HONG KONG 2004 - Transport

Effective transport management is essential for the orderly and safe operation of the transport system. The Government's regulatory powers are provided under the Road Traffic Ordinance. Every effort is made to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transport management through the use of modern technology in the various areas elaborated below.

At the end of 2004, there were 1 722 635 licensed drivers, 526 374 licensed private vehicles and 6 498 government vehicles. There were 344 713 licensed private cars, of which 27 411 were new vehicles registered during the year. Registered goods vehicles totalled 121 289, of which 75 200 were light goods vehicles, 42 504 were medium goods vehicles and 3 585 were heavy goods vehicles. On average, there were 3 839 new learner-drivers per month.

Since the introduction of the Driving-offence Points System in August 1984, 71 601 disqualifications have been ordered by the courts and 689 529 notices served under the Road Traffic (Driving-offence Points) Ordinance. The figures for 2004 were 2 867 and 40 691 respectively. Over the past five years, 447 459 drivers have incurred Driving-offence Points for committing scheduled offences under the Driving-offence Points System.

In the past, focus was placed on tightening legislation and increasing penalties as a means of rectifying problematic driving behaviour. To complement the punitive approach, the Government launched the Driver Improvement Scheme in September 2002. The objective of the scheme is to promote road safety through the improvement of the participants' driving attitude and behaviour and reminding them of the requirement to comply with traffic regulations. Drivers can join the driving improvement course voluntarily and the court is empowered to direct a driver who has committed any scheduled offence with five or more driving-offence points under the Road Traffic (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance to attend the driving improvement course. A driver who has satisfactorily completed the driving improvement course and obtained a course certificate issued by a driving improvement school has three driving-offence points deducted from his total driving-offence points already incurred.

From September 2002 to December 2004, nearly 4 140 drivers attended the driving improvement course. The feedback from the course participants was encouraging and positive. They found the course very useful in improving their driving behaviour and attitude. Statistics also showed that about 78 per cent of the participants did not incur new driving-offence points within six months of the completion of the course, reflecting its usefulness.

To provide better customer service and to streamline the written test process, which aims to assess whether a candidate is familiar with the Road Users' Code, the Transport Department computerised the written test in October 2003. The computerised service is user-friendly. Candidates will know their test results as soon as they have completed the written test, and successful applicants will be able to make appointments for road tests within 15 minutes. As the computerisation of the written test service has led to more efficient use of resources, the Transport Department merged its two driving test appointment offices in July. The average waiting time for taking the written test has been shortened from 40 days in 2002 to 30 days in 2003, then to 20 days in 2004.

Vehicles are examined to ensure that they are roadworthy and properly maintained. Compulsory annual inspection applies to all public service vehicles, goods vehicles and trailers. In 2004, 198 000 vehicles were examined at the four government vehicle examination centres. Private cars over six years old and light goods vehicles not exceeding 1.9 tonnes are inspected annually at 23 designated car testing centres operated by the private sector. These centres conducted 172 000 vehicle examinations during the year. In addition, 3 470 spot checks were conducted on franchised buses to ensure their safety, roadworthiness and service standards.

A chassis dynamometer has been installed in the Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre to perform random checks of smoke emissions from diesel vehicles under load. Another heavy duty chassis dynamometer will be in operation in the same vehicle examination centre in early 2005.

New vehicle models imported into Hong Kong are required to undergo type approval to ensure their compliance with the relevant statutory requirements. In 2004, 450 vehicle types were approved. To facilitate type approval application by authorised vehicle dealers, a 'one-stop-shop' approval service was introduced in July 2003. The 'one-stop-shop' mechanism enables dealers to make a single submission to the Transport Department, greatly simplifying the application process.

Electronic payment is now possible at all vehicle examination centres, providing additional convenience for users. Vehicle Appointment Status Display Systems have been installed at the New Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre, Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre and To Kwa Wan Vehicle Examination Centre showing the available examination slots in the next five months and assisting the public in making appointments.

