TD reminds public of special traffic arrangements

The Transport Department (TD) today (October 1) said that the public transport services have continued to be affected by special traffic and transport arrangements implemented on major road sections. The services of franchised buses, Green minibuses (GMB), trams and so on have to be altered to different extents. Members of the public are advised to watch out for the latest traffic and transport news broadcasts on TV and radio stations for the special transport and traffic arrangements.

In view of the road closure and traffic diversions, more than 120 day time bus routes were diverted or truncated to omit Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Canton Road, and more than 30 day time bus routes were suspended. A spokesman for the department appealed to the public to plan the journey well in advance, use non-road based public transport means as far as possible, and to avoid driving to the affected districts.

The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) is operating under the Joint Steering Mode and work in co-operation with public transport operators and relevant departments/parties to closely monitor the traffic situation and handle incidents of transport, and co-ordinate the dissemination of information on traffic and public transport services.

Details of the major traffic and transport arrangements currently implemented are as follows:

(A). Road closure

The following major road sections have been temporarily closed:

Hong Kong Island:

(a) Gloucester Road westbound between Tonnochy Road and Harcourt Road; (b) Gloucester Road eastbound between Fleming Road and Harcourt; (c) Harcourt Road both bounds; (d) Connaught Road Central both bounds between Pedder Street & Harcourt Road; (e) Tim Mei Avenue; (f) Legislative Council Road; (g) Lung Wui Road; (h) Tim Wa Road; (i) Performing Arts Avenue; (j) Rodney Street; (k) Queensway; (l) Fenwick Pier Street Flyover; (m) Cotton Tree Drive uphill bound; (n) Garden Road downhill bound left turn only to Queen’s Road Central; (o) Yee Wo Street; (p) Great George Street; (q) Hennessy Road both bounds between Yee Wo Street and Marsh Road; (r) Percival Street westbound between Lockhart Road and Russell Street; (s) Chater Road eastbound between Pedder Street and Murray Road; (t) Des Voeux Road Central both bounds between Pedder Street and Queensway; (u) Edinburgh Place both bounds; and (v) Hennessy Road both bounds between Anton Street and Queen's Road East.

Kowloon:

(a) All lanes of Nathan Road southbound between Prince Edward Road West and Dundas Street (b) All lanes of Nathan Road northbound between waterloo road and Bute Street; (c) All lanes of Argyle Street westbound between Fa Yuen Street and Portland Street; (d) All lanes of Mongkok Road eastbound between Portland Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South; (e) All lanes of Sai Yeung Choi Street South northbound between Argyle Street and Nelson Street; (f) All lanes of Nelson Street westbound between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Tung Choi Street; and (g) Canton Road Star Ferry bound between Kowloon Park Drive and Haiphong Road.

(B). Traffic diversion

The following traffic arrangements have been implemented:

* Traffic on Island Eastern Corridor westbound is diverted via Hing Fat Street, Causeway Road, Inner Gloucester Road, Percival Street, Leighton Road before accessing Wan Chai area
* Traffic heading to Wan Chai North is diverted via Tonnochy Road flyover
* Cross Harbour Tunnel southbound traffic is diverted via Tonnochy Road flyover before accessing Wan Chai North
* Vehicles travelling through Western Cross Harbour Crossing (Route 4) Hong Kong bound heading for Central North and financial districts are prohibited from entering Pedder Street and diverted to Lung Wo Road, Man Kwong Street and Man Yiu Street

(C). Public transport services being affected

Cross Harbour routes:

* 9 Cross Harbour routes travelling via Central and Wai Chai (including Routes 101, 103, 104, 108, 109, 111, 113, 115, 182): services are suspended
* Western Harbour Crossing Routes (Central bound): services are truncated at Connaught Road Central near Pedder Street
* Eastern Harbour Crossing Routes (Central bound): services are truncated at Tin Hau or Causeway Road eastbound outside the main entrance of Victoria Park
* Cross Harbour Tunnel Routes 102, 112, 118 and 171 are diverted via Boundary Street and omit routing between Prince Edward and Yau Ma Tei on its direction to Hong Kong Island. These services are also diverted via Gascoigne Road and Tong Mei Road and omit routing in Prince Edward and Mong Kok on its direction to Kowloon
* Western Harbour Crossing Routes Kowloon bound (including 970, 970X and 971) are diverted via Nathan Road Public Square Street, Shanghai Street, Jordon Road before resuming normal routeing

Hong Kong Island routes:

* 20 bus routes (including Citybus Routes 1, 3B, 5X, 12, 12A, 12M, 629S, 788 and New World First Bus Routes13, 15B, 15C, 18P, 18X, 23, 26, H1, H2, 590A, 720, 722) are suspended
* Bus routes from Eastern District to Central/Western District: services are truncated at Tin Hau or Pennington Street
* Bus routes from Eastern District to Central travelling via Island Eastern Corridor are truncated at Wan Chai North or Canal Road
* Bus routes from Western District to Central/Eastern District: services may be truncated at Wing Wo Street
* Bus routes plying between Southern District and Hong Kong Island North via Aberdeen Tunnel or Wong Nai Chung Road are truncated at Morrison Hill Road
* Bus routes plying between Southern District and Eastern District do not operate via Wan Chai and Causeway Bay
* Bus routes 629 and 629S to Ocean Park are truncated at Tin Hau

