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Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, at the opening ceremony of 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (June 2):
Benny (Mr Benny Cheung, Chairman, TRANSED International Steering Committee), Professor Sen (Professor Lalita Sen, Transportation Research Board (TRB)), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to join you this morning. We are delighted to host the 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons, or TRANSED 2010.
A warm welcome to you all.
Let me first congratulate Mr Benny Cheung and his organising committee on bringing TRANSED 2010 to Hong Kong. Also, a heartfelt "thank you" to the host, Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, for its work over the years in empowering people with disabilities.
Among other things, the Society provides a Reha-bus service for people with disabilities who are unable to use public transport. This Government-subvented service has been running for over 30 years, providing both regular routes and on-demand transport.
Staging this prestigious international conference here is a vote of confidence in Hong Kong as a user-friendly city for the elderly and the disabled. From Hong Kong's experience, I also know this event will provide extra motivation for us to do better still.
The previous experience I refer to was our hosting of the 2008 Paralympic Equestrian Events of the Beijing Games. That competition brought some of the world's most courageous and inspirational athletes to our city. It also brought into sharp focus the challenges facing, not only paralympic athletes, but also disabled people.
Our care for disabled people goes beyond Hong Kong. One good example is our commitment to help victims in the massive earthquake in Sichuan in May 2008. The earthquake left some 370,000 people injured, many of whom suffered from permanent disabilities. It is a great challenge for Sichuan to bring them back to society and normal lives. The Hong Kong community keenly participated in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, through financial and direct assistance.
Hong Kong was among the first to send professionals to Sichuan to provide treatment to the injured. We are now funding over 30 medical and rehabilitation projects in Sichuan, including elderly homes and rehabilitation centres for the disabled. We also help Sichuan to build their rehabilitation software by bringing our management system to local institutes and training up local healthcare professionals. The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, for example, has set up a resource centre in Sichuan to advise and provide training to local rehabilitation institutes.
Now back to Hong Kong. We are a modern, dynamic and multi-cultural place. New designs take into account the needs of everyone, including the elderly and the disabled. But we also live in a compact and vertical city. The pavements can be narrow and the hills steep. So, there is much work still to be done to enhance accessibility.
When planning new development areas and major public works, we are committed to make them sustainable and accessible to all. For example, accessibility and sustainability are two of the planning principles of the 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District, one of the world's largest arts and culture undertakings so far. We also adopt a people-oriented approach when facelifting our world-famous harbourfront, planning new towns, and rejuvenating older districts. More green and open space and barrier-free facilities will be provided. Come back in a few years, I am sure you will see many new and vibrant areas in Hong Kong.
The theme of this conference is "Accessible Transport and Travel for Sustainable Development".
Sustainable development must be inclusive. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to sustainable development and benefit from it.
In this context, allow me to share with you what we've been doing to promote accessible transport and travel in Hong Kong. A truly caring and inclusive society is a measure of sustainable development. One of the yardsticks measuring the level of social inclusion is the connectivity of people and their capacity to get around.
No man is an island. Access and transport are priority issues for all, regardless of age and physical ability. It is how people achieve and maintain independence and participate in activities and no one should be left out. The Government's policy objectives in this respect are enshrined in our 2007 Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan. The two strategic directions for the development of the rehabilitation service, including accessibility, are:
First, to promote cross-sectoral collaboration in providing a barrier-free environment. This includes diversified services for people with disabilities so they can fully integrate into the community; and second, to empower people with disabilities to become valuable members of society.
In terms of access and transport, our goal is to create an enabling physical environment for persons with disabilities. This involves providing easy access to all buildings and use of public transport.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into effect in Hong Kong in August 2008. The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all people with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Hong Kong is now preparing a report setting out in detail the measures to implement the Convention and the resulting progress achieved, including accessible transport and tourism. Our report will form part of our nation's overall report.
One of our objectives is to provide accessible public transport services and infrastructure through the vision of "Transport for All". Under this umbrella, a "5-Betters Strategy" was formulated. The strategy forms the backbone of our holistic programmes and covers five main elements:
First, better accessible transport services for all. This covers the further expansion of an accessible public transport network and optimising the efficiency of Reha-bus services.
