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the experience gained during the recent Gold Coast fireworks display on crowd control and public transportation arrangements.
In a consultation paper to district boards, the Government said that part of a preliminary proposal on special arrangements recommended by the inter- departmental working group was that the section of Castle Peak Road between Hoi On Road and Siu Lam Interchange should be closed to traffic and reserved for pedestrians only from 5 pm to around midnight. Adjoining roads in the area will also be closed to traffic.
Arrangements will be made to provide access within the closed section of Castle Peak Road for emergency vehicles.
The spokesman said that the inter-departmental working group comprised, among others, representatives from the Police, Transport, Home Affairs and Marine Departments as well as NAPCO.
He said that road safety in the section of Tuen Mun Road between Hoi On Road and Siu Lam Interchange is a particular concern when the fireworks display is about to take place.
"Past experience shows that most drivers would slow down or even stop their vehicles to watch the fireworks display, thus causing potential hazards to themselves and other vehicles," he said.
To deal with this problem, it is proposed that traffic on Tuen Mun Road be regulated from 7.30 pm onwards and all traffic will be stopped from 7.30 pm to 8.20 pm to ensure public safety.
As for Tsing Yi island, the intention is to avoid road closures as far as possible but the Police may have to stop traffic on a section of Tsing Yi Road West between Ching Hong Road and Sai Tso Wan Road if the situation calls for it.
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company and the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation will provide 440 buses to run special services to disperse the crowds after the fireworks display. These buses will pick up passengers from designated boarding points on Castle Peak Road to either the Tsuen Wan MTR Station or the Tuen Mun Ferry Light Rail Transit Terminus.
It is estimated that the buses will be able to carry 50,000 spectators within the first two hours after the display.