Traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games road events
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The Transport Department (TD) today (December 7) issued a reminder that special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin, Tai Po and Tseung Kwan O from December 8 to 13 to facilitate the holding of the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games (EAG) athletics and cycling road races.
The Kowloon bound carriageway of Tsing Sha Highway will be temporarily closed from 5am to 6pm and designated as the cycling race route on December 10 (Thursday). During the road closure period, motorists heading for Kowloon have to divert via the Lion Rock Tunnel and Tai Po Road to Kowloon Central and Kowloon West, or to make use of the Shing Mun Tunnels to Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan areas. Motorists heading for Kowloon East may consider making use of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel. The TD anticipates that the traffic in Sha Tin district will be very busy and more congested than usual during morning peak hours on that day. Another cycling road race will be held on December 12 (Saturday) between Chong San Road in Ma Liu Shui and Ma On Shan Bypass. To facilitate the holding of the event, a section of Chong San Road will be temporarily closed from 6pm on December 11 to 5pm on December 12, and Ma On Shan Bypass will be closed from 7am to 2.30pm on December 12.
To meet the competition requirements, the organiser has arranged for the cyclists to practise on the race routes tomorrow (December 8). In this connection, the Kowloon bound carriageway of Tsing Sha Highway has to be closed from 1pm to 2pm on December 8, the section of Ma On Shan Bypass between Ma On Shan Road and Sai Sha Road will be temporarily closed from 3pm to 4.15pm, and the section of Chong San Road between Fo Yin Road and Science Park Road will be closed from 3pm to 4.30pm.
The athletics road race (20km Race Walk) will be held in Tseung Kwan O on December 10. During the race period, part of Po Hong Road southbound and Po Yap Road eastbound will be temporarily closed and designated as the athletics race route from 9am to 3pm. Nine franchised bus routes and two green minibus routes operating via these road sections will be diverted.
On December 13 (Sunday), the athletics road race (Half Marathon) will also be held in Tseung Kwan O. Part of Po Fung Road westbound, Po Hong Road southbound, Po Yap Road eastbound and the northbound slip road of Wan Po Road will be temporarily closed and designated as the race route from 6am to 11.30am. Twelve franchised bus routes and six green minibus routes operating via these road sections will be diverted.
On December 10, road events will be held on Tsing Sha Highway and in Tseung Kwan O simultaneously. Since some road sections have to be closed, the TD anticipates that the traffic in Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O districts will be very busy on that day. The TD anticipates that the traffic in Sha Tin district, including the Lion Rock Tunnel, the Shing Mun Tunnels, the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Tai Po Road, Tai Wai, Hung Mui Kuk Road, Che Kung Miu Road, etc. will be more congested than usual during the closure of Tsing Sha Highway (Kowloon bound carriageway). Traffic queues may appear earlier than normal. Members of the public are advised to use public transport services, advance their departure time and allow more travelling time to cater for unexpected delays.
Residents in the Tseung Kwan O area are reminded to pay special attention to the road closure and public transport arrangements, especially the change regarding the en route stops and routing of bus and green minibus services on December 10 and 13.
Motorists are advised not to drive to the affected areas unless really necessary. They should exercise tolerance and patience in case of traffic congestion, and follow the instructions of the Police.
Spectators heading for the competition venues are advised to make use of public transport services. As it is expected that the traffic in the vicinity of each venue will be busy, they are advised to avoid using pre-booked transport services.
Members of the public please watch out for announcements by the TD and the Police, and the latest traffic and transport news broadcast via radio and television channels. They may also browse the TD website (www.td.gov.hk) or call the department's hotline 1834567 or 1823 Call Centre for details.
Ends/Monday, December 7, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:14
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