(Translation)

Minutes of Meeting of Traffic and Transport Committee Date : 19 March 2018 (Monday) Time : 2:00 p.m. Venue : Islands District Council Conference Room,

14/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong. Present Chairman Mr WONG Man-hon Vice-Chairman

Members Mr CHOW Yuk-tong, SBS Mr YU Hon-kwan, Randy, JP Mr CHAN Lin-wai Mr FAN Chi-ping Mr LOU Cheuk-wing Ms YU Lai-fan Ms LEE Kwai-chun Mr TANG Ka-piu, Bill, JP Ms YUNG Wing-sheung, Amy Mr KWONG Koon-wan Mr CHOW Ho-ding, Holden Ms TSANG Sau-ho, Josephine Mr KWOK Ping, Eric Ms FU Hiu-lam, Sammi Mr WONG Ma-tim Mr HO Siu-kei Mr WAN Tung-yat Mr YUEN King-hang Mr WONG Fuk-kan Mr LAU Chin-pang Attendance by Invitation Mr WONG Chi-yui, William Senior Engineer 2/HZMB, Highways Department Mr LEE Wing-keung, Kenneth Acting Senior Engineer 20/HZMB, Highways Department Mr CHAN fai Project Coordinator 17/HZMB, Highways Department Mr WONG Wing-fai, Freddy Senior Engineer/Consultants Management 2,

Drainage Services Department Mr CHUNG Ching-hong, Romeo Engineer/Consultants Management 9,

Drainage Services Department

Mr CHEUNG Fu

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Mr LI Ming-yau Senior Inspector of Works, Islands District Office Ms Annie LAM Assistant Public Relations Manager - External Affairs,

MTR Corporation Limited Mr WU Ka-hing, Humphrey Senior Resident Engineer, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd. Mr Albert YU Chief Resident Engineer, AECOM Co. Limited Mr K F TAM Site Agent, Gammon Construction Limited Mr MOK Kam-wah Assistant Project Manager, Gammon Construction Limited Mr CHEUNG Shun-yeung, Thomas Senior Resident Engineer, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited Mr WONG Sing-chung, Wallace Assistant Construction Manager,

China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd. Mr Addie LAM Deputy Head of Communications and Public Affairs Department,

The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. Mr Jeff POON Manager (Traffic Operations), Long Win Bus Company Limited Mr Mistral SIN Manager (Planning),

Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited Miss Joyce WAN Chief Public Affairs Officer,

Citybus Limited / New World First Bus Services Limited In Attendance Mr AU Sheung-man, Benjamin Assistant District Officer (Islands)1, Islands District Office Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman Senior Transport Officer/Islands, Transport Department Ms YUEN Kit-fung Engineer/Islands 2, Transport Department Ms LEUNG Chiu-mei District Engineer/Islands, Highways Department Mr PANG Siu-tuen, Walter Engineer/12 (Lantau),

Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr LO Tim-fat District Operations Officer (Lantau) (Acting),

Hong Kong Police Force Mr TAI Cheuk-yin Assistant Divisional Commander (Operations &

Crime)(Cheung Chau), Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHAN Tin-lung Deputy General Manager,

New Lantao Bus Co. (1973) Limited Mr Peter TSANG Senior Manager-Transportation,

Discovery Bay Transit Services Limited Ms CHAU Shuk-man, Anthea Corporate Communications Manager,

New World First Ferry Services Limited Secretary Ms CHAN Ka-ying, Florence Executive Officer I (District Council),

Islands District Office Absent with Apology Mr WONG Hon-kuen, Ken Miss KWOK Sze-wan, Cynthia Engineer/Islands 1, Transport Department Mr WONG Wah Administrative Consultant,

New Lantao Bus Co. (1973) Limited Mr CHAN Kam-hung Chairman, Lantau Taxi Association

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Welcoming Remarks The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments and organisations to the meeting and introduced the following representatives in attendance to the meeting:

(a) Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of the Transport Department (TD) who succeeded Mr TO Chi-keung, Gary;

(b) Mr PANG Siu-tuen, Walter, Engineer/12 (Lantau) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) who stood in for Mr AU Hok-lang; and

(c) Mr Peter TSANG, Senior Manager-Transportation of Discovery Bay Transit Services Limited (DBTSL) who stood in for Mr CHUA Kwok-cheung, Vincent of HKR International Limited.

2. The Chairman said that Ms CHAN Shuk-ching had resigned from her post as co-opted Member of the Traffic and Transport Committee. Members noted that Mr Ken WONG, Ms Cynthia KWOK, Mr WONG Wah and Mr CHAN Kam-hung were unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments.

I. Confirmation of the Minutes of Meeting held on 22 January 2018 3. The Chairman said that the captioned minutes had been distributed to Members for perusal prior to the meeting. 4. No amendment was proposed and the above minutes were endorsed unanimously.

II. Hong Kong Link Road–Section between Scenic Hill and Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (Contract No. HY/2011/03)

Temporary Traffic Management Scheme Extension of Existing Temporarily Reduced Maximum Speed Limit on Section of North Lantau Highway (Airport Bound) between Tung Chung and Pak Mong (Paper T&TC 9/2018) 5. The Chairman welcomed Mr WONG Chi-yui, William, Senior Engineer 2/HZMB and Mr CHAN Fai, Project Coordinator 17/HZMB of the Highways Department (HyD); Mr WU Ka-hing, Humphrey, Senior Resident Engineer of Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd.; and Mr WONG Sing-chung, Wallace, Assistant Construction Manager of China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd. to the meeting to present the paper. 6. Mr Humphrey WU briefly presented the paper with the aid of PowerPoint presentation.

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7. Mr Eric KWOK raised his views as follows:

(a) While the contractor said that traffic signage on speed limit would be provided along the road section concerned to alert the road users, traffic accidents happened from time to time on North Lantau Highway (NLH) over the past 1 year due to the lack of vigilance of some drivers. He thus suggested the Police install laser guns for speed checks to enhance the vigilance of drivers and thereby reduce the occurrence of accidents.

(b) He enquired whether the above works could be completed before the

commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB); if not, he was worried that as the Mainland drivers travelling to Hong Kong via the bridge were not familiar with the road situation in Hong Kong and the speed reduction measure, coupled with a significant increase in the traffic flow, traffic chaos would be easily caused.