Kowloon routes:

* 7 KMB routes 6F, 18, 41, 41A, 45, 212, 287X are suspended
* KMB routes plying between Tseung Kwan O/ Kowloon East via Argyle Street are truncated at Kowloon City roundabout (including 1, 1A, 2A, 9, 13D, 16, 93K, 98C, 203E, 296C)
* KMB routes 27, 95 plying between Kowloon East and Mong Kok via Prince Edward Road West are diverted via Sai Yee Street and then return to Kowloon East
* KMB routes plying between New Territories West/Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok via Nathan Road are truncated at Cheung Sha Wan Road (Nam Cheong Street) or Mei Foo (including 2, 30X, 32, 33A, 35A, 36B, 37, 42A, 44, 46, 52X, 58X, 59X, 60X, 66X, 67X, 68X, 69X, 234X, 238X, 265B, 63X (Mei Foo only))
* KMB bus routes plying between Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok (including 6, 6C, 81) are truncated at Tai Po Road or Argyle Street
* KMB bus routes plying between New Territories East and Mong Kok via Nathan Road are diverted via Waterloo Road and skipped Mong Kok (including 87D, 281A, 72X)
* KMB bus route 3C plying between Tze Wan Shan and Mong Kok via Nathan Road is truncated at Kowloon Tong
* KMB bus route 10 plying between Kowloon East and Yau Ma Tei via Argyle Street is truncated at Waterloo Road near Kowloon Hospital
* KMB bus route 87B plying between San Tin Wai and Sham Shui Po via Argyle Street is truncated at Fuk Wa Street
* Routes E21, E21A plying between AsiaWorld-Expo/Tung Chung and Mong Kok via Nathan Road are truncated at Cheung Sha Wan Road (Yen Chow Street)
* Bus routes operating via Canton Road (including 12, 110, 203C, 260X, 268B, 269B, 215X, 281A, 296D and 973) and green minibus routes (including 3, 6A, 77M , 78) are diverted via Kowloon Park Drive. Meanwhile, the terminal point of bus route 271 is changed to Star Ferry Bus Terminus and not operating via Canton Road and Kowloon Park Drive

Airport bus routes:

* Both bounds service of Route A11 is diverted via Cross Harbour Tunnel and skipped Central district
* Both bounds service of Route A12 is diverted via Eastern Harbour Crossing and skipped Central and Western districts
* A21 (Airport bound) does not operate via Nathan Road between Public Square Street and Lai Chai Kok Road; Urban bound does not operate via Nathan Road between Lai Chi Kok Road and Austin Road

GMB services

Services of some GMB routes operating via Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Canton Road may be suspended, route diverted or frequency adjusted.

Hong Kong Tramway

Tram services between Western Market and Victoria Park are suspended

MTR

MTR services resumed normal.

Starting from the first departure of October 2, 10 bus routes will have the following service updates:

* Routes 1 and 1A will continue skip Mong Kok but resume the bus service between Chuk Yuen/Sau Mau Ping Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. In particular, the bus service to Chuk Yuen/Sau Mau Ping Central direction will be diverted via Nathan Road, Waterloo Road and Boundary Street. The bus service to Tsim Sha Tsui direction will be diverted via Prince Edward Road West, Waterloo Road and Nathan Road
* Route 2A will continue skip Mong Kok but resume the bus service between Lok Wa and Mei Foo. In particular, the bus service to Lok Wa direction will be diverted via Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road West and Prince Edward Road East. The bus service to Mei Foo direction will be diverted via Prince Edward Road West and Lai Chi Kok Road
* Routes 98C and 296C will continue skip Mong Kok but resume the bus service between Tseung Kwan O and Mei Foo/Sham Shui Po. In particular, the bus service to Tseung Kwan O direction will be diverted via Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road West and Prince Edward Road East. The bus service to Mei Foo/Sham Shui Po direction will be diverted via Prince Edward Road West, Lai Chi Kok Road, Wong Chuk Street and Cheung Sha Wan Road
* Western Harbour Crossing Route 968 has been extended to Pedder Street, i.e. plying between Yuen Long (West) and Central. Bus companies will introduce special departures plying between Yuen Long (West) and Causeway Bay (Tin Hau) via Cross Harbour Tunnel
* Cross Harbour Tunnel Route 108 will resume cross harbor bus service between Kowloon City (Shing Tak Street) and Braemar Hill with omissios of Percival Street and Yee Wo Street
* Service of NWFB Special Route 15A will be suspended
* NWFB Special Route 971R will be truncated to ply between Cyberport and Jordan instead of Cyberport and Mong Kok
* CTB Special Route 347 will be truncated to ply between Aberdeen and Central instead of Aberdeen and Admiralty

Ends/Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Issued at HKT 21:47

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