of 40 additional private car parking spaces and will carry out the necessary consultation.  If everything goes smoothly, the private car parking spaces in this area will increase considerably in the short term.  In addition, the Civil Engineering and Development Department is exploring with relevant departments the feasibility of using the drainage reserved area near Mui Wo for public car park purpose.

     The proposal to construct a multi-storey car park at the existing open car park at Ngan Shek Street in Mui Wo and the land at River Silver Garden is a large-scale public works project.  It would require the investment of huge public resources and affect existing amenity facilities.  The Government must carefully assess the demand and supply of parking spaces in Mui Wo and study the impact of the proposal on the environment, land use and planning in the vicinity.  According to the TD's assessment, the implementation of the proposals for provision of additional parking spaces mentioned in the preceding paragraph will already be able to alleviate the shortage of parking spaces in Mui Wo.  The TD is working to pursue these proposals first and does not have any plan to construct a multi-storey car park in Mui Wo for the time being.

Ends/Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:15

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