Page 131 of 498
498
128
HONG KONG Urban COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):-The original motion is now put to vote. Raise your hand if you vote for the original motion,
The question on the original motion was put.
The original motion was carried unanimously.
(4) MR. STANLEY NG WING-FAI moved the following motion:--
'Since there is a need to increase the frequency of the Council's street-washing service to respond to the actual situation of some districts, so as to improve the sanitary conditions of streets more flexibly and to reduce dust and dirt. RESOLVED that the Council should categorise streets into three groups according to their sanitary levels, i.e. highly polluted streets' to be washed at least twice a week, 'streets in densely built areas' at least once a week, and 'other streets' at least once every fortnight.'
He said (in Cantonese):-Dear colleagues, the motion I propose today is about improving the street-washing service. The text of my speech, together with an appendix excerpted from two pages in the EPD Annual Report 1995, is tabled. Before I go into my speech, I would like to provide some information which is not in the document. The frequency of existing street-washing service is categorised according to the density of buildings: at least once a week or once every fortnight.
Let's talk about categorisation by density of buildings. In certain areas like Tai Koo Shing, buildings are densely built but not with many floors. Apparently, it is more suitable to consider categorisation by pollution levels. Therefore, I propose to improve frequency of street-washing service. My motion demands the Council to categorise streets into different groups so as to set the frequency of street-washing into three groups, i.e. twice a week, at least once a week and once every fortnight, for the sake of keeping the city clean and tidy.
Concerning the street-washing service, the USD has pledged that streets requiring attention, or the so-called 'streets in densely built areas', would be washed at least once a week while other streets once every fortnight, and that there would be two street-washing teams responsible for washing hawker blackspots and busy streets. The Department has pledged to keep pavements and carriageways clean by means of the above measures, especially in hawker areas and temporary refuse collection points. Two major problems have arisen from the USD's inability of washing the streets frequently and thoroughly enough. Another problem is that when urban areas are untidy and streets dirty, it will not only spoil the appearance of Hong Kong, but will also give tourists a bad impression. If you have ever been to Singapore or Tokyo, you will find their streets generally cleaner than those in Hong Kong.
Page 131 of 498