8. Mr Bill TANG said that while this was not the first time that similar road closure arrangement was implemented, the sightline of drivers would be easily blocked at night time. He enquired of HyD about the number of traffic accidents occurred the last time road closure was implemented, and whether the Police, TD and engineering consultant had enhanced the safety measures after lessons were learned from past incidents. He also enquired about the exact commissioning date of HZMB. 9. Mr Humphrey WU gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) To tie in with the construction works of the Hong Kong Link Road – Scenic Hill Tunnel, shafts were installed at the airport bound of NLH near the Cathay City, thus the road became winding. To ensure road safety, since November 2016, the maximum speed limit on the section of NLH (airport bound) between Tung Chung and Pak Mong had been temporarily reduced and drivers were required to slow down at the section ahead to reduce the risk of traffic accident. The result had been satisfactory.

(b) On the works progress, the associated works of the Scenic Hill Tunnel had been fully completed. Completion inspection was underway and backfilling of shafts would soon be completed. After the installation of display panels of the electric road display system of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), the Traffic Management Liaison Group (TMLG) would explore with AAHK, the Police and TD to straighten the 6 lanes to the north of Airport Road without affecting the traffic flow and reducing the number of lanes. Subject to smooth progress, the works were expected to be completed by stages from the third quarter of this year. It was just a conservative estimate that the interim maximum speed limit was maintained up to June 2019. The speed limit would be reverted to the original 110 km/hr at an earlier date subject to early completion of works.

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(c) He said that this agenda item concerned a speed reduction arrangement

but not road closure. Nevertheless, TMLG and the Police were very much concerned about the traffic accidents caused by road closure measures. The revised Code of Practice for the Lighting, Signing and Guarding of Road Works (COP) came into force on 1 January this year, which stipulated that slow moving works vehicles carrying out mobile and fixed operations in closure area on high speed roads (including NLH) must be escorted by vehicles each mounted with a flashing arrow sign and truck mounted attenuator to ensure the safety of drivers and works staff. He believed that after the COP took effect, the traffic accidents caused by road closure had been significantly reduced.

10. Mr William WONG said that regarding the commissioning date of HZMB, the three places were now proactively enhancing the conditions at boundary crossings and would report to the Central People’s Government for confirming the commissioning time of the bridge which would be announced soonest upon finalisation. 11. Mr Holden CHOW said that paragraph 4 of the paper stated that “as reported by TMLG under the captioned project, the speeding and traffic accident rate had significantly decreased from Q3 2016 since the temporary reduction of maximum speed limit from the current 110 km/hr to 80 km/hr on a section of NLH (Airport Bound) between Tung Chung and Pak Mong implemented from November 2016”. In this case, the lowering of the maximum speed limit to 80 km/hr could effectively enhance road safety and reduce traffic accidents. However, traffic accidents happened frequently on NLH although Members had time and again discussed the issue at meetings and requested the Police and relevant departments to adopt improvement measures. He suggested the Government explore the causes of traffic accidents and review whether the speed reduction measure could effectively bring down the accidents on NLH. 12. Mr Eric KWOK raised his views as follows:

(a) He indicated that vehicles crashed into the vehicles in front because some drivers lacked alertness and were not aware that they had to slow down at the road section ahead. He again suggested the Police install laser guns for speed checks to enhance the alertness of drivers. According to the latest information, a traffic accident occurred on NLH at around 11:00 a.m. on that day. He hoped that the relevant departments would face up to Members’ request and asked the Police to respond to his suggestion.

(b) He enquired of HyD again whether the entire works could be completed

before the commissioning of HZMB. 13. Mr Randy YU said that HyD once indicated that the bridge would be commissioned around the second to the third quarter of 2018, and there was also

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rumor that the bridge might be able to be commissioned in late June to 1 July this year. He hoped that the department would respond to the rumours on the commissioning date of HZMB. 14. Mr Humphrey WU replied that the works of the Hong Kong Link Road had been generally completed but it took time to carry out the related reinstatement works (i.e. to straighten the northbound lane of Airport Road). TMLG needed to formulate safe temporary traffic measures which would be implemented in stages to straighten the existing S-shaped bend. According to the current progress, the reinstatement works were expected to be completed only after the commissioning of HZMB. 15. Mr William WONG reiterated that the three places were now proactively enhancing the conditions at boundary crossings and would report to the Central People’s Government for confirming the commissioning time of the bridge which would be announced soonest upon finalisation. 16. Mr LO Tim-fat said that the Police was glad to discuss proposals conducive to reducing traffic accidents. Prior to the installation of detectors, the Police had to conduct risk assessment to examine whether the location was suitable and whether accidents would be caused thereby, etc. The Police noted Members’ suggestion and would relay the views to the Traffic Police. (Mr Randy YU and Mr WAN Tung-yat joined the meeting at around 2:15 p.m., and Mr KWONG Koon-wan joined the meeting at around 2:25 p.m.)

III. Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link – Southern Connection Viaduct Section (Contract No. HY/2012/07) Temporary Traffic Management Schemes on North Lantau Highway (Paper T&TC 10/2018) 17. The Chairman welcomed Mr LEE Wing-keung, Kenneth, Acting Senior Engineer 20/HZMB of HyD; Mr Albert YU, Chief Resident Engineer of AECOM Co. Limited; and Mr K F TAM, Site Agent and Mr MOK Kam-wah, Assistant Project Manager of Gammon Construction Limited to the meeting to present the paper. 18. Mr Albert YU briefly presented the paper with the aid of PowerPoint presentation. 19. Mr Bill TANG raised his views as follows:

(a) The temporary traffic management schemes included closure of traffic lanes at night and similar arrangement had been previously implemented by HyD. He enquired if the department had evaluated whether the road closure measure would increase the risk of traffic accidents and about the number of traffic accidents occurred during the road closure period. He hoped that the department could learn from experience and enhance the arrangement this time to reduce the risk of

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accidents. (b) While the works were expected to be completed in June this year, the

works period straddled the rainy season and the works progress might be affected by weather conditions. He enquired whether the department and the contractor had assessed the impact of rainy season on performance of works and formulated contingency measures.

20. Mr Holden CHOW said that paragraph 11 of the paper stated that according to the data on volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratios, etc. collected in June 2017, the independent traffic consultant estimated that after the implementation of road closure at NLH between Tung Chung and Tai Ho Wai, the v/c ratio in the morning and evening peak hours would be increased to 0.85 and 1.02 respectively. He enquired whether the figures indicated that the road was overloaded and hoped that the department would assess the v/c ratio of the road section concerned after the commissioning of HZMB. 21. Mr Albert YU gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) Drawing on past experience, the contractor adopted various safety measures, including extending the hatched road markings by several hundred metres, such that the drivers were given adequate time for changing from fast to middle lane before the approach taper.

