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Minutes of the 5th Meeting ofTraffic and Transport Committee (2016-17)

Central and Western District Council

Date : 8 September 2016 (Thursday)

Time : 2:30 pm

Venue : Conference Room14/F, Harbour Building38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Present: ChairmanMr CHAN Choi-hi, MH*

Vice ChairmanMr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph (3:08 pm - 4:19 pm)

MembersMr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP (2:36 pm – end of the meeting)Mr CHAN Hok-fung, MH*Ms CHENG Lai-king*Mr HUI Chi-fung (2:43 pm – 5:12pm)Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH*Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney, MH (2:58 pm – end of the meeting)Miss LO Yee-hang (2:40 pm – 5:05 pm)Mr NG Siu-hong*Ms SIU Ka-yi*Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing*Mr YEUNG Hok-ming (2:34 pm – end of the meeting)Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP*

Co-opted MembersMr LEUNG King-yue, Alex* (2:30 pm – 4:19 pm)Mr NG Wing-yan, MH (2:30 pm – 4:02 pm)Mr YIP Kam-lung, Sam (2:30 pm – 5:23 pm)Miss NG Hoi-yan, Bonnie (2:30 pm – end of the meeting)Mr SIO Chan-in, Devin (2:30 pm – end of the meeting)

Remarks: * Members that attended the whole meeting( ) The time of attendance of the Member

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GuestsItem 5Mr CHOW Chun-pong Senior Engineer/Central Wanchai Bypass 3,

Highways DepartmentMr WONG Chun-kin Senior Engineer/Central Wanchai Bypass 1,

Highways DepartmentMr YU Hing-wai Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company

Limited

Item 6Mr CHAN Chi-ming Senior Engineer/Special Duty,

Transport DepartmentMr LEE Sai-hang Engineer/Special Duty 1, Transport DepartmentMr TSANG Hin-manMiss CHEUNG Wing-man

Senior Engineer/CWY2, Highways DepartmentEngineer/K 1-1, Highways Department

Item 7Ms LOU Ching-yee, Esther Engineer/Central and Western 1,

Transport DepartmentMr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 8Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West, Highways Department

Item 9Ms FONG Wai-man, Selina Engineer/Central and Western 3,

Transport Department

Item 10Ms LOU Ching-yee, Esther Engineer/Central and Western 1,

Transport DepartmentMr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police Force

Item 11Ms TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


Item 12Ms TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


Item 13Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West,

Highways DepartmentMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,


Item 14Mr Kenrick Ko Projects Communications Manager,

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MTR Corporation LimitedMs TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


Item 15Mr Benjamin LEE Operations Manager, Hong Kong TramwaysMs TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,


In Attendance:Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze, Susanne, JP District Officer (Central and Western)Miss LAM Bing-bing, Erica Assistant District Officer (Central and Western)Ms WONG Ming-wai, Cynthia Senior Executive Officer (District Council),

Central and Western District OfficeMiss YU Yan-yan, Rosanna Senior Executive Officer (District Management),

Central and Western District OfficeMs TSANG Yuk-yee, Leander Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western,

Transport DepartmentMs LOU Ching-yee, Esther Engineer/Central and Western 1,

Transport DepartmentMr NG Tit-ho, Leo Engineer/Central and Western 2,

Transport DepartmentMs FONG Wai-man, Selina Engineer/Central and Western 3,

Transport DepartmentMr TSANG Kwok-wing Principal Technical Officer (Traffic)/Southern &

Peak, Transport DepartmentMs LEUNG Yuen-hei District Engineer/West, Highways DepartmentMs LEE Lai-ming District Operations Officer (Central District),

Hong Kong Police ForceMr CHUNG Kin-yeung Police Community Relation Officer (Central

District)Mr LUNG Wai-fung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Central District), Hong Kong Police ForceMr KWONG Sze-yeung Officer-in-Charge, District Traffic Team

(Western District), Hong Kong Police Force

SecretaryMiss HUANG Hsiao-ching, Yuki Executive Officer (District Council) 2,

Central and Western District OfficeAbsent with Apologies:

Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, JPMs FUNG Ka-ying District Operations Officer (Western District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed all Members and representatives from government departments

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to the fifth meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) (2016-2017).

Item 1 : Adoption of the A genda

2. The Committee adopted the agenda for the meeting.

Item 2 : Confirmation of the M inutes of the Fourth TTC Meeting on 16 June 2016

3. The Committee confirmed the minutes of the fourth meeting.

Item 3: Action Checklists on Matters Arising from the Last Meeting(C&W TTC Paper No. 57/2016)

(2:33 pm)

4. Members noted the paper.

Item 4: Chairman’s Report

5. The Chairman said that as for the minor traffic improvement projects and their schedules (as of mid-August this year), the Secretariat had distributed the report to Members for perusal before the meeting and had not received any comments from Members.

6. The Chairman indicated that the Bus Route Planning Programme for the Central and Western District (C&WD) had been discussed at a previous meeting and the Secretariat would consolidate the responses of the bus companies and Members’ comments to draw a conclusion as to whether Members’ comments were accepted.

Item 5: Standing item (i) - Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link - Report on the Progress of the Central Interchange Project

(C&W TTC Paper No. 47/2016)

(2:34 pm - 2:40 pm)

7. Mr CHOW Chun-pong , Senior Engineer/Central Wanchai Bypass 3 of the Highways De-partment (HyD), gave a brief report on the works of the Central Interchange over the previous six months, including the construction of an at-grade road leading to the western tunnel portal, the installation of road drainage systems, and the completion of an elevated lay-by. For some works that involved existing roads, such as erection of traffic signs and tree planting, the HyD would as far as possible make arrangements to carry out the works at night with the roads

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closed in order not to affect the busy daytime traffic in Central. The works of the Central In-terchange were at the final stage and expected to be completed by the end of the year. He pointed out that many sites at the Central Interchange had been handed over for the last works contract, Tunnel Commissioning Contract, and the HyD would proceed with the remaining works.

8. The Chairman asked whether the upcoming Fédération Internationale de l’ Automobile Formula E Championship - Hong Kong ePrix would affect the progress of the works and what arrangements the HyD would make accordingly.

