158
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Finally, I would like to digress from Museum topics and refer to Government's transport policy. From time to time, consultants are employed at high fees to solve our traffic problems. However, the directions given to Consultants could be based on faulty premise. For instance, not many years ago, the 'Diptrans' study was commissioned to consider the effect of the Mass Transit railway and the electrification of Kowloon Canton Railway on the public transport network. Enfranchised public transport operators were invited to attend lengthy meetings, but it soon became clear that the brief to the consultants was that they must redesign existing public transport routes to ensure that the Mass Transit Railway would reach their goal of 1000 000 passengers per day by 1981 and that pressure be applied to other public transport operators to amend or reduce their services in order to divert traffic to this more expensive mode of transport. This is hardly the free enterprise image of which we are so proudly held out as an example to the rest of the world, and the public has since clearly indicated their preferences by taking other modes of transport. Millions of dollars of public money was therefore expended to justify an unjustifiable situation. Recently, further traffic studies have been commissioned for Hung Hom and Kowloon City and were tabled for discussion by the District Board. As traffic conditions are chaotic in the area, there is a genuine need to improve traffic flow. However, the brief to the Consultants was specifically aimed at improving bus travel time only and the panacea proposed was to give them priority lanes. A gyratory system was recommended to divert traffic and a section of Hung Hom where factories are situated was not included within the study. Unless adequate provision is made for orderly diversion of other forms of transport, public light buses, taxis, goods vehicles and private cars, more bottlenecks would be created in side streets as other modes of transport are shunted off into narrow roads not designed to carry through traffic. Also anyone who has driven along the Hangar Lane gyratory system at Ealing, London would have qualms about importing such a system here. Finally, even if buses do have a clear run on priority lanes, will there be sufficient numbers to meet peak traffic demand?
Does not the answer lie in better co-ordination of public works projects such as by revising tendering procedures, etc. so that the different components could be slotted in smoothly without delay and important artery roads projects, for example, the Airport Tunnel could be opened within the shortest possible time and also in better town planning with provision for future traffic growth?
With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW arrived during Mrs. Grace HO's address.)
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, Capital Works
Since the last annual debate, the number of projects completed by Urban
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 101 of 146
159
Council since its financial autonomy in 1 April 1973, has increased to 358. There are on planning for the next 5 years, a total of 116 capital works projects estimated to cost the Council $1,200 million. For the financial year ended 31 March 1981, a total of 57 projects were completed at a capital cost of $89.6 million.
Currently, some of the major projects under construction are the Shek Kip Mei Park at Sham Shui Po; the Training Pool at Morrison Hill, Wan Chai; the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade; the Aberdeen Urban Council Complex; the Ko Shan Road Park and Open-air Theatre, Hung Hom; the Lai Chi Kok Park; the Hung Hom Indoor Stadium and the Cultural Centre at Tsim Sha Tsui of which I will have more to say later.
Some of the major projects recently completed include the Artificial turfing of King's Park Hockey Ground, Ngau Tau Kok Market and Indoor Games Hall, Yue Kwong Road Market and Indoor Games Hall, as well as Tin Wan Market in Aberdeen.
As for major projects scheduled to start in the year 1982-83, we have the Moreton Terrace Soccer Pitch and Tennis Courts which will also include a fitness trail and track and field facilities, the Shamshuipo Park and Swimming Pool Complex, the Wanchai Reclamation Recreation Centre Stage II which includes one indoor games hall and one training pool, the Sai Wan Ho Market, the Ngau Chi Wan Urban Council Complex, the Kowloon City Urban Council Complex, the Lockhart Road Urban Council Complex and the Quarry Bay Market.
As you can see from the above, there is no lack of determination on the part of Council to provide better facilities for the public. However, the good intentions of the Council have often been frustrated by a shortage of land in a place like urban Hong Kong where it is already fully developed. The Council has resorted to maximizing the usage of land already under its control by building multi-usage high-rise complex and the Council has also resorted to build projects on a joint venture basis with the Housing Authority, the Housing Society, the Government as well as other organizations. However, these solutions are not enough to meet the ever-rising expectations as well as the standard of living of the Hong Kong citizens. I sincerely hope that the newly created Land Development of the government will look at the Urban Council's need for more land sympathetically, and especially land required to build refuse collection points.
