Transport

To tackle Hong Kong's air pollution problems, the government has a
policy to apply the most stringent motor vehicle fuel and emission
standards, once they become practical and available locally.

All new petrol cars must be fitted with catalytic converters to control
emissions. The market share of unleaded petrol has been gradually
increasing at an annual average rate of about 4 per cent to reach 86
per cent in 1997. Cleaner fuel and tighter emission standards were
introduced in April 1997 to further reduce pollution from vehicles.

Diesel vehicles are major contributors to Hong Kong's vehicle emission
problems. Government control strategies include up-to-date emission
standards, tightened inspection requirements, and higher penalties on
smoky vehicles. Large diesel vehicles must meet Euro II standards and
small ones Euro phase I standards, which are currently enforced in the
European Union. Only low sulphur content, 0.05 per cent, is permitted in
motor diesel fuel.

A scheme for reporting smoky vehicles has been running since 1988. All
vehicles reported must be examined at a designated testing centre to
confirm that the vehicle owners have rectified the smoke defects. Since
1995, when tighter smoke inspection and more stringent emission
standards for new vehicles were introduced, fewer smoky vehicles have
been spotted. The 18 test centres conducted about 26 100 tests in 1997.

These programmes will contribute to much-needed reductions in
health-threatening levels of air pollutants, especially in urban areas, and
eliminate many smoky vehicles from the roads. However, if the
health-related air quality objectives are to be met, light duty diesel vehicles
such as taxis, and public light buses, will have to switch to cleaner fuels
such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The government began a trial with
LPG taxis in November besides monitoring the development of other
clean alternative motor fuels.

The intensive use of roads to cater for the rapid growth in the economy
has made road traffic noise one of the most pervasive forms of pollution
in Hong Kong. Close to a million people at home suffer road traffic noise
higher than 70 dB(A) L10(l hr), which is the minimum acceptable
standard in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines.

Pre-emptive planning based on environmental impact assessments remains
the most effective way to tackle road traffic noise problems. As a last
resort, building insulation may be undertaken to redress the impact on the
affected premises. To assess the practicability of installing
counter-measures such as roadside barriers and enclosures on existing
roads to reduce noise, a Hong Kong-wide consultancy study is under
way.

Legislation to control noise from vehicles, a quiet road surface
programme and a programme for noise abatement in schools are the
major supporting measures that will help alleviate traffic noise problems.
By 1997, about 10 kilometres of noisy roads had been resurfaced with a
special porous, low-noise road surface bringing some relief to about
14 400 households. Some 9 200 classrooms were treated against noise,
benefiting about 430 000 students.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has embarked on a 10-year
noise reduction programme. It has completed noise mitigation projects at
three sites, out of a total of 27. Another project is under way near Fanling
centre with a target completion date in early 1998. By then, significant
relief will be brought to some 40 000 residents previously affected by rail
noise. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation has also completed a noise
cover to protect 2 300 residents at Heng Fa Chuen.

Aircraft noise continues to be a major problem for those living under the
Kai Tak Airport flight path. Increasing air traffic demand has added to the
problem. The government has implemented a comprehensive package of
mitigation measures, including an absolute night-time curfew, tight
restrictions on late evening arrivals over populated Kowloon, and
insistence on the use of quieter aircraft. This noise problem will be
satisfactorily resolved when the airport is relocated in April 1998.

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