9. Mr CHOW Chun-pong of the HyD indicated that the HyD had made necessary planning and coordination of the event, and the Major Works Project Management Office of the HyD was active in communicating with the event’s contractors and participating in site inspections to facilitate the organisation of the event.

10. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The views of Members were summarised as follows:

a. Ms CHENG Lai-king enquired about the commissioning date of Central-Wan Chai Bypass. She also asked whether temporary roads would be built to link up with new roads in Central, so that some road sections could come into use even if the tunnel was not ready for service.

11. Mr WONG Chun-kin , Senior Engineer/Central Wanchai Bypass 1 of the HyD, said that Central-Wan Chai Bypass had been expected to commission in 2017, but since a large metal object had been found earlier in the site for Wan Chai Development Phase II, it was expected that the Civil Engineering and Development Department could complete the tunnel tubes of that bypass section and hand over the sites to the HyD for the remaining works in mid-2017 only. Therefore, the bypass could hardly come into service in 2017 as scheduled. The HyD was actively exploring with contractors ways to catch up with the progress, and if there was any further information, the HyD would report it to the TTC.

12. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 6: Provision of Cover for Walkway

(C&W TTC Paper No. 32/2016)

(2:40 pm - 2:53 pm)

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13. Mr CHAN Chi-ming , Senior Engineer/Special Duty of the Traffic Engineering (Hong Kong) Division of the Transport Department (TD), indicated that to tie in with the 2016 Policy Address, the Government was inviting District Councils (DCs) to select suitable major walkways for provision of covers.

14. Mr LEE Sai-hang , Engineer/Special Duty 1 of the TD, said that with reference to the bottom-up approach for opinion collection in the Universal Accessibility Programme, DCs would recommend three alignment options in priority order for provision of walkway covers in three months. A government-appointed consultant engineer would first examine the feasibility of the first-priority option. If the alignment option was technically feasible, a project would be established; and if the option was technically infeasible, the second-priority option would be examined, and so on.

15. He further said that in recommending an alignment option, the TTC might refer to the following basic requirements, such as a relatively high pedestrian flow, a location with connection to a public transport interchange and major transport facilities, an adequate width, and no impacts on trees on the sides of pavements. He also pointed out that on technical feasibility, consideration would be given to whether the design was simple or complex, adding that the feasibility of a simple design was higher as it had a shorter and direct alignment and a wider walkway, and involved fewer shops, underground facilities and trees; whereas a complex design might possibly face insurmountable difficulties and its feasibility was thus lower. If the cost of an established project was less than $30 million, an application for Category D project funding could be made for implementation of the works after the feasibility study and gazettal of the project. If a project cost $30 million or above, it would be established as a Category C project after the feasibility study, promoted as a Category B project for gazettal, and then further promoted as a Category A project before it was submitted to the Legislative Council for funding application. Therefore, more time would be required.

16. The Chairman enquired how long it would take for a Category D project to go through all the four steps.

17. Mr CHAN Chi-ming said that the works were scheduled to start in 2018 and the actual time required would depend on siting and technical requirements. He indicated that if the TTC recommended alignment was straightforward, less time would be required because fewer re-lated persons would have to be consulted and there would possibly be no objection received after the option was gazetted. If everything went smoothly, the works were expected to start in 2018.

18. The Chairman concluded by saying that Members would recommend alignment options in writing. He also said that the Secretariat would collect the options and pass them to the TD

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for the feasibility study on the alignment, or further site visits might be arranged in the future in order to select suitable locations for provision of covers.

19. Mr CHAN Chi-ming added that after receiving Members’ comments, the relevant departments would be glad to provide some technical information, such as field data like pedestrian flow and length, to assist Members in selecting suitable alignments.


Item 7: Request for Increasing the Establishment of Traffic Warden to Com-bat Illegal Parking in Central

( C&W TTC Paper No. 48/2016)

Concern over the Small Number of Penalty Tickets Issued Against Illegal Park- ing in Central ( C&W TTC Paper No. 48/2016 - Annex)

(2:53 pm - 3:16 pm)


a. Mr HUI Chi-fung said the TTC had discussed the problem of illegal parking in the C&WD for many times. He noted that the Police’s response revealed a rise in the number of complaints over the previous two years, which was nevertheless accompa-nied by a decline in the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued. He called into question the effectiveness of the Police’s enforcement. Besides, he opined that the establishment of traffic wardens in the Central District was too small, and the practice of pegging the establishment of traffic wardens to the numbers of meters and parking spaces was outmoded. He hoped the establishment of traffic wardens in the Central District could be expanded.

b. Ms SIU Ka-yi asked why the rise in the number of complaints was nevertheless ac-companied by the decline in the number of FPNs issued. She remarked that the es-tablishment of traffic wardens in the Central District was too small and enquired whether the 13 persons mentioned in the Police’s response referred to the headcount on each shift or the total headcount. Moreover, she requested the Police to deploy more manpower to school areas, such as Po Hing Fong and Bridges Street, after school opening to prevent illegally parked vehicles from posing risk to children boarding and alighting from school buses.

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c. Mr Alex LEUNG agreed that the establishment of 13 traffic wardens in the Central District was not adequate. He asked why the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) refused the Police’s request for an expanded traffic warden establishment. He sug-gested writing to the THB making such a request. Besides, he noted that the en-hanced traffic enforcement by the Police had achieved some deterrent effects. He hoped the Police would keep it up and continue with its strict enforcement.

d. Ms CHENG Lai-king believed that it should be left to traffic wardens to deal with il-legal parking, as the Police had its priority setting for enforcement. However, the strength of just 13 traffic wardens was not adequate to tackle traffic problems in the Central District, so she agreed that the establishment of traffic wardens should be ex-panded.

e. Mr Sam YIP believed that the cost for training a traffic warden was lower than that for training a policeman. He asked why, instead of hiring more traffic wardens, the Police was required to deploy manpower to tackle illegal parking. He did not agree with the Police using meters and parking spaces as the benchmarks for the establish-ment of traffic wardens. In his opinion, consideration should be given to the dis-trict’s needs.

f. Mr CHAN Hok-fung welcomed the territory-wide action taken earlier by the Police against illegal parking, and hoped the Police would keep up its efforts. He said the Police had explained to him that the Police usually gave verbal warnings to drivers, requesting them to drive their cars away because FPN issuance took time and was not an immediately effective measure to smooth traffic flow. However, he con-sidered that verbal warnings had little deterrent effects and thus requested the Police to take strict enforcement action. He hoped more parking spaces could be provided in the Central District in the long run.

g. The Chairman agreed that the expansion of the traffic warden establishment could be an effective short-term measure to mitigate congestion in the Central District. He pointed out that to tackle the problem in the long run, the Government had to adopt a multi-pronged approach by taking various measures, such as electronic road pricing, more frequent vehicle towing and building of intelligent roads with sensors.

h. Mr YIP Wing-shing enquired about the working hours of traffic wardens. He said that roads in the Central District were busiest during the morning and afternoon com-muting hours. He hoped more traffic wardens could be assigned to perform duties during these hours.