(b) During the implementation period of the last temporary traffic

management scheme, a total of 9 minor traffic accidents occurred. It was thought that the accidents were mainly caused by negligence of driver who crashed into the vehicle in front. Should there be any congestion on the road due to accidents, the contractor would erect traffic signs at critical road junctions within Tung Chung town centre to divert drivers heading for Kowloon to Cheung Tung Road. Since congestion would be inevitable when only 1 traffic lane was available, the contractor adopted improvement measures of replacing the water-filled barriers with traffic cones. In the event that 1 traffic lane was congested due to minor traffic accidents, the traffic cones could be removed immediately to open part of the fast lane section for vehicle use to reduce the impact on traffic.

(c) Regarding the rainy season, water pumps were equipped at the work

fronts for water pumping, and the drainage system at the roadside could reduce the impact of rain on works implementation. Moreover, the works department also formulated other contingency measures such as injection of concrete at the base immediately after excavation to serve as the foundation bed to avoid the base area being affected by the rain. The footing construction and installation works of 5 sign gantries were completed last time, and the works to be implemented under this project involved 4 sign gantries. Although the number of sign gantries involved was different from last time, the time required was the same

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since the works of sign gantries were carried out in tandem. In view that there might be typhoons hitting Hong Kong from late June onwards, the department and the contractor would commence the works soonest in early April with the view to completing the works in the third week of June or even finishing all the work procedures earlier by mid of June to re-open all traffic lanes of the road section.

(d) Regarding the figures, a v/c ratio of 1.02 indicated a manageable degree of congestion and a v/c ratio above 1.2 indicated a serious congestion. The department and the contractor aimed at commencing the works soonest in April this year for completion of works before the commissioning of HZMB and re-opening the 3 traffic lanes in late June. Ying Tung Estate had started population intake and it was anticipated that all residents would move in within 2 to 3 months. Mun Tung Estate would also start intake at the end of this year. In view of the increasing population, the department hoped that all related temporary traffic management schemes could be completed by the end of June this year to reduce the impact on traffic.

(e) The Southern Connection was the other road connecting the artificial

island of HZMB. Vehicles from the airport heading for the urban areas would first enter the Southern Connection via the artificial island before proceeding to the NLH. Even if the traffic flow increased after the commissioning of HZMB, the completion of Southern Connection should be able to alleviate the traffic on NLH.

IV. Construction of an Additional Sewage Rising Main Between Tung Chung and Siu Ho Wan and Associated Works (Contract No. DC/2016/01) Two Additional 24-hour Temporary Traffic Arrangements for Road Works at Cheung Tung Road (Paper T&TC 11/2018) 22. The Chairman welcomed Mr WONG Wing-fai, Freddy, Senior Engineer/Consultants Management 2 and Mr CHUNG Ching-hong, Romeo, Engineer/Consultants Management 9 of the Drainage Services Department (DSD); and Mr CHEUNG Shun-yeung, Thomas, Senior Resident Engineer of Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited to the meeting to present the paper. 23. Mr Freddy WONG and Mr Thomas CHEUNG briefly presented the paper respectively. 24. Mr Thomas CHEUNG supplemented that since both DSD and HyD had work fronts at Cheung Tung Road, the two departments would maintain close liaison to discuss and co-ordinate the traffic arrangement for Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL). 25. Mr Eric KWOK said that it was mentioned under the previous agenda item that the associated works of TM-CLKL – Southern Connection Viaduct Section were

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expected to be completed in June this year, whereas paragraph 3.2 of the paper stated that this project had commenced in August 2016 and was anticipated to be completed by mid-2023. Cheung Tung Road served as an emergency road for easing vehicular flow during the implementation of the above two projects, in case the use of Cheung Tung Road was required at the same time, problems would certainly arise. He enquired whether DSD had maintained close liaison with HyD and the contractor to coordinate the potential traffic issues. 26. Mr Romeo CHUNG said that since the commencement of works, DSD had regularly convened liaison meetings with HyD to discuss and co-ordinate the temporary traffic arrangements of both departments to be implemented at Cheung Tung Road in the coming month. Representative of HyD just now indicated that to facilitate the works of TM-CLKL – Southern Connection Viaduct Section, the fast lane of NLH would be closed during April to June this year. To avoid affecting the above works progress, DSD had discussed with TD, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and HyD to make corresponding arrangements during the works period to ensure that Cheung Tung Road could be used as a temporary alternative route for the NLH under emergency situations. Upon receipt of notification from TD or HKPF, the department would immediately deck up all work fronts at Cheung Tung Road as well as cancel all temporary traffic arrangements and release the road for public use within 45 minutes. 27. The Chairman said that the Committee supported the temporary traffic arrangements set out in the paper.

V. Question on using double-deck buses to serve route 3M

(Paper T&TC 12/2018) 28. The Chairman welcomed Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of TD to the meeting to respond to the question. 29. Mr Randy YU briefly introduced the question. 30. Miss Sherman CHOI said that regarding whether double-deck buses were suitable to serve New Lantao Bus (NLB) route no. 3M, TD had conducted 2 field tests with the Police, NLB and bus manufacturer. Road tests were performed respectively on the Tung Chung Road section in November 2016 and on the entire 3M route in June 2017. The bus being in the laden condition was simulated in both tests and the results of which indicated that double-deck buses were suitable to serve route no. 3M. The department was aware of the concern of Members and residents about double-deck buses serving route no. 3M and had reminded NLB to provide sufficient training to bus captains and deploy bus captains with extensive experience and good driving records to operate buses for the route as far as possible. 31. Mr Randy YU said that most of the residents on Lantau Island were aware of the above 2 bus tests, but they had no knowledge of the contents of test reports and were thus worried about the safety of using double-deck buses to serve route no. 3M. If TD had not compiled any report for the field tests conducted earlier, he suggested the department perform a road test again in the near future and make a detailed record

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of the process and relevant data, such as the degree of bus tilt, the test time, the loads of upper and lower decks and the safety factor, etc. If the test report indicated that the operation was safe, he believed that the residents would welcome double-deck buses serving route no. 3M to enhance bus service, especially to meet the transport demand after the resident intake of the Home Ownership Scheme development in Mui Wo. As such, he requested the department to provide the report and relevant data of road test for route no. 3M so as to inform the residents of the situation and allay their concern. 32. Mr KWONG Koon-wan enquired of TD whether the field tests were conducted in a time period and at a driving speed similar to that of the operation of route no. 3M since a lower driving speed would certainly attain a higher level of safety. Moreover, subsequent to the traffic accident happened earlier in Tai Po, some academics proposed the installation of a bus tilt alarm on buses, which would alert the bus captain by a buzzer when the tilting of bus reached the tipping point. Given that the roads on Lantau Island were narrow with many bends, he suggested the bus company consider installing the device. 33. Ms LEE Kwai-chun suggested the departments concerned prune the roadside trees to avoid the trees obstructing the access of double-deck buses. 34. Mr Eric KWOK raised his views as follows:

(a) When passing through the acute bend at San Shek Wan, single-deck buses had to give way to oncoming vehicles and vice versa to allow sufficient passing space. He was worried that when double-deck buses passed through the said location, accidents would happen easily.

