March 8, 2016

The Editor

South China Morning Post

Dear Editor,

I would like to provide clarification on a few issues about the Transport Department (TD)’s “Driving on Lantau Island Scheme” in response to the letters from Ms Jacqueline Green and Mr Eddie Wong published on February 24 and March 6 respectively.

Last year, the TD proposed permitting 20 more coaches each day and 50 private cars on weekdays for leisure and recreational purposes to enter South Lantau to promote tourism and local economy in the area.  The proposals were formulated after careful consideration of the condition and traffic of the roads in South Lantau and the parking facilities in the area.  The statement that no public consultation was conducted did not reflect the truth.  The TD consulted the Traffic and Transport Committee of Islands District Council, the four Rural Committees in Lantau, the public transport operators in South Lantau, the tourism sector and 36 green groups and the Traffic and Transport Subcommittee of the Lantau Development Advisory Committee (TTSC LanDAC) in mid-2015.

During the consultation, the concerns raised were mainly about the road condition, insufficient parking spaces and potential safety risks brought by motorists who were unfamiliar with the roads in South Lantau.

The TD considered that although some road sections are relatively steep, narrow and winding, the roads in South Lantau are safe for driving.  Additional traffic signs and road marking have been provided at appropriate locations to remind motorists.  Speed enforcement cameras have also been installed on some road sections to deter speeding.

The TD conducts traffic surveys regularly on roads in the territory, and the methodology and results are published in the Annual Traffic Census available on TD’s website.  These surveys showed that the traffic flows on roads in South Lantau were light and could accommodate more traffic.  The average daily traffic on South Lantau Road was about 3200 vehicles, though the road has a design capacity of 8 000 per day.

Other TD’s surveys showed there were adequate parking spaces for the additional vehicles under the proposals, provided they do not gather at the same place at the same time.

Having considered the stakeholders’ concerns during the consultation, the TD has modified the implementation plan and is implementing the proposals in phases.  The first phase, involving allowing 10 more coaches and 25 private cars access to South Lantau, has been implemented and the TD is closely monitoring its impact.  The TD will continue with the planned road bend widening works and plans to provide more parking spaces in South Lantau.  

Yours faithfully,

Irene Ho

Assistant Commissioner for Transport / New Territories