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22. Mr LUNG Wai-fung , Officer-in-Charge of District Traffic Team (Central District) of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), reiterated that in the previous year, the Police had made an application to the Government for expanding the establishment of traffic wardens but the application had not been approved. He said he would convey Members’ concerns and their request for an expanded traffic warden establishment to the management. He added that the number or meters was just one of the benchmarks for the establishment of traffic wardens, and decisions in this regard were mainly based on the traffic condition of the district concerned. Besides, traffic wardens were civilian staff working on two shifts. On the matter concerning school buses in Po Hing Fong and Bridges Street, the Police had deployed more manpower to the above locations to tackle traffic problems after school opening. Manpower was also deployed to the vicinity of schools to perform traffic duties on usual school days.

23. The Chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The views of Members were summarised as follows:

a. Mr YIP Wing-shing enquired about the number of traffic wardens on duty on each shift.

b. Mr Joseph CHAN said that while the number of traffic wardens should be increased, the Police should also take strict enforcement action. In his view, the Police’s ap-proach of advising drivers to leave was ineffective in ameliorating congestion. He requested the Police to issue FPNs against illegally parking.

c. Mr HUI Chi-fung enquired whether the Police agreed with an increase in the number of traffic wardens in the Central District and why the application for expanding the traffic warden establishment had not been approved.

d. Mr NG Siu-hong also enquired why the Police’s application for expanding the traffic warden establishment had not been approved.

e. Ms LEE Lai-ming , District Operations Officer (Central District) of the HKPF, ex-plained that according to a press release of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 20 January 2016, there were a total of 73 traffic wardens on the establish-ment for Hong Kong Island, among which 13 traffic wardens were for Central. The Central Police District would be glad if the number of traffic wardens for the district was increased, but matters on establishment were considered by the Traffic Division in the context of Hong Kong Island as a whole. She indicated that the management was studying the feasibility of re-allocating the manpower of various districts in the existing establishment, and the working hours of traffic wardens were determined in accordance with operational needs. She added that the Central Police District had no

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information as to why the application for expanding the traffic warden establishment had not been approved, and a reply on this would be provided after the meeting.

24. The Chairman asked Members to vote on the following motion. After voting, the following motion was adopted.

Motion: The Committee requests the Government to increase the establishment of traffic war-dens in the Central District and, subject to availability of resources, deploy traffic wardens to step up patrol at traffic black spots in Central during peak traffic hours, so as to closely moni-tor and deter illegal parking.

(19 Members voted for the motion: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, Mr Joseph CHAN, Mr YIP Wing-shing, Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr KAM Nai-wai, Ms CHENG Lai-king, Ms SIU Ka-yi, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan (who had authorised Mr CHAN Hok-fung to vote on his behalf), Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing, Mr YEUNG Hok-ming, Mr NG Siu-hong, Mr HUI Chi-fung , Miss LO Yee-hang, Mr Alex LEUNG, Mr NG Wing-yan, Mr Sam YIP, Miss Bonnie NG, and Mr Devin SIO)

(No Member voted against the motion.)

(No Member abstained from voting.)


Item 8: Enhancement of the Surfaces of the Pavements and Carriageways at Queen’s Road West(C&W TTC Paper No. 49/2016)

(3:16 pm - 3:30 pm)

26. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The questions and views of Members were as follows:

a. Mr YIP Wing-shing indicated that the pavements and carriageways had been used for many years and they were fraught with defects after a number of major works. Many people fell over due to the uneven road surfaces. He asked whether the Gov-ernment would consider re-paving the above roads, hoping that the Government would solve the problem as soon as possible.

b. The Chairman said that the road surfaces needed frequent repairs at present and agreed that they should be re-paved. He asked the HyD at what time the brick lay-

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ing works for the concrete pavement section on Queen’s Road West between 23 Hill Road and 1 Belcher’s Street were expected to start in late 2016 and how the car-riageway was after the completion.

27. Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei , District Engineer/West of the HyD, indicated that the brick laying works to the pavement would be commenced in November this year, whereas the repair works to the damaged parts of the carriageway section had substantially been completed, but due to road closure, the works close to Sun Shing Mansion could not be completed by mid-2016 and were expected to start in November.

28. The Chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The views of Members were summarised as follows:

a. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing noted that many road sections were dilapidated in the West-ern District, with some road sections laid partly with concrete and partly with bricks. Therefore, he would like to know about the criteria for brick laying.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming indicated that the works of laying eco-paving blocks were poorly supervised, so the roads concerned became uneven some time after the works due to soil erosion, and this could easily cause pedestrians to stumble. He asked the relevant department to set higher standards for works inspection.

c. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that roads often became uneven after the laying of eco-paving blocks. He agreed that the relevant department should step up its monitoring and inspection of materials and works. He pointed out that traffic signs were re-moved during the works of laying eco-paving blocks but were not restored after the works. He would like the relevant department to pay more attention to this.

d. Mr Sam YIP indicated that in the previous year, he had joined the HyD’s representa-tive for a visit at the area to look at the problems with blocks. On that occasion, the HyD’s representative had explained to him that road paved with eco-paving blocks would become uneven as the blocks aged. But no funding had been allocated for re-pairs at that time. He asked when re-laying works to the existing blocks would be carried out. Moreover, he pointed out that soil erosion caused by water dripping from air-conditioners could also result in uneven surfaces of roads paved with eco-paving blocks. He enquired the HyD what new measures or techniques it had to tackle this problem.

e. Mr YIP Wing-shing indicated that besides poorly-performed works, vehicles such as lorries and refuse collectors drove onto pavements for unloading, which was one of

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the causes of the sinking of eco-paving blocks. He would like the HKPF to pay at-tention to this and take strict enforcement action.

f. The Chairman said that he had earlier successfully strived for the re-laying of eco-paving blocks on Des Voeux Road West and Queen’s Road West, which had been scheduled for August this year. However, the works had not yet been carried out. He asked the HyD when the works would be carried out.

29. Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei explained that the closure of Des Voeux Road West and Des Voeux Road Central, which were relatively busy, required deliberation and the works were scheduled to start in October. As for the criteria for the laying of eco-paving blocks, the Department tended not to lay such blocks near markets because the joints of the blocks could easily harbour dirt, and it also tended not to lay eco-paving blocks at entrances or exits for vehicles’ passage or at black spots of illegal parking on pavements because eco-paving blocks might sink under pressure. She continued to say that she was aware of the unevenness of the roads paved with eco-paving blocks, the HyD would assign staff to conduct inspection, carry out repairs timely, and step up monitoring. She further said that a certain amount of funding was earmarked for repair and maintenance works each year, but the works had to be carried out in phases. Any cases involving water dripping from air-conditioners, if found, would be referred to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for follow-up.

30. The Chairman urged the HKPF to step up enforcement action against illegal parking on pavements. He said that the planting of data transmission posts on pavements could help ameliorate this problem. He would like the TD to render assistance.

31. The Chairman commenced the second round of discussion on the paper. The views of Members were summarised as follows:

a. Ms CHENG Lai-king indicated that gaps between blocks could pose risk to pedestri-ans. She asked the relevant department to pay attention to and deal with them.

b. Mr Sam YIP noted that a tree had collapsed outside Western Police Station, making the road section uneven. He enquired whether the HyD would deal with the tree roots beneath the blocks when it re-paved the road section with eco-paving blocks.

c. Ms CHENG Lai-king said that the entrance of the refuse collection point on Morri-son Street was paved with blocks, and she found that the road surface was very slip-pery whenever she passed the location. She requested the relevant department to ameliorate the surface of that road section.

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32. Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei indicated that during inspections, attention would be paid to the issue concerning blocks not levelled with each other and action would be taken to deal with it at the same time. For tree roots, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department would be asked to remove them and then the HyD would lay eco-paving blocks. She said that staff would be assigned to follow up on this matter.

33. The Chairman concluded by inviting the HyD to follow up on the matter concerning slippery paving blocks at the refuse collection point in Morrison Street. He thanked the guest for attending the meeting.

Item 9: Strongly request the TD to widen a section of pavement of Po Leung Kuk Chan Au Big Yan Home for the Elderly at 12 Belcher’s Street up to Kennedy Town Kai Fong Welfare Association at 14A Belcher’s Street(C&W TTC Paper No. 52/2016)

(3:30 pm - 3:35 pm)

34. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The questions and views of Members were as follows:

a. Mr YIP Wing-shing said that the pavement section off Kennedy Town Kai Fong Welfare Association had a width of just 39cm. He considered it unacceptable as pedestrians could hardly pass through the pavement section and had thus to walk on the carriageway. Pedestrian-vehicle conflict and safety risk arose as a result. He would like the Government to address this problem seriously and widen the pave-ment section promptly.

35. Ms Selina FONG , Engineer/Central and Western 3 of the TD, indicated that it was quite difficult to widen the pavement at the above location, because a retaining wall and some structures behind Belcher’s Street posed geographic constraints and consideration had to be given to the high traffic flow at the above location on the busy two-lane Belcher’s Street. A preliminary solution had been worked out for widening part of the pavement on Belcher’s Street near Holland Street. The solution had been passed to the HyD for follow-up, and the HyD had started the works, which were tentatively expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2017.

a. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that besides the narrow pavement, problems with car-riageway drainage on Belcher’s Street also needed improvements. Pedestrians were close to vehicles and would get splashed when vehicles drove through puddles on the carriageway in the rain. He would like the relevant department to tackle the problem with carriageway drainage as well.

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36. The Chairman concluded by saying that he hoped works would be carried out in the near future to solve the problem with the narrow pavement on Belcher’s Street, and the matter concerning the retaining wall and structures would be further examined afterwards.

37. The Chairman asked Members to vote on the following motion. After voting, the following motion was adopted.

Motion: The Committee strongly requests the TD to study the feasibility of widen-ing a section of pavement of Po Leung Kuk Chan Au Big Yan Home for the Elderly at 12 Belcher’s Street up to Kennedy Town Kai Fong Welfare Asso-ciation at 14A Belcher’s Street as soon as possible to provide the public with a pavement in compliance with the current safety standards, and in-form the Committee of the implementation schedule.(Moved by Mr YIP Wing-shing and seconded by Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan)

(17 Members voted for the motion: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, Mr Joseph CHAN, Mr YIP Wing-shing, Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr KAM Nai-wai, Ms CHENG Lai-king, Mr Sidney LEE, Ms SIU Ka-yi, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan (who had authorised Mr CHAN Hok-fung to vote on his behalf), Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing, Mr YEUNG Hok-ming, Mr HUI Chi-fung , Miss LO Yee-hang, Mr Alex LEUNG, Mr NG Wing-yan, and Mr Sam YIP)

(No Member voted against the motion.)

(No Member abstained from voting.)

38. The Chairman thanked the guest for attending the meeting.

Item 10: Request for Improving the Traffic Congestion Problem in Sheung Wan(C&W TTC Paper No. 50/2016)

(3:35 pm - 3:48 pm)


a. Mr KAM Nai-wai would like the Police to explain why there had been only 257 FPNs issued for prosecution against illegal parking along 1 to 40 Queen’s Road West. He asked whether the TD had assigned its staff to monitor the latest road traffic condition after the adjustments to two sets of traffic lights at Des Voeux Road

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Central/Hillier Street and Des Voeux Road Central/Cleverly Street.