(b) He agreed to using double-deck buses to ease the traffic on South

Lantau. He had time and again pointed out that since no bus bay was provided at the 4 bus stops opposite Tung Chung Rural Committee (RC), when there was single-deck bus loading/unloading passengers thereat, the following vehicle would be obstructed and often resulting in traffic congestion. Upon the resident intake of Mun Tung Estate, the residents might take buses at the above bus stops, and the use of double-deck buses in the future would further lengthen the passenger loading/unloading time. He was worried that the congestion problem would be worsened and hoped that TD and CEDD would discuss and explore the matter.

35. Mr FAN Chi-ping said that a few years ago before double-deck buses operated on roads on Lantau Island, he had already pointed out the associated risks, for example, the sight would be blocked by the trees along the road, and the road section from Lung Tseng Tau to Tung Chung RC was steep with many bends. Although the test result indicated that double-deck buses were suitable to serve route no. 3M, normally, passengers might not be evenly distributed in the bus compartment and might cluster on one side of the bus, thus it was inappropriate to only use sand bags for the simulation test. Moreover, he considered that there were potential

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dangers on Tung Chung Road and the road section from Lung Tseng Tau to Tung Chung RC. He suggested that double-deck buses operated via Yu Tung Road instead to enhance driving safety and alleviate traffic congestion. 36. Ms Josephine TSANG said that it was not easy to operate route no. 3M since typhoons and rain were common in Hong Kong and there were many bends along the route. She enquired of TD about the weather condition during the field tests in 2016 and 2017 and suggested the department perform the test again under inclement weather condition. 37. Mr Holden CHOW said that the use of double-deck buses to serve route no. 3M would without doubt increase passenger capacity, but if it would increase the risk of accidents or affect passenger safety, due consideration had to be given beforehand. If the test result indicated that double-deck buses were not suitable to operate on the roads on Lantau Island, and since a number of Members had expressed concern about this, he opined that the Government might improve the traffic in the district through other approaches, such as implementing improvement works at Keung Shan Road and even constructing new roads. Moreover, he suggested the bus company deploy resources and consider using double-deck buses to serve other more suitable routes such as NLB route no. 37M to meet the increased transport demand of Ying Tung Estate. 38. Miss Sherman CHOI gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) The 2 field tests mentioned above were performed in the morning. The bus being in the laden condition was simulated in the tests, during which TD officers monitored the operation along the route such as whether the bus could pass through the bends safely, whereas the bus manufacturer staff monitored on board whether the parts of the bus were under normal operation. As indicated by the test result, the double-deck bus had successfully completed the whole road test. Regarding the request from Mr Randy YU for further relevant information (such as safety factor, etc.), it might be supplemented by NLB.

(b) The department noted the suggestion of installing a bus tilt alarm on

buses and would explore the feasibility with NLB. (c) The department would remind the departments concerned to perform

regular tree pruning and closely monitor the growth of trees at road bends to ensure driving safety.

39. Ms YUEN Kit-fung gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) The department had conducted field test at the bend at San Shek Wan

and the result indicated that the bend could allow 2 buses to pass through at the same time. The department would request the bus company to remind bus captains to exercise extra care when passing the

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location and comply with the road markings. (b) According to the traffic impact assessment report of Mun Tung Estate,

the main bus routes in the district would operate via Yu Tung Road, thus the department would provide a bus bay at Yu Tung Road for loading and unloading of bus passengers. The department anticipated that after the occupation of Mun Tung Estate, the residents would not take buses operating via Tung Chung Road to South Lantau Road, there was thus no plan of providing a bus bay at Tung Chung Road for the time being.

(c) CEDD was now conducting the study for Tung Chung New Town Extension. TD would maintain close liaison with CEDD to explore whether it was necessary to provide a bus bay at Tung Chung Road to cater for the increased traffic or passenger flow in the future.

40. Mr CHAN Tin-lung gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) The model of the double-deck buses to be used for route no. 3M was different from the common double-deck bus model. An ordinary double-deck bus was 12 metres long and 4.4 metres high, whereas the double-deck buses for route no. 3M were only 10.4 metres long and 4.2 metres high, i.e. less than 1 metre higher than the ordinary single-deck buses and with a shorter body. Moreover, it was known that the bus model with a shorter body was also used by other bus companies for operating on roads in Shek O or to the Peak. As such, this bus model was chosen by the company for operating on roads on South Lantau.

(b) In performing the 2 road tests mentioned above, iron plates were placed

on the bus seats and the deck floor to simulate the laden condition with a loading of 57 kilogrammes for each passenger according to TD’s standard.

(c) Regarding the suggestion of installing a bus tilt alarm on buses, it was

known that TD had set up a working group to conduct study and advice would be given by the Government in the near future.

41. The Vice-chairman Mr CHEUNG Fu questioned TD’s saying and reckoned that the bend at San Shek Wan, South Lantau Road could not allow 2 vehicles to pass through. He opined that test should be conducted to examine whether the bend could allow 2 double-deck buses to pass through at the same time before finalising the proposal of using double-deck buses to serve route no. 3M. Members had time and again requested for improvement of the bend and traffic accident happened at the location again recently. He urged the department to follow up and make improvement as soon as possible. 42. Mr Eric KWOK was dissatisfied that TD asserted that after moving in Mun Tung Estate, the residents would not use Tung Chung Road and the bus stops thereat

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for travelling, and that it would not consider providing a bus bay for the bus stops at Tung Chung Road based on the above assertion. Members had already pointed out that with no bus bay at Tung Chung Road, the parking of buses would obstruct the following vehicles and cause traffic congestion, thus posing certain danger. He hoped that the department would listen to Members’ views to face up the problem and make improvement as soon as possible. 43. Mr FAN Chi-ping raised his views as follows:

(a) The bus company just said that iron plates were placed on the bus to simulate the laden condition, but he opined that in real situations, one side of the bus compartment might have more passengers than the other. He enquired whether the bus company had performed bus tilt test simulating the above situation.

(b) He did not understand why TD thought that residents of Mun Tung

Estate would not use Tung Chung Road. At an earlier meeting with the department, he strongly opposed that the entrance to the estate faced Tung Chung Road, worrying that vehicle-pedestrian conflicts would occur in the future and traffic accidents would happen easily. He suggested the department make better use of Yu Tung Road built years ago.