The use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras continues to provide real-time traffic information to Government departments for monitoring traffic and allowing them to react quickly in case of a traffic disruption or emergency. There are 138 cameras installed in the urban areas of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan and another 59 cameras operating along Tuen Mun Road, West Kowloon Highway, North Lantau Highway, San Tin Highway, Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway and roads leading to boundary crossings.

Since 1999, images captured from the CCTV cameras at 43 strategic locations on the road network have been broadcast to the public via the Internet. The public have welcomed the service and the Transport Department has increased the number of such locations to 117.

Traffic control and surveillance facilities will be provided under the new major road projects including the HK-SWC and Route 8 between Sha Tin and Tsing Yi for efficient traffic and incident management.

The Transport Department completed the construction of a Traffic Control Centre (TCC) in early 2004. Equipped with the capability to access all CCTV cameras, the TCC is the main center for the coordination of actions and responses required to address any traffic incidents occurring in the territory.

A project to expand the Area Traffic Control (ATC) system and the CCTV system to Tai Po and North District continues. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2005 by which time 130 computer controlled signal junctions and 30 CCTV cameras will become operational to improve traffic conditions in these two districts. ATC and CCTV systems will be expanded to Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts in 2005. The existing ATC and CCTV systems installed on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin are reaching the end of their serviceable lives and work is currently in progress to replace the Hong Kong Island ATC and CCTV systems with modern ones. The renewal project is scheduled for completion in 2006.

At year-end, 1 684 signalised junctions were in operation, of which 1 258 were controlled by ATC systems.

Automatic toll collection (autotoll) systems were first installed at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel in August 1993, and then eventually to all the tunnels and Lantau Link. The systems allow motorists to pay tolls by driving through designated toll booths without stopping. Since October 1998, these autotoll systems were unified so that a subscriber needs only one tag to use all tunnels and toll roads fitted with the system. About 49 per cent of motorists used autotoll when passing through the tunnels and toll roads.

On-street parking is provided where there is parking demand and traffic conditions permit. At year-end, Hong Kong had about 17 700 metered parking spaces, with electronic parking meter charging in operation mainly between 8 am and midnight from Mondays to Saturdays, and 10 am to 10 pm on Sundays and public holidays. The management and operation of on-street metered parking spaces is contracted out to a private operator.

The Government owns 13 multi-storey car parks and the Sheung Shui Park-and-Ride Public Car Park which together provide about 7 500 parking spaces. They are operated and managed by two private operators under management contracts with the Government.

In addition to government car parks, off-street public parking is provided by the Airport Authority at the airport at Chek Lap Kok, the Housing Department in its housing estates, and the private sector in multi-storey commercial/residential buildings and open-air public car parks. Park-and-Ride facilities are operated by MTRCL at the Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi Stations of the Airport Express Line, and at some commercial car parks located near Olympic Station of the Tung Chung Line and Hang Hau Station of the Tseung Kwan O Line; and by KCRC at West Rail Kam Sheung Road Station and at a commercial car park located near Heng On Station of the Ma On Shan Rail. In all, there are 182 000 off-street public parking spaces (excluding those provided by government car parks).

In 2004, there were 15 026 traffic accidents that resulted in casualties, including 160 fatal accidents and 2 519 involving serious injury. The number represented an overall increase of 4 per cent compared with the 14 436 accidents in 2003 (173 fatal and 2 674 involving serious injury). In-depth investigations were carried out at 108 traffic accident 'black spots' to identify common accident causes. Remedial measures were recommended at 89 of these locations.

A number of publicity campaigns were launched to promote various aspects of road safety. A Road Safety Vision Competition was held and, based on the winning entries, 'Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal' was adopted as the Road Safety Vision. To help publicise the vision, a Road Safety Symbol Competition was held. A creative and attractive design, featuring an 'egg' for zero accident with a 'car' cap and surrounded by a road in the shape of the letter 'S' for road safety, was chosen as the Road Safety Symbol. Launching of the 'Hong Kong Road Safety Vision and Symbol' and the 'Smart Driving' campaigns highlighted a determination to achieve the long-term goal towards zero accidents in the city.