40. Ms Esther LOU , Engineer/Central and Western 1 of the TD, said that the time of traffic lights at some junctions had been adjusted after communication with the traffic light section. For instance, the vehicular starting time between the two sets of traffic lights at Des Voeux Road Central/Hillier Street and Des Voeux Road Central/Cleverly Street had been adjusted to allow more room for most vehicles turning left from Des Voeux Road Central eastbound onto Hillier Street to pass the traffic light at Des Voeux Road Central/Hillier Street. After that, the TD had assigned its staff to monitor the latest road traffic condition and considered that the vehicular flow at these junctions were smoother than before. The Department would continue to closely monitor the traffic condition there in different hours. It would also review the effectiveness of the measures in due course and, if necessary, make further adjustments to the traffic light settings. She added that when the settings of traffic lights were adjusted, it was necessary to strike a balance between traffic flow from different directions at each junction.

41. Mr LUNG Wai-fung , Officer-in-Charge of District Traffic Team (Central District) of the HKPF, said the Police would deploy manpower in light of congestion situations and complaint figures. At the moment, there was no data available to answer the question as to whether the figure on prosecution against illegal parking along 1 to 40 Queen’s Road West was too high or too low. The Police had opened a complaint file at the above location for designated officers to take enforcement action there on a regular basis.

a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that buses often stopped outside Sheung Wan Civic Centre for picking up and dropping off passengers, getting in the way of vehicles turning from Possession Street onto Queen’s Road Central. He suggested moving the bus stop to the location off HSBC to prevent congestion caused by buses.

b. Ms SIU Ka-yi said that there were a large number of buses picking up and dropping off passengers at the bus stop outside Sheung Wan Civic Centre, hindering vehicles from turning left onto Possession Street. She hoped that the TD could provide data for Members to decide whether or not to move the bus stop.

c. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that long queues were often seen at the bus stop outside She-ung Wan Civic Centre in the afternoon commuting hours, so he agreed that consider-ation be given to moving the bus stop. In his view, it would be more appropriate if the bus stop was moved to Midland Centre. Besides, he gave a note of caution, say-ing that any plans to split up the routes at the bus stop should be handled with care because many passengers awaited several bus routes at the same time. He said that he had requested the setting up of traffic lights at the junction of Hollywood Road and Possession Street, which could not only protect pedestrians’ safety but also pre-

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vent too many vehicles from turning from Hollywood Road. He hoped the TD would re-consider this request.

d. Mr Alex LEUNG remarked that with the problem of illegal parking unsolved, nei-ther the moving of the bus stop nor the implementation of other transport measures would be an effective cure for the congestion problem at the above location. He in-dicated that it was indeed not easy to drive from Possession Street onto Hollywood Road and that, alternatively, consideration could be given to requiring vehicles on Hollywood Road to give way to those on Possession Street, in order to solve the above problem first.

42. Ms Esther LOU said that further discussion with Transport Officers was needed as to whether it was feasible to move the bus stop. For traffic leaving Possession Street for Hollywood Road, the Department would try to explore traffic measures to ease congestion at the above location. She added that the TD would request the HKPF to step up enforcement action against illegal parking on Possession Street and Hollywood Road, and it would also try to explore whether there was room for improvement at the junction of Possession Street and Hollywood Road.

43. Ms Leander TSANG , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, indicated that the Department would discuss with bus companies the feasibility of moving the bus stop.

44. The Chairman concluded by inviting Ms Leander TSANG to give a written response to the above comments of Members. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 11: Objection to the Demolition of the Rumsey Street Car Park in Sheung Wan(C&W TTC Paper No. 51/2016)

(3:48 pm - 4:02 pm)

45. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Members’ enquiries and views were as follows:

a. Mr KAM Nai-wai expressed his disappointment and dissatisfaction over the failure of the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Planning Department (PlanD) for send-ing representatives to the meeting. He enquired why the TD had not provided statis-tics at noon time. Based on his experience, the car park would be full at that time. In addition, he asked whether the TD had knowledge of the commencement or the timeframe for the commencement of the consultation on technical assessment men-tioned by the DEVB in its response.

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46. Ms Leander TSANG , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, said that Members had requested the TD to provide the statistics of day time and evening, therefore they had chosen the peak periods for the car park from 7 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 7 pm to give response. If Members required statistics on other periods, she could provide the information to Members in due course. As the DEVB was responsible for the assessment, the TD had no relevant information.

47. The questions raised by Members were summarised as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that he had no strong view on the Government’s proposal for converting government building into commercial building because such measure could optimise the use of the building concerned and help solve the shortage of of-fices in the Central and Western district. However, Rumsey Street Car Park was an important place for connecting the Western District to other public transport, it was like the car park in Harcourt Road, many people would use that car park for inter-change to public transport. If electronic road pricing (ERP) scheme was imple-mented in future, the Government would also be required to provide car parks for motorists to switch to mass transport. If the car park was demolished, the Govern-ment was required to provide another plan to replace Rumsey Street Car Park. How-ever, the Government had not made any new proposal so far, therefore he had much reservation over this issue.

b. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that the demolition of carpark buildings in the Central District was mentioned in the policy address, but the DC was always the last party to know. He quoted the example of Murray Road, after conversion to an office building, the parking spaces were reduced by half. He believed that after Rumsey Street Car Park was demolished, the situation would be similar to that of Murray Road. Although the DEVB and the PlanD did not send representatives to the meeting, he expressed his stance that he objected to the demolition in principle, and was also concerned about the adequacy of the supply of parking spaces in future. He suggested writing to the DEVB to request the DEVB to send representatives to give a detailed account of the issue to Members and explain the direction of the plan.

c. Mr Sam YIP said that if Rumsey Street Car Park was converted to commercial building, it would generate more traffic flow but the reduction of parking spaces would give rise to more cases of illegal parking. He pointed out that the Police and the TD would also be affected. He hoped that every department would perform its functions and make known the problems arising from the demolition of Rumsey Street Car Park.

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d. Ms CHENG Lai-king queried whether the Government would provide the DC with the latest plan if she had not expressed concern over the issue. Currently a total of 12 government departments were using that building, and the building would be converted to a commercial building. She asked whether the Government would pro-vide a considerable number of parking spaces for private cars and motorbikes in Sheung Wan, and secondly, where the 12 departments would be relocated.

e. Mr KAM Nai-wai suggested inviting the DEVB to explain to Members the assess-ment mentioned in the response, including the details and the timeframe for the as-sessment, and inviting the TD to provide statistics on each period of car parking be-fore discussion. He also agreed to write to the DEVB to express Members’ objec-tion to the demolition of Rumsey Street Car Park and to invite the Administration to send representatives to give explanations to Members.

f. Mr Alex LEUNG reckoned that utilization of the car park had saturated, but the us-age rate was still on a steady increase annually. As there was insufficient commer-cial land in the Central District, he did not object to its demolition, but it was neces-sary to ensure that a considerable number of parking spaces would be provided by the Government in the new building in order to address the problem of shortage of commercial space and parking spaces.