44. Mr Randy YU raised his views as follows:

(a) Besides meeting the transport demand of residents, Members were very concerned about the operation safety of double-deck buses and did not want any accident to take place. Although representative of NLB had provided data on the bus model selected, the concern could not be fully addressed.

(b) He suggested the department and NLB arrange 2 double-deck buses of

the same model for field test again, in particular at the bend at San Shek Wan, before the official operation of double-deck buses in late June, and invite all stakeholders which included Councillors, members of this Committee and the 3 RCs as well as village representatives to inspect the whole process and make recommendation for improvement.

45. Mr WONG Fuk-kan raised his views as follows:

(a) He opined that the crux of the problem was not double-deck bus or the bus model, but the bus captains operating the double-deck buses should possess sufficient experience and driving skill and stay vigilant to manage the conditions of roads on South Lantau, in particular the bend at San Shek Wan, since accidents might happen easily due to a lapse of caution.

(b) It was difficult and dangerous for double-deck buses to operate on the

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section from South Lantau Road to Keung Shan Road as there were many bends. He opined that this offered an opportunity for the Government to deploy additional resource to improve the road concerned, and suggested HyD and TD conduct site inspection and take a trial ride to personally experience the actual operation on the route.

46. Ms YU Lai-fan said that representative of NLB mentioned that the bus model currently used by the bus company to operate on roads in Shek O was the same as the double-deck buses to be used for route no. 3M, and that the road condition was similar to that in Mui Wo. She questioned that the above saying was based on the assumption that it was safe for the bus model to operate on roads in Shek O and Lantau Island. However, the road environments in Shek O and Lantau Island had their own unique characteristics and were not entirely the same, and traffic accidents happened from time to time in Shek O. She opined that the bus company should have a better understanding of the relevant information before responding to Members’ question. 47. Mr CHAN Tin-lung clarified that he meant the bus model was also deployed to operate on similar mountain routes in other places such as roads in Shek O and to the Peak. 48. The Vice-chairman Mr CHEUNG Fu considered that the problem mainly lied in the roads but not the buses, thus improving the road bends was of utmost importance. The roads on Lantau Island were not standard roads and many bends could not allow 2 buses to pass through at the same time, especially the bend at San Shek Wan was very acute and would easily lead to accidents. He requested the departments concerned to follow up and make improvement as soon as possible. 49. Mr Eric KWOK said that the problem of insufficient bus service on South Lantau called for urgent resolution. In addition to introducing double-deck buses, the department should also improve the road network of the district. He agreed that Members should be arranged to take a trial ride on double-deck bus for a road test. 50. The Chairman said that the bus stops on Lantau Island built according to the standard in the 70s and 80s were very primitive and outdated. Although renovation works had been performed for some of the bus stops in Mui Wo, the facilities could still not meet the need of passengers. The request for constructing new bus stops had been raised for years but TD and the bus company shirked their responsibilities and thus the problem remained unresolved. He hoped that the departments concerned and the bus company would discuss and handle the matter as soon as possible. Moreover, he hoped that the department would arrange for another road test for double-deck bus soonest and invite interested Members to take part. 51. Miss Sherman CHOI responded that regarding the arrangement of another road test, the department would appropriately follow up with NLB after the meeting and interested Members might take part in due course. Regarding Ms Josephine TSANG’s suggestion of conducting road test under inclement weather condition, since it would require co-ordination with various departments beforehand and

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corresponding arrangement by the bus company as well as the weather condition was unpredictable, the department could not guarantee that road test under inclement weather condition could be arranged. The department noted the suggestion and would try its best to make the arrangement. The department was aware of Members’ concern about using double-deck buses to serve route no. 3M and would continue to maintain close communication with the bus company to enhance the safety of bus service. 52. Mr WONG Fuk-kan said that although HyD had implemented bend improvement works at San Shek Wan and the bend was improved, the curvature was still not great enough and thus the buses always passed through the bend with the rear wheels on the kerb. He suggested HyD further widen the road near the said location to allow 2 vehicles to pass through at the same time. 53. Ms YUEN Kit-fung said that she would relay Members’ suggestion about the bend at San Shek Wan to relevant personnel for follow-up. Regarding the views in relation to Tung Chung Road and Yu Tung Road, she would discuss after the meeting with Members concerned the transport arrangement following the resident intake of Mun Tung Estate. 54. The Chairman hoped that TD would arrange a road test with Members as soon as possible to examine the bends that required improvement. (Mr Bill TANG and Mr LAU Chin-pang left the meeting at around 3:45 p.m.)

VI. Question on enhancing overnight bus service for Ying Tung Estate (Paper T&TC 13/2018) 55. The Chairman welcomed Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of TD; Mr Jeff POON, Manager (Traffic Operations) of Long Win Bus Company Limited (Long Win); Mr Mistral SIN, Manager (Planning) and Miss Joyce WAN, Chief Public Affairs Officer of Citybus Limited/New World First Bus Services Limited (Citybus/NWFB); and Mr CHAN Tin-lung, Deputy General Manager of New Lantao Bus Co.(1973) Limited (NLB) to the meeting to respond to the question. 56. Mr Holden CHOW briefly introduced the question. 57. Miss Sherman CHOI said that TD noted the proposal of Long Win route no. N31 and Citybus route no. N21A routeing through Ying Tung Estate bus terminus. Upon the resident intake of Ying Tung Estate, the department would continue to closely monitor the demand of residents for bus service and their travelling pattern, and request the bus companies to make appropriate arrangement when necessary. Moreover, in the Bus Route Planning Programme (BRPP) 2017-2018, the department undertook to introduce NLB route no. N37 plying between Ying Tung Estate and Tung Chung Station, which was expected to come into service in the second quarter of this year. The department would discuss the implementation details with the bus company as soon as possible.

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58. Mr Mistral SIN said that Citybus would closely monitor the passenger demand for route no. N21A and explore the need of the bus route passing through Ying Tung Estate. 59. Mr Jeff POON said that it was known that the prospective tenants of Ying Tung Estate had one after another received the keys of their flats. Long Win would closely monitor the change in passenger demand and adjust bus service as appropriate to cope with the demand of the new population in the district. 60. Mr Holden CHOW raised his views as follows:

(a) TD just now indicated that NLB route no. N37 was expected to be introduced within the second quarter of this year, he enquired whether the bus company could ensure that the bus route could come into service as scheduled.

