city speak xi - is transport the solution or the enemy? simon ng of hkust

Is Transport the Solution or the Enemy?

Designing Hong Kong City Speak XI24 April 2010, Hong Kong

Simon K W Ng

Institute for the Environment, HKUST

Transport in Hong Kong

• 11.5 million daily public transport journeys• ~90% of journeys made by public transport • 54.8 private cars per 1,000 population• ~4 million passengers each day on rail• ~5,800 buses and 600+ bus routes• 4,350 minibuses• ~18,000 taxis• Trams and ferries• A comprehensive network• Over 2,000 km of public road

External Costs of Transport

• Traffic congestion• Air and noise pollution• Land consumption

Source: HKSARG

Source: HKEPD

Roadside Stations

Nitrogen Dioxide

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

0.11

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Annual Mean Concentration

(mg/m 3)

Roadside

Average

Hong Kong Air Quality Objective

Roadside NO2 Concentrations 　

WHO Air Quality Guidelines

Sources: HKSARG, HKEPD & WHO

Respirable Suspended Particulate

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Annual Mean Concentration

(mg/m 3)

Roadside

Average

Hong Kong Air Quality Objective

WHO Air Quality Guidelines

Roadside PM10 Concentrations

Sources: HKSARG, HKEPD & WHO

• Making each vehicle cleaner and more energy efficient is good, but …

• It will do little to change our travelling habits, ie. it doesn’t necessarily make us drive or travel less

• Benefits we gain from reducing emission per vehicle will be offset by growing vehicle ownership and vehicle use

Technical Fix

Land Sterilization

Traffic Congestion

Roadside Emissions

How we want our city to be like?

Increase Use of Mechanised Transport

Higher Demand for Mobility

Economic Growth and Higher Income

Quality of Life Liveable City

Accessibility

Sustainable Transport

Source: Ng

Source: Jean-Paul Rodrigue

Compact versus Dispersed Spatial Form

A City for Cars?

Source: Alex MacLean

Source: Alex MacLean

Source: HKSARG

Tung Chung

A City for the Community?

Shatin

A City that Deprives People of Urban Space?

Source: Bill Barron

A City where People Take the Centre Stage?

Source: http://www.transitorienteddevelopment.org/

End of presentationThank you