48. Ms Leander TSANG said that she would provide the utilization rate of the car park in different periods to Members after the meeting.

49. The Chairman concluded that although the proposal was yet to be implemented, it was necessary to express the Committee’s stance at this stage. He would write to the DEVB to express reservation over the demolition due to the concern over the number of parking spaces to be provided in future, and would invite the Administration to brief Members on the proposal when further statistics and information were available.

Item 12: Concern over the Overnight Bus Service in Sai Wan(C&W TTC Paper No. 53/2016)

(4:02 pm – 4:19 pm)


a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung said the TD had indicated in its response that the residents in the Western District could take route no. 5B at late night, but the last departure was at 2:40 am, he enquired how residents could take that route after the last departure.

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Furthermore, the provision of overnight bus service should aim at serving the public, rather than reaching 30% of patronage. Residents on night shift had actual demand for overnight bus service, he hoped to take the opportunity at this meeting to reflect to the TD the importance of overnight bus service to the residents in the Western District.

b. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing pointed out that the residents in the Western District always longed for overnight bus service. The information on the patronage of route no. 5B in late night showed that the average patronage was around 21%, which reflected the demand of the residents in the Western District for overnight bus service. He sug-gested providing route no. N10 or providing service with single-deck bus to cater for the needs of the residents along Sai Wan and Kennedy Town.

c. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming hoped that the TD and the bus company would realise that many night shift workers had a demand for overnight bus service. Night shift work-ers were usually the grassroots and public organisations had the obligation to cater for the needs of the grassroots. He said that if a new route no. N5B would be pro-vided with 30-minute headway, only four to five departures would be sufficient to cater for the demand of the public, and hoped that the TD and the bus company would take up social responsibility to provide overnight bus service to the residents in Sai Wan.

d. Mr Alex LEUNG pointed that that the TD’s response was illogical. The patronage at late night should be low, but the public had a demand for overnight bus service. The Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal was the terminus of eight overnight bus routes, he suggested the TD extend one of the routes to Sai Wan, or provide overnight bus service for running between Sai Wan and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, the journey would not exceed 15 minutes. He asked why overnight bus service could not be provided to the residents in Sai Wan.

e. Mr Sam YIP said that there was overnight bus service in the Eastern District and Sheung Wan, with the exception of Sai Wan. He pointed out that the first tram de-parture was at around 4 am, therefore it was only necessary to provide one bus de-parture between 2:30 am and 4 am to satisfy the needs of the public. If the bus com-pany considered that the journey was too short from Sai Wan to Sheung Wan, the route could be extended to Wanchai so that the public could switch to route no. N8X and enjoy fare concession. He believed that there were plenty of ways to solve the issue of provision of overnight bus service to Sai Wan.

f. The Chairman agreed that the residents in Sai Wan had a demand for overnight bus

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service, and there was a need for service provision as soon as possible. He said that a number of people worked at night time due to the changes in the social and eco-nomic patterns. The bus company and government departments had to understand that there was a social demand for overnight bus service. He concurred with Mr CHAN Hok-fung’s suggestion of writing to the TD to express the Committee’s strong demand for the provision of overnight bus service in Sai Wan.

51. Ms Leander TSANG , Senior Transport Officer/Central and Western of the TD, said that the TD fully understood the concern of Members over the provision of overnight bus service in Sai Wan. Nevertheless, the department had to consider the matter from various perspectives, including passenger demand, whether it was economically effective, and the existing public transport situation. Since the demand for public transport at late night was rather low, from the perspectives of resources and operation, franchised buses would provide basic services in major trunk roads and some town centre areas, it might not be possible to provide point-to-point overnight bus service to every district and housing estate. As regards the proposal of providing one to two departures of overnight bus service or extending the service of bus service, it would require further study with the bus company.

52. The Chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The main points of their comments were as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that it was not necessary to provide point-to-point service, but limited overnight bus service should be provided. He opined that Sai Wan was also an urban area and overnight bus service should be provided to the public in the same manner.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that the Government should represent public interests, it should not care only about the passengers of the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal but overlook the needs of the public who worked at night time.

c. Mr Alex LEUNG reiterated that route nos. N11, N8X and N90 were considered suit-able for extending to Sai Wan, he asked the TD and the bus company to study the feasibility together. In addition, he supplemented that the new overnight bus service could depart from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal for turning at Rumsey Street to Sai Wan via Salted Fish Market, and from the harbourfront to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal through the wholesale centre, the journey would be around 20 minutes only. He suggested a pilot run for this proposal and a review could be made afterwards. He said that other than residents, a number of restaurants were open until late night in Sai Wan, there should be a certain demand for overnight bus.

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d. Mr Sam YIP reiterated that the residents in Sai Wan had a demand for overnight bus service. He pointed out that the TD had the obligation to provide basic services to the residents in the district to which the public was entitled.

53. The Chairman concluded that the Committee had a clear stance over the request for overnight bus service, such service should be provided in Sai Wan as early as possible. He hoped that the representative of the TD could have a meeting with the bus company to discuss the issue of overnight bus in Sai Wan and make a review afterwards. He thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 13: Concern over the Provision of Barrier-free Facilities at Road Junctions(C&W TTC Paper No. 54/2016)

(4:19 pm – 4:26 pm)


a. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing pointed out that there were staircases at a number of road junctions in the district, causing inconvenience to wheelchair users and the elderly, he requested the TD to deploy staff for inspection to provide barrier-free facilities in the district.

b. Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that the facilities at road junctions in the district were unable to meet the development of the community. Wheelchair users certainly faced difficulty, as the staircases on the pavements in the district were too high, the elder people also had difficulty in going up and down the stairs. There were no barrier-free facilities at the junction at No. 3 Davis Road, wheelchair users could not use the staircases and could only use the roads. As there were vehicles on the road, it was dangerous to wheelchair users. He pointed out that if no barrier-free facilities could be provided because the pavement was too narrow, he hoped that the department concerned could widen the road to provide convenience to the needy.