(b) At present, the residents of Ying Tung Estate had to take around 5 to 10

minutes’ walk to the more remote Ying Hei Road bus stop for routes no. N31 and N21A, which was especially inconvenient during the small hours. He thus proposed that the bus routes passed through Ying Tung Estate bus terminus to provide convenience to the residents. The 2 bus companies just now said that they would adjust the bus service as appropriate according to the future change in passenger demand, he enquired whether the bus companies could provide a timetable.

61. Mr CHAN Tin-lung said that NLB had all along maintained close communication with TD on route no. N37 and co-ordinated by deploying resources such as vehicles and bus captains. The company and TD would closely monitor the resident intake of Ying Tung Estate and hoped that route no. N37 could be introduced in the second quarter of this year. 62. Mr Mistral SIN said that the proposed routeing of Citybus route no. N21A was still under study and a concrete timetable was not available at the moment. The company would continue to monitor the passenger demand for the bus route. 63. Mr Jeff POON said that Long Win route no. N31 operated overnight with about 20 trips each night and a patronage of approximately over 20%, indicating that the bus route still had sufficient spare capacity to cater for more passengers after the intake of Ying Tung Estate. Nevertheless, the company would continue to monitor closely the increase and change in patronage as well as adjust and improve the service as appropriate. 64. Ms LEE Kwai-chun hoped that the bus company would increase bus frequency as proposed as soon as possible to cater for the transport demand of Ying Tung Estate residents, lest it would cause great inconvenience to residents, in particular at night time.

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65. Ms Josephine TSANG said that since routes no. N31 and N21A did not route through Ying Tung Estate bus terminus at present, the residents had to take 5 to 10 minutes’ walk, or 5 to 7 minutes for those with a faster walking pace, from Ying Tung Estate to Ying Hei Road bus stop, whereas it would take only a few minutes for the above 2 bus routes to make a detour to Ying Tung Estate bus terminus. In view that Ying Tung Estate had started resident intake, she hoped that the bus company would arrange for the route to make a detour to Ying Tung Estate bus terminus as soon as possible. 66. Mr Holden CHOW appreciated that NLB made co-ordination to facilitate early implementation of route no. N37 bus service. Members did not request the bus company to introduce new routes but just proposed that routes no. N31 and N21A routed through Ying Tung Estate bus terminus, which only required the provision of a bus stop. Although the journey would be slightly lengthened, it was a simple way of solving the problem. He hoped that the bus company would follow up on the proposal regarding routes no. N31 and N21A. 67. Mr Eric KWOK appreciated that NLB was receptive to advice. At present, residents of Ying Tung Estate had to go to the more remote Ying Hei Road bus stop to take buses, which was especially inconvenient under inclement weather conditions and during small hours. It took only a short time for routes no. N31 and N21A to route through Ying Tung Estate bus terminus for solving the problem faced by the residents. He requested TD and the bus company to consider the proposal. 68. The Vice-chairman Mr CHEUNG Fu said that given the rapid development in Tung Chung in recent years, he proposed introducing point-to-point transport service by green minibus to improve the overall transport service in Tung Chung. 69. Miss Sherman CHOI said that the department noted the views regarding routes no. N31 and N21A and would continue to closely monitor the change in demand for the 2 routes and request the bus company to enhance the service of the route as necessary. The department also noted the suggestion of introducing green minibus service.

VII. Question on the safety of licensed buses (Paper T&TC 15/2018) 70. The Chairman welcomed Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of TD and Mr Peter TSANG, Senior Manager-Transportation of DBTSL to the meeting to respond to the question. 71. Ms Amy YUNG briefly introduced the question. 72. Miss Sherman CHOI said that at present non-franchised bus (NFB) services including residents’ services (RS) were generally arranged directly by the users and Passenger Service Licence (PSL) holders and the operation time was relatively flexible. Although TD currently did not regulate the bus captain working hours of

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NFB companies, it maintained close liaison with the industry through various means and reminded the industry of ensuring safe driving of drivers. It was known that DBTSL compiled the working schedules of bus captains according to the department’s Guidelines on Bus Captain Working Hours, Rest Times and Meal Breaks (the Guidelines). 73. Mr Peter TSANG responded as follows:

(a) When recruiting bus captains, the company would first verify that the applicant held a valid driving licence for public bus. Applicants would have to take a driving test supervised by an experienced personnel and could only proceed further in the recruiting process after passing the test. Moreover, before appointment, applicants had to submit to the company the Certificate of Previous Conviction issued by HKPF so that the company could obtain information about the records of driving offence points and traffic offences of the applicants. Appointment would only be offered to applicants with a good record. Lastly, the successful candidates had to undergo a pre-service medical check-up conducted by registered medical practitioners to prove that they were competent in performing the driving duties.

(b) On working hours of bus captains, the average working hour was about

10 hours per day which included a meal break of not less than 1 hour and a rest time of at least 30 minutes. When compiling the working schedules, a rest period of a few minutes between the trips would be allowed for the bus captains.

(c) While the company was not a franchised bus company, the schedules

and working hours of bus captains were compiled in accordance with the Guidelines for franchised bus companies issued by TD to ensure that the bus captains had enough rest times after getting off work and before going to work. Company quarters were available at Discovery Bay and bus captains living far away might apply for admission as necessary to save the commuting time.

74. Mr Eric KWOK said that although franchised bus services were regulated by the Guidelines, traffic accidents still happened repeatedly and a number of problems still existed. TD had mentioned in previous meetings that the Guidelines were inapplicable to RS including those in Discovery Bay. He enquired how the department would regulate the working hours and rest times of RS bus captains since the Guidelines were not applicable to RS. 75. Miss Sherman CHOI responded that regarding the regulation on NFB (including RS), the department mainly examined whether they complied with the approved purposes, conditions of issue and relevant requirements of PSL, such as whether services were provided according to the Schedule of Service. The department would follow up on any non-compliance. Although the working hours of NFB bus captains were not regulated by the department, it reminded NFB companies

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to pay attention to the rest times and other safety measures of bus captains through regular meetings with the industry and various channels. 76. Ms Amy YUNG considered that the existing conditions of bus captains such as working environment and working hours were not satisfactory. It was worrying that the RS was not regulated by the Guidelines. She opined that TD had not sympathised with the hardship of bus captains. The department only reminded bus companies to comply with the relevant requirements through regular meetings with the industry but had not formulated any regulation, allowing service users and RS companies to negotiate service details on their own. It appeared that the department had not performed supervision effectively. She suggested the department strengthen the regulation and formulate a guideline on the working hours, service and past driving attitude, etc. of bus captains. 77. Miss Sherman CHOI said that regarding Ms YUNG’s suggestion of formulating a guideline, she would relay to the relevant section for appropriate follow-up. (Mr Holden CHOW left the meeting at around 4:10 p.m.)

