Latest news with #TransportandLogisticsBureau
RTHK
2 days ago
- Automotive
- RTHK
More car spaces 'key to easing Yau Tsim Mong woes'
More car spaces 'key to easing Yau Tsim Mong woes' The party says the additional parking spaces can be carved out from land allocated for the Central Kowloon Route project. Photo: RTHK The DAB is proposing that Yau Tsim Mong gets more than 200 additional parking spaces. The suggestion is made in light of the seriousness of illegal parking in the district, which accounts for one third of Hong Kong's parking tickets handed out by the Kowloon West police region last year. According to the Transport and Logistics Bureau in April, the amount collected from those tickets alone came in at more than HK$260 million. The party says that the main solution should be more parking spaces and better management of existing ones. "So our party argues that simply by increasing parking fees may not solve the underlying issue of insufficient supply," said a district council member Benjamin Choi. "The only long-term and constructive solution is to increase the number of parking the worsening traffic congestion problems can then be resolved." The DAB said the government can make use of part of the area allocated to the Central Kowloon Route project to build a smart underground car park as well as add more parking meters in the area. It also suggests greater promotion of available spaces through the app HKeMeter. For instance, there are spaces at West Kowloon Government Offices during non-office hours or around Kowloon Park that the DAB says do not get enough promotion. "We will follow up on our advice and also arrange meetings with government officials to see how we can push forward with our advice," Choi said.
RTHK
3 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Early traffic spike shows Tai Lam Tunnel vision works
Early traffic spike shows Tai Lam Tunnel vision works Mable Chan says traffic at the Tai Lam Tunnel was up 10 percent on the first working day since the takeover. Photo: RTHK The secretary for transport and logistics said traffic on the first working day since the Tai Lam Tunnel takover, which went up by 10 percent, was within expectations. The rise came in the wee hours between midnight and 6 am on Monday after the government took over the tunnel on Saturday, when a new time-varying toll and a switchover to HKeToll were also implemented. Charges for all vehicle types were reduced by 22 to 80 percent under the new regime. Private cars are charged HK$45 during peak hours, HK$30 during regular periods and HK$18 during off-peak periods from Monday to Saturday. A flat rate of HK$18 is implemented throughout Sundays and public holidays. Speaking after a tunnel inspection, Mable Chan said she hopes the new arrangement can alleviate congestion on Tuen Mun Road by 5 percent. "Traffic was up by about 40 percent when compared to the average flow on Sundays," she said. "This was within our expectations because private cars are now charged HK$18, a significant drop on the previous HK$58 charge. "So far the traffic situation is within our expectations and under control. "We hope that cars will opt for Tai Lam Tunnel as this will help alleviate peak-hour congestion on Tuen Mun Road. "We hope traffic on Tuen Mun Road can be cut by 5 percent during peak hours." The Transport and Logistics Bureau will closely monitor the traffic situation, Chan said. The government, she added, will review charges for its tunnels and consider looking into those for Aberdeen and Shing Mun tunnels first as they have remained unchanged for years. It will also look into imposing a charge for the Central Kowloon Route that is set to be completed by the end of the year to recover costs, she said. She added that her bureau will brief lawmakers on the review on tunnel tolls this month.
RTHK
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
MTRC told to work on contingency planning and response
MTRC told to work on contingency planning and response The Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday the MTR Corporation has to enhance its contingency planning and responses in the wake of three service disruptions so far this year. These include the more than five-hour suspension along the entire Tseung Kwan O line on Thursday that began with the evening rush hour. Ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Lee said the stoppages show there are inadequacies in the operator's response and contingency planning. "We have been focusing on rectification, in which we have systems to impose punishment on MTRC," he said. "But I think it is more important to focus on prevention so that there will be [no more disruptions]. "And we should also focus on the responses when there are, unfortunately, such incidents." Lee said he has requested the MTRC carry out a comprehensive and systemic review to enhance operations. The subway operator, he said, also needs to strengthen its contingency capabilities and responses by conducting drills and setting up a team dedicated to coping with emergencies. Lee went on to say the MTRC has to improve on its arrangements for alternative transport during service suspensions and come up with a timely information dissemination system. The Transport and Logistics Bureau, Transport Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department have to lead and guide the operator in implementing its five-year plan in enhancing management and maintenance of its railway assets, he said. The Transport and Logistics Bureau has told the railway giant to submit a report regarding last week's incident within a month. There were two other disruptions in February and April. The operator will offer a HK$19.2 million in compensation to the public over the raft of incidents, as well as give commuters a day of half-price discounts on fares for last week's disruption.