55. Ms Selina FONG , Engineer/Central and Western of the TD, said that as regards the junction at No. 3 Davis Road, the TD had discussed with the HyD about the feasibility of provision of dropped kerbs at this junction. In view of the underground facilities at the location, the provision of dropped kerbs was under restriction because of the constraint on physical environment. The department understood the need of the public and had reviewed the proposal with the HyD. The department would arrange the excavation of trial pits to enhance the design.

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56. Ms LEUNG Yuen-hei , District Engineer/West of the HyD, said that the new proposal was to provide dropped kerbs at Davis Street but the road sign for Hau Wo Street had to be removed. Excavation of trial pits would be carried out in advance. In addition, the department would discuss with the owners of underground facilities about removal or adjustment of the facilities and report the timetable for the enhancement works after the meeting.

57. The Chairman concluded that other than Davis Street, Members had made similar requests for other junctions, he asked the departments concerned to provide barrier-free facilities and submit the timetables for the works. He thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 17: Written Question - Concern over the Excessive Long Waiting Time for Bus Nos. 23, 904, 5B and 10 in Peak Hours

(C&W TTC Written Question No. 4/2016)(4:26 pm – 4:27 pm)

58. The Chairman said that the Citybus/New World First Bus Services Limited and the TD had provided written responses to the written question for the meeting. He asked Members to note the paper.

59. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The main points of their comments were as follows:

a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that bus route nos. 5B, 23 and 904 were always late for the departure at 9:30 am every day, he hoped the bus company to take note of the situ-ation.

60. The Chairman said that bus route no. 904 was also late at evening, he asked Ms Leander TSANG of the TD to discuss with the bus company for improvement.

Item 15: Enhancement of Tram Service(C&W TTC Paper No. 56/2016)

(4:29 pm – 5:51 pm)

61. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The main points of their comments were as follows:

a. Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that the public response to air-conditioned trams was positive, he enquired about the study of the tram company on the test runs of air-conditioned trams and the details of future provision of air-conditioned trams.

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b. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said he learnt that the public response to air-conditioned trams was satisfactory, he asked the tram company about the public response and whether they had plans to increase the number of air-conditioned trams.

c. The Chairman asked when noise-mitigation tracks would be paved in Sai Wan and why road excavation works were carried out at Whitty Street again after previous works at the same location for track installation. He enquired when the tram com-pany would adjust tram fares and what the base number was.

62. Mr Benjamin LEE , Operations Manager of Hong Kong Tramways, pointed out that the tram company had introduced the Pilot Cooler Tram for a period of three months in June this year to collect public views and response on air-conditioned trams. The Works Division also needed to collect data and tram operation information for analysis. Since the three-month test runs had just ended, it would take time to analyse and collate data, there was no specific plan for increasing the number of air-conditioned trams or fare increase so far. The issue would be further studied depending on the report. If there was any progress, a report would be made to the Committee. As regards the tracks, Shau Kei Wan was the first place for the application of the new track technology. The Works Division was still collecting data and operating conditions and would study how to introduce the technology later. The tram company would review the financial conditions and operations regularly. If there were any fare changes, they would inform the Committee as soon as possible.


a. Mr Sam YIP said that the popularity of a mobile phone game had resulted in a surge in tram passengers, he enquired whether the tram company had increased its fre-quency or adopt measures in response to the situation.

b. The Chairman enquired about the assessment parameters for air-conditioned trams, when the assessment would be completed and whether the assessment would be available to the public for inspection.

64. Mr Benjamin LEE said that the tram company was aware of the situation and would closely monitor the situation, but there was no significant impact so far, they would continue to monitor the situation and timely adjust the frequency where necessary. He pointed out that the data collected would include comfortable service for passengers and response of passengers, comfortable air-conditioning temperature and electricity data, the Works Division would also explore and adjust the operation. Air-conditioned trams would continue to operate and there

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was no timetable for the completion of assessment. As regards open assessment, it would require discussion with the management.

65. The Chairman commenced the third round of discussion. The main points of their comments were as follows:

a. Mr Sam YIP said that he had a ride on air-conditioned tram. He opined that it was suitable to provide air-conditioned tram in summer, but when the patronage was low, the air-conditioning temperature would be too low, he asked the tram company to pay attention. He pointed out that the cables at Whitty Street Tram Depot were broken about some two months before, and fallen onto the pavement, he asked whether the tram company had any plans to replace cables regularly.

b. Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing pointed out that real-time arrival information screen was avail-able for use at Hill Road, but its use had ceased after a short time. He enquired about the latest status of the plan.

c. Ms CHENG Lai-king hoped that the signs above tram stops could provide clear di-rection to passengers, such as famous tourist spots to provide convenience to tourists. In addition, she pointed out that there was often stagnant water on tram tracks and hoped that the tram company could make improvement. She suggested the Pilot Cooler Tram be launched for one year.

d. The Chairman asked whether the tram company would deploy staff to regularly clear the rubble on tracks.

66. Mr Benjamin LEE pointed out that the Works Division would regularly inspect and repair the cable system, he would reflect the concern of Members to the Works Division for its further attention. As regards the real-time system at Hill Road, because software and hardware were unable to dovetail with each other, coupled with the technical problem of some hardware, there was a need for information search. If there was any latest information, they would report to Members. He went on to say that there was a map in each tram stop with clear indication of the names of tram stops and well-known landmarks. He quoted the example of Murray Road, and said that the location of Peak Tram Station was indicated on the road sign. He would reflect the situation to the colleagues of the Marketing Division to review whether the information on the signs was sufficient.

67. He continued that the HyD was responsible for road surface drainage, the problem of stagnant water might be caused by insufficient slope of the road or insufficient slope after repair. If Members discover such problem, they could raise it to the tram company. The tram company would actively follow up with the TD and the HyD. The air-conditioned tram was

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still under the review and analysis stage, there was no further plan so far. There was no information on the road excavation works at Whitty Street, a reply would be made later. He further responded that the rubble on tracks might come from the passing trucks, or flow to the gaps with rain water due to raining. The tram company would monitor and regularly clear up the rubble on tracks.