VIII. Question on request for monthly pass of KMB covering rides on Long Win buses and the problem of lost trips (Paper T&TC 17/2018) 78. The Chairman welcomed Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of TD; Mr Jeff POON, Manager (Traffic Operations) of Long Win; and Mr Addie LAM, Deputy Head of Communications and Public Affairs Department of The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. (KMB) to the meeting to respond to the question. 79. Mr Eric KWOK briefly introduced the question. 80. Mr Addie LAM responded that the KMB Monthly Pass Scheme (MPS) was only applicable to KMB routes and jointly operated routes operated by KMB. Since KMB and Long Win were two different franchised bus companies, their accounts, routes and fee structure were not the same, thus Long Win routes were not covered under the MPS. The company was glad to listen to views from all parties on the MPS. He would relay Mr KWOK’s suggestion to the company for enhancing the MPS under the existing framework. For any change in the applicable scope under the MPS, the company had to liaise and discuss with TD beforehand. 81. Mr Jeff POON responded as follows:

(a) According to the record of the company, Long Win deployed not solely part-time bus captains to serve the routes during the Lunar New Year (LNY). Bus captains deployed for each bus route included retired and re-employed captains as well as part-time captains, but the number of

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which would not have a significant impact on the stability of bus trips. The company would regularly submit information about lost trips and bus departures to TD for reference and regulatory purpose.

(b) Lost trips of Long Win routes no. S64, E41 and E42 during the LNY

were not merely due to manpower but also attributed to the road conditions and weather. According to the record, there was a slight increase in the lost trip rate of Long Win after mid-February this year, but the overall lost trip rate in February was similar to the past (including January this year).

(c) The company had always negotiated with part-time bus captains about

the employment conditions and work arrangements, and planned to modify the employment conditions and adopt hourly rate employment contracts with longer working hours. It was initially understood that most of the part-time bus captains intended to accept the new arrangement.

82. Miss Sherman CHOI said that TD had not conducted statistical surveys on the occupancy rates of Long Win routes during different hours for each month in 2017. However, the department from time to time deployed staff to perform on-site monitoring of the service standard of the routes concerned. According to the on-site inspections recently performed by the department during peak hours, daytime routes of Long Win buses such as “A” routes, “E” routes and “S” routes recorded an average occupancy rate of about 20% to over 80%, indicating that the service level could meet the passenger demand. The department was aware of Members’ concern about the bus service level and would continue to closely monitor the service of the routes concerned and request the bus company to enhance service when necessary. 83. Mr Eric KWOK raised his views as follows:

(a) Following the serious traffic accident happened earlier at Tai Po Road, KMB told the media that KMB and Long Win shared the same view on suspending the driving duty of the bus captain. However, when talking about the MPS, KMB said that KMB and Long Win were two different companies. He reckoned that such saying revealed that KMB adopted double standards and was not convincing.

(b) He had been over the years dealing with the transport problem in Tung

Chung, and whenever he complained to Long Win about problems such as lost trips and unpunctuality of buses, the company always responded by putting the blame on weather and road traffic conditions. He hoped that the bus company would seriously review and improve the benefit and pay package of bus captains with a view to solving the lost trip problem.

(c) Amid rapid development, the transport demand in Tung Chung

increased dramatically. Since many residents in the district travelled

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to the airport for work, he had repeatedly requested Long Win to increase the bus frequency but received no response. He hoped that Long Win would listen to public views and proactively address problems such as unpunctuality and lost trips of buses.

84. Mr Addie LAM said that the car accident at Tai Po Road had aroused much concern of the society. Both KMB and Long Win put safety as a top priority and would make every effort to enhance the safety standard to the satisfaction of passengers and the public. However, due to the constraints of accounting and franchise, KMB was unable to extend the MPS to cover Long Win routes. 85. Mr Jeff POON added that KMB and Long Win were two different franchised bus companies. Where practicable and without great impact on the company’s financial position, the bus company would consider providing fare concessions, interchange concessions or monthly pass scheme, etc. to passengers in order to respond to the demand in society and ease the transport expense burden on passengers. Given the different fare structures of KMB and Long Win, KMB could only consider providing fare concessions to passengers based on its own financial position. The company noted Members’ views on the MPS and would relay to the management. (Mr FAN Chi-ping left the meeting at around 4:30 p.m.)

IX. Question on request for Transport Department to withdraw the proposal of Citybus route no. E23 routing through Tung Chung North (Paper T&TC 18/2018) 86. The Chairman welcomed Miss CHOI Siu-man, Sherman, Senior Transport Officer/Islands of TD, Mr Mistral SIN, Manager (Planning) and Miss Joyce WAN, Chief Public Affairs Officer of Citybus/NWFB to the meeting to respond to the question. 87. Mr Eric KWOK briefly introduced the question. 88. Miss Sherman CHOI said that the occupancy rate was calculated by dividing the total number of passengers of all bus trips in 1 hour by the total carrying capacity of all buses in 1 hour. As stated in the BRPP 2018-2019, the busiest hour of Citybus route no. E23 referred to the Tsz Wan Shan-bound trips during 5:00 p.m. to 5:59 p.m., which were served by 12.8-metre and 12-metre buses. TD was now soliciting views from the District Councils concerned on the BRPP. The department noted Mr KWOK’s views about route no. E23 and would give due consideration after summing up the views from various parties. 89. Mr Mistral SIN said that Citybus conducted regular surveys on the patronage of each bus route. According to the recent patronage survey, the busiest hour of the day of route no. E23 was during 5:00 p.m. to 5:59 p.m. with an occupancy rate of 56%. Among the 5 trips departed within that hour, the company conducted

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sample surveys for 3 trips including 2 buses of 12 metres long and 1 bus of 12.8 metres long and had arrived at the above data on occupancy rate. 90. Mr Eric KWOK raised his views as follows:

(a) He enquired whether TD would introduce a new bus route plying from Yat Tung Estate to the urban areas via Tung Chung North.

(b) He reckoned that the calculation method on occupancy rate given by the department and Citybus was misleading. A 12.8-metre bus had 63 seats on the upper deck as well as 29 seats and 48 places for standees on the lower deck, providing a total of 92 seats. An occupancy rate of 56% was equivalent to some 70 passengers, meaning that almost all the seats on the bus were occupied. A 12-metre bus had 51 seats on the upper deck as well as 23 seats and 46 places for standees on the lower deck, providing a total of 74 seats. An occupancy rate of 56% was equivalent to about 70 passengers, meaning that all the seats on the bus were occupied. Hence, an occupancy rate of 56% reflected that the bus seats were fully occupied or almost fully occupied. At the previous meeting, he was misled by the department that an occupancy rate of 56% meant that the bus still had a surplus carrying capacity of 44%, but after looking up the information, he found that both the seats and the spaces for standees were included in the calculation. To his view, the traffic accidents occurred earlier in Tai Po and Sham Shui Po might be attributed to the long hours of driving of bus captains or overcrowding in the bus compartment. He hoped that the department and the bus company would face up the problem and endeavour to enhance the quality of service.