Second, better public transport infrastructure and facilities for all. Areas covered include the provision of accessible public transport interchanges, bus terminals, taxi stands, ferry piers and railway stations.
Third, better streets and pedestrian areas for all. We are providing better pedestrian facilities such as electronic audible devices at pedestrian crossings and tactile guide paths to connect major public transport interchanges and community facilities. We are installing more lifts at footbridges and extending pedestrian areas.
Fourth, better planning standards, guidelines and procedures. This involves updating our Transport Planning and Design Manual and guidelines to meet changing needs and new circumstances.
And finally, better partnership for action and results. Here we are developing advisory channels on new initiatives to promote the vision of "Transport for All". We are also partnering with local and overseas stakeholders to promote accessibility to transport for people with disabilities.
Ladies and gentlemen, effective partnership is vital in realising our "Transport for All" vision. This collaboration involves the Government working hand-in-hand with transport operators, the rehabilitation sector and organisations for people with disabilities.
Through the "5-Betters Strategy", public transport services and transport facilities have become more user-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. Railway and franchised bus operators are encouraged to make their vehicles and services accessible as far as practicable.
In the plenary session later, our Commissioner for Transport will share with you more details on the public transport and barrier-free facilities in Hong Kong.
Apart from special transport services funded by the Government to serve those who are unable to use public transport, we also provide incentives in the form of a profitable operating environment and in setting guidelines and design standards to encourage provision of such facilities. This positive approach has helped to motivate, energise and enhance our drive towards a more accessible transport system.
Ladies and gentlemen, many of you have travelled long distances to be here. I hope your experience of our airport, transport and hotels as well as here at the Convention and Exhibition Centre has enriched your stay so far. Last year, we received almost 30 million visitors from around the world. Tourism is a key sector of our economy. We want you to enjoy your stay with us and, when you return home, spread the word that Hong Kong is a diverse, vibrant and accessible holiday destination.
Over many years, our tourism industry has become highly developed. We are increasingly focused on segmentation as a way to provide better service to specific tourist groups such as families, business people and cultural tours. One rapidly emerging market is "grey tourism" for seniors. To encourage more seniors to visit our city, we are embracing the principle of barrier-free tourism, or BFT.
BFT has been adopted in our major tourist attractions including the Peak, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland and Hong Kong Wetland Park. We also aim to provide BFT to new tourist attractions in future, such as the new cruise terminal.
We have put in place measures to facilitate visits by disabled people and the elderly, such as providing wheelchair access, inductive loop systems and tactile guide paths. Staff are trained to provide assistance to visitors with specific needs so that everyone can enjoy the facilities and attractions. Barrier-free access is an important feature at all major tourism areas such as shopping malls, restaurants and hotels.
As well as modern infrastructure, specific schemes are rolled out by tourism operators to welcome disabled and senior guests. For instance, local seniors can enjoy free entry to Ocean Park. Hong Kong Disneyland has also introduced a new scheme to offer free tickets for disabled persons and their carers.
Our mass transit railway is now charging nominal price for the elderly two days of the week to facilitate the elderly to travel, meet friends and families and enjoy all sorts of activities all over the territory.
In addition, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Hong Kong Rehabilitation Society have worked together in creating online platforms. These contain useful tourism information for disabled persons. We believe that barrier-free travel offers a new opportunity for our tourism industry.
I should also mention that the Tourism Board is providing support to TRANSED 2010 and contributes to the success of this conference. I can assure you that we will continue to ensure barrier-free access for our visitors as well as our residents.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have briefly outlined our vision of "Transport for All" and barrier-free travel.
In collaboration with the relevant stakeholders, we will strive for a more accessible transport system for seniors and persons with disabilities. This conference will shine a light on the key issues and introduce new technologies and innovations to help achieve our goals.
We look forward to hearing from the expert speakers at this conference on how to promote a more inclusive society. That way, everyone will have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from sustainable development.
I wish you all a successful conference and a very enjoyable stay in Hong Kong.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Issued at HKT 11:14
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