HKFP
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- HKFP
Hong Kong taxi trade demands tougher action as gov't warns ride-hailing services to obey the law
A group of Hong Kong taxi owners has petitioned for tougher action against ride-hailing services, as the government warns online platform operators to 'comply with the law.' Around 40 taxi owners gathered outside the government headquarters in Admiralty on Friday morning, submitting a petition they said was signed by more than 5,000 taxi license holders, according to local media reports. The move comes as the government was scheduled to meet on Friday with representatives of online ride-hailing platforms, such as Uber and Didi. 'The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has expressed concern over the illegal hire car services provided by online car-hailing platforms,' the government said in a statement on Friday morning, ahead of the meeting. It added that 'their operations must comply with the law.' Ride-hailing apps operate in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering hailing services to have a hire car permit. Private vehicle owners who sign up with online platforms to provide hailing services without a permit could be punished by up to six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for the first offence. Lam Chi-Chung, speaking on behalf of the taxi owners' group, told reporters outside the government headquarters that the taxi trade demanded swift action from the government to crack down on illegal ride-hailing services. He said the government had been talking about taking action for years, but there had been few results. 'At the end they [the government] only sent them [online ride-hailing platforms] letters, and it has been business as usual for all those platforms for many years,' he said in Cantonese. 'At full speed' The group is considering further action, such as launching a legal challenge against the government's handling of the matter, if the authorities do not respond swiftly to their demand, Lam said. 'There are some even more radical suggestions' floated within the group, he said. 'We have advised caution.' According to the Friday statement, the Transport and Logistics Bureau 'is pressing ahead at full speed' with a legislative proposal to regulate car-hailing platforms. However, it stopped short of revealing a timetable for the matter. The government said last year that it was studying to put in place regulations for ride-hailing platforms like Uber, including introducing a new licensing system. The bureau also met with 20 taxi industry representatives and lawmakers for around two hours on Thursday. Angela Lee, commissioner for transport, pledged after the meeting that the government would continue to crack down on illegal services and push for legislation to regulate online ride-hailing platforms, according to a government press release on Thursday.
RTHK
03-05-2025
- RTHK
Lok Ma Chau throngs spark call for action stations
Lok Ma Chau throngs spark call for action stations A total of 480,000 people visited Hong Kong as of 9pm on Friday, with more than half coming from the mainland. File photo: RTHK Transport authorities have asked the railway operator to improve services to accommodate an influx of mainland visitors travelling to Hong Kong, a day after crowds of tourists flooded Lok Ma Chau MTR station. The issue arose after the station's internet connection was overwhelmed by the number of travellers loading QR codes when entering and leaving via turnstiles during peak hours on Friday, causing longer than usual queues. At one point, commuters were allowed to leave paid areas without having to touch out. On Saturday, the Transport and Logistics Bureau said it was highly concerned about the situation and had requested MTR Corporation to strengthen services to ensure a "smooth and safe travel" experience for passengers. "We will continue to monitor the situation at Lok Ma Chau station and various border control points while maintaining close contact with transport operators to make changes to our response plans in a timely manner during peak arrival and departure periods," the bureau said. The railway firm, for its part, said it was doubling its internet capacity and would implement crowd-control measures. Friday saw a total of 480,000 visitor arrivals as of 9pm, with more than half of them coming from the mainland. More than 100,000 people made the crossing through Lok Ma Chau while some 94,000 came through Lo Wu.