91. Miss Sherman CHOI responded that the department noted Mr KWOK’s proposal of introducing a new route plying between Yat Tung Estate and Tsz Wan Shan Estate. She would relay it to the relevant section for appropriate consideration in the future BRPP. At present, residents of Yat Tung Estate might first take Citybus route no. E21A and then interchange for Citybus route no. E23 to go to Tsz Wan Shan through the bus company’s interchange scheme. Regarding the occupancy rate, at present, the occupancy rate of franchised buses was calculated based on the total carrying capacity, i.e. both the seating and standing capacity. The department was aware of Members’ concern about the safety of bus operation and would maintain communication and explore various measures with the franchised bus companies to enhance the safety of franchised buses. (The Vice-chairman Mr CHEUNG Fu left the meeting at around 4:35 p.m.)

X. Question on provision of additional entry and exit gates at Sunny Bay Station (Paper T&TC 14/2018) 92. The Chairman welcomed Ms Annie LAM, Assistant Public Relations

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Manager - External Affairs of MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to the meeting to respond to the question. 93. Ms Amy YUNG briefly introduced the question. 94. Ms Annie LAM responded as follows:

(a) MTRCL had always closely monitored the passenger flow at various stations and would take appropriate measures in response to the passenger flow to maintain smooth operation of stations. According to observations, the entry of passengers through the gates at MTR Sunny Bay Station during the morning peak hours had been generally smooth. The bus company of Discovery Bay was informed of the latest train schedules by station staff to facilitate corresponding arrangement of bus schedules. However, due to the road traffic condition, the arrival time of buses sometimes might not match the train schedules. Given that there was some distance between the bus drop-off area and the MTR station gates, passengers generally entered the gates one after the other instead of rushing to the entry gates at the same time.

(b) The company noticed that there were at times a larger number of

passengers entering the gates during the peak period from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and no overcrowding was observed at other times. MTRCL had indeed provided additional entry and exit gates a few years ago which could still meet the passenger demand so far.

(c) To meet the demand at the busiest section on Tung Chung Line (Hong

Kong-bound trains at Tsing Yi Station and Nam Cheong Station), MTRCL adjusted the train frequencies early this year including providing special trains departing from Tsing Yi Station and adjusting the departure time of trains at Tung Chung Station to ensure that the trains arrived at even intervals. Passengers boarding at Sunny Bay Station could also benefit therefrom. MTRCL would continue to closely monitor the situation and might after the meeting arrange a site visit at peak hours with Ms YUNG.

95. Ms Amy YUNG raised her views as follows:

(a) She had conducted site visits to Sunny Bay Station after 8:00 a.m. There were totally 5 gates at the station, which included 2 entry gates, 2 exit gates and 1 entry/exit gate. During the morning peak hours, a large number of passengers going to Discovery Bay for work entered the entry/exit gate and always caused congestion thereat, forming a bottleneck. She said that after over 100 passengers were carried by a double-deck bus to the MTR station for interchange, they could not reach the platform promptly due to congestion at the gate, thus missing the train even though it was not full and being late to work.

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(b) She thanked MTRCL for providing additional gates at the MTR station years ago to respond to public demands. Additional gates could not be provided overnight. It took 1 year to materialise after she put forward the proposal last time. She raised this question in advance since an increasing passenger flow at Sunny Bay Station was expected and hoped that MTRCL would consider the proposal of providing additional gates and plan for the works as soon as possible.

XI. Question on request for filling the gaps on roads of Cheung Chau (Paper T&TC 16/2018) 96. The Chairman welcomed Ms LEUNG Chiu-mei, District Engineer/Islands of HyD and Mr LI Ming-yau, Senior Inspector of Works of the Islands District Office (IsDO) to the meeting to respond to the question. 97. Mr KWONG Koon-wan briefly introduced the question. 98. Mr LI Ming-yau said that some of the gaps mentioned in the paper were spaces purposely reserved by IsDO when resurfacing the roads. The gaps were filled with expanding materials (e.g. joint sealant) to adapt to the thermal expansion and contraction of roads. Moreover, some gaps on the roads were the joints between new and old materials and would not be filled with joint sealant due to the small size. In view of the wear and tear of some joint sealants after years of use, IsDO would arrange for follow-up and repairs. (Post-meeting note: IsDO had conducted repairs on Tai Tsoi Yuen Road and would

take note of other road sections and conduct repairs where necessary.)

99. Ms LEUNG Chiu-mei said that the department would arrange for the contractor to inspect and repair the roads maintained by the department. The section of Tai Hing Tai Road as shown in the photo attached to the question had been repaired. The department would inspect and repair other road sections under the purview of HyD. 100. Ms LEE Kwai-chun said that it was relatively easy to notice and mind the gaps on roads, but pedestrians might face the danger of falling into the gutters inadvertently if the gutter covers had been damaged. She asked the departments concerned to follow up on the problem. 101. Mr KWONG Koon-wan added that there were large cracks found on certain sections of Sai Tai Road maintained by HyD and requested the department to follow up. Moreover, although repair had been conducted by the works section of IsDO at Tsan Tuen Road, the result of works was unsatisfactory. He asked IsDO to follow up. (Post-meeting note: IsDO clarified that Tsan Tuen Road was repaired and

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maintained by HyD. HyD would take follow-up action.) 102. Ms LEUNG Chiu-mei said that the department would arrange for the contractor to inspect Sai Tai Road and Tsan Tuen Road as well as look into the problems of gutter covers and gaps on roads.

XII. Any Other Business

Highways Department’s Minor Traffic Improvement Projects and Works Schedules 103. The Chairman welcomed Ms LEUNG Chiu-mei, District Engineer/Islands of HyD to the meeting to give response. HyD had submitted before the meeting the Islands District Minor Traffic Improvement Projects and Works Schedules (the Schedules) as at early March this year. The Schedules were tabled at the meeting and Members were invited to raise enquiries and opinions. 104. Members noted the report.

XIII. Date of next meeting 105. The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m. The next meeting would be held at 2:00 p.m. on 21 May 2018 (Monday).

-End-