On a less glamorous subject and as an on-going exercise, the Council has been carrying on a refurbishment scheme to improve the condition of public toilets and bathhouses. Up to 31 December 1981, approximately 90 projects have been completed in this scheme. It is expected that all toilets will be completely refurbished in the course of the next two years except for those which are due for redevelopment. As a matter of interest, refurbishment
Page 101 of 146
Page 101 of 14
158
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Finally, I would like to digress from Museum topics and refer to Government's transport policy. From time to time, consultants are employed at high fees to solve our traffic problems. However, the directions given to Consultants could be based on faulty premise. For instance, not many years ago, the 'Diptrans' study was commissioned to consider the effect of the Mass Transit railway and the electrification of Kowloon Canton Railway on the public transport network. Enfranchised public transport operators were invited to attend lengthy meetings, but it soon became clear that the brief to the consultants was that they must redesign existing public transport routes to ensure that the Mass Transit Railway would reach their goal of 1000 000 passengers per day by 1981 and that pressure be applied to other public transport operators to amend or reduce their services in order to divert traffic to this more expensive mode of transport. This is hardly the free enterprise image of which we are so proudly held out as an example to the rest of the world, and the public has since clearly indicated their preferences by taking other modes of transport. Millions of dollars of public money was therefore expended to justify an unjustifiable situation. Recently, further traffic studies have been commissioned for Hung Hom and Kowloon City and were tabled for discussion by the District Board. As traffic conditions are chaotic in the area, there is a genuine need to improve traffic flow. However, the brief to the Consultants was specifically aimed at improving bus travel time only and the panacea proposed was to give them priority lanes. A gyratory system was recommended to divert traffic and a section of Hung Hom where factories are situated was not included within the study. Unless adequate provision is made for orderly diversion of other forms of transport, public light buses, taxis, goods vehicles and private cars, more bottlenecks would be created in side streets as other modes of transport are shunted off into narrow roads not designed to carry through traffic. Also anyone who has driven along the Hangar Lane gyratory system at Ealing, London would have qualms about importing such a system here. Finally, even if buses do have a clear run on priority lanes, will there be sufficient numbers to meet peak traffic demand?
Does not the answer lie in better co-ordination of public works projects such as by revising tendering procedures, etc. so that the different components could be slotted in smoothly without delay and important artery roads projects, for example, the Airport Tunnel could be opened within the shortest possible time and also in better town planning with provision for future traffic growth?
With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW arrived during Mrs. Grace HO's address.)
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, Capital Works
Since the last annual debate, the number of projects completed by Urban
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 101 of 146
159
Council since its financial automony in 1 April 1973, has increased to 358. There are on planning for the next 5 years, a total of 116 capital works projects estimated to cost the Council $1,200 million. For the financial year ended 31 March 1981, a total of 57 projects were completed at a capital cost of $89.6 million.
Currently, some of the major projects under construction are the Shek Kip Mei Park at Sham Shui Po; the Training Pool at Morrison Hill, Wan Chai; the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade; the Aberdeen Urban Council Complex; the Ko Shan Road Park and Open-air Theatre, Hung Hom; the Lai Chi Kok Park; the Hung Hom Indoor Stadium and the Cultural Centre at Tsim Sha Tsui of which I will have more to say later.
Some of the major projects recently completed includes the Artificial turfing of King's Park Hockey Ground, Ngau Tau Kok Market and Indoor Games Hall, Yue Kwong Road Market and Indoor Games Hall, as well as Tin Wan Market in Aberdeen.
As for major projects scheduled to start in the year 1982-83, we have the Moreton Terrace Soccer Pitch and Tennis Courts which will also include a fitness trail and track and field facilities, the Shamshuipo Park and Swimming Pool Complex, the Wanchai Reclamation Recreation Centre Stage II which includes one indoor games hall and one training pool, the Sai Wan Ho Market, the Ngau Chi Wan Urban Council Complex, the Kowloon City Urban Council Complex, the Lockhart Road Urban Council Complex and the Quarry Bay Market.
As you can see from the above, there is no lack of determination on the part of Council to provide better facilities for the public. However, the good intentions of the Council have often been frustrated by a shortage of land in a place like urban Hong Kong where it is already fully developed. The Council has resorted to maximizing the usage of land already under its control by building multi-usage high rise complex and the Council has also resorted to build projects on a joint venture basis with the Housing Authority, the Housing Society, the Government as well as other organizations. However, these solutions are not enough to meet the ever rising expectations as well as the standard of living of the Hong Kong citizens. I sincerely hope that the newly created Land Development of the government will look at the Urban Council's need for more land sympathetically, and especially land required to build refuse collection points.
On a less glamourous subject and as an on-going exercise, the Council has been carrying on a refurbishment scheme to improve the condition of public toilets and bathhouses. Up to 31 December 1981, approximately 90 projects have been completed in this scheme. It is expected that all toilets will be completely refurbished in the course of the next two years except for those which are due for redevelopment. As a matter of interest, refurbishment
Page 101 of 14
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