68. The Chairman thanked the guest for attending the meeting.

Item 16: Concern over the test runs of air-conditioned trams(C&W TTC Written Question No. 3/2016)

(4:51 pm – 4:52 pm)

69. The Chairman said that the tram company had provided written response to the written questions for this meeting. He asked Members to note the paper.

Item 14: Concern over the Odour Problem at Exit C at Sai Ying Pun Station on the Is-land Line

(C&W TTC Paper No. 55/2016)(4:57 pm – 5:23 pm)


a. Mr Sidney LEE said that the odour problem had long existed since the commission-ing of the West Island Line, and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC) was unable to identify the reasons and solve the problem. He requested the MTRC to tackle the problem actively. He went on to say that the residents in the district also complained about the water dripping problem and residents expressed their wish of re-provision-ing of the transformer room in late October.

b. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that the MTRC failed to identify the source of odour, and temporary measure such as installation of fans at the corridor was unable to solve the problem, he urged the MTRC to deal with the issue seriously.

c. Mr NG Siu-hong said that the problem should be rooted out at source rather than ad-dressing the problem with temporary measure. He enquired whether the odour was caused by improper construction. In addition, he noted water marks on the floor within the station and asked the MTRC whether remedial measure was in place.

d. Mr Sam YIP said that the odour problem at exit C at Sai Ying Pun Station had never

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been solved but worsened. He requested the MTRC to explain why they did not give response to the complaints on the odour problem of Members and the public. He was extremely dissatisfied with the water dripping problem at exits B1 and B2 at Sai Ying Pun Station which was getting serious, he believed that the problem was caused by the improper construction of the lining blanket of the subway. He re-quested the MTRC to disclose all project documents for Sai Ying Pun Station for public inspection and allow other engineers to assess whether the project was of an inferior quality, or whether problems arose due to they were in a rush to meet dead-lines.

e. Mr KAM Nai-wai said that the odour problem was less serious when compared with the early stage, but the problem was still there. He urged the MTRC to address the problem at source. Furthermore, he raised the problem of the lift at exit C. He opined that the lift door at Bonham Road should open first to improve the situation.

f. Mr CHAN Chat-kwai agreed that the odour problem was less serious than it was be-fore, but the problem was not thoroughly tackled. He pointed out that the odour problem in the afternoon was more serious than it was. He also agreed that the south-facing lift door was not opened before the north-facing lift door and asked the MTRC to follow up.

71. Mr Kenrick KO , Project Communications Manager of the MTR Corporation Limited, said that other than the views of Members and the public, the Environmental Protection Department also reflected the matter to the MTRC. The MTRC had been following up the issue and wished to locate the source as soon as possible. Although the cause of the problem had not yet been found so far, in order to mitigate the situation, the MTRC had adopted the measures as stated in its written response while actively looking for the source of odour at the same time.

72. He went on to say that the MTRC had maintained close communication with the residents of Western Garden regarding the re-provisioning of the transformer room. The initial plan was to commence the connection works in August, but the works were deferred to October after the MTRC had realized the intention of the owners’ corporation and residents of Western Garden. The MTRC would balance the needs of all parties, but the completion of the cable connection works of the transformer room would affect the re-provisioning of the covers at exits B1 and B2 at Sai Ying Pun Station and other related works, therefore the MTRC would study the feasibility of further deferring the works to late October. He said that water dripping would affect the safety of passengers, the MTRC would take follow-up action and make appropriate treatment. As regards the opening and closing of the lift at exit C, the double-door design was adopted, there was approximately an interval of 8 seconds for the opening of the two doors to

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allow passengers to leave the lift before passengers enter the lift, if the interval was less than 8 seconds, there may be breakdown, they would ask station staff to pay attention and follow up.


a. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming hoped that a deadline could be set for the MTRC to find out the source of odour, otherwise the odour problem should be solved by other means. In addition, he said that water seepage of the lift at Ki Ling Lane exit earlier had re-sulted in lift breakdown, he considered it serious and asked the MTRC to follow it up.

b. Mr Sam YIP opined that the MTRC should consider from the perspective of integra-tion of Sai Ying Pun Station, whether improper construction had resulted in water seepage and odour or the ground freezing technology had caused odourous water. He enquired whether the MTRC could disclose the works documents for public in-spection in order to work out a solution.

c. The Chairman expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the MTRC to find out the source of odour having regard to its size. He agreed that the DC should set a dead-line for the MTRC to solve the odour problem as soon as possible. He suggested seeking the assistance of other professionals or whether improper works were in-volved. He urged the MTRC to find out the source of odour and solve the problem as soon as possible.

d. Mr YIP Wing-shing pointed out that the staff from the Works Division of the MTRC should give response to the question and give written response after the meeting.

e. Mr YEUNG Hok-ming suggested writing to the Chief Executive Officer of the MTRC to draw the attention of the senior management of the MTRC and urged the MTRC to be active and put more resources to solve the problem.

f. Mr YIP Wing-shing requested Mr KO to reflect the appeal and concern of Members to the MTRC, and asked the MTRC to give written response within one month. If the response was not to the satisfaction of the Chairman, Members would continue to follow it up by other means.

74. Mr Kenrick KO reiterated that the MTRC fully realised the concern of Members and was actively looking for the source for properly handling as early as possible. They would submit written response after the meeting to report the investigation status and methods for alleviating

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the problem.

75. The Chairman concluded that the Committee expressed grave dissatisfaction over the failure of the MTRC in finding out the source of odour. He asked the MTRC to give written response within one month. Otherwise, the problem might be followed up at special meeting or through government paper. The Chairman thanked the guests for attending the meeting.

Item 18: Any Other Business(5:23 pm – 5:24 pm)

76. Mr CHAN Chit-kwai said that no abusive language should be used at meetings and reminded the attendees to respect themselves and others.

Item 19: Date of the Next Meeting(5:24 pm – 5:25 pm)

77. The Chairman announced that the next TTC meeting would be held on 10 November 2016. The paper submission deadline for government departments would be 20 October 2016, while the deadline for Members would be 26 October 2016.

78. The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 pm.

The minutes were confirmed on 10 November 2016

Chairman: Mr CHAN Choi-hi, MH

Secretary: Miss Yuki HUANG

Secretariat of the Central and Western District CouncilOctober 2016

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