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Twelve million commuter trips are made in Hong Kong every day.
Nine out of 10 trips are made on public transport. With an accident
fatality rate of 0.0297 per 1 000 population, Hong Kong has one
of the safest road networks in the world. The number of fatal accidents
in 2003 was 173, which was among the lowest figures in the past
43 years. |
WITH a growing population and continuous development, moving people and
goods around in Hong Kong has always been a great challenge. The Government
has to ensure that this is carried out in accordance with sustainable
development principles. It involves the planning and implementation of
the further expansion and improvement of the transport infrastructure,
with emphasis on railways; further promoting the use of public transport
services by maintaining their quality and improving their coordination;
effectively managing road use to reduce congestion and promote safety;
and continuing to support environmental improvement measures in transport-related
areas.
There were significant achievements in railway development
in 2003. The West Rail project and the Light Rail Tin Shui Wai Extensions
project of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) were completed
in December. Steady progress was made on building the KCRC's Ma On Shan
to Tai Wai Rail Link and the Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui Extension. Both
projects are targeted for completion in 2004. Construction of the MTR
Corporation Limited's (MTRCL) Penny's Bay Rail Link is targeted for completion
in 2005. The construction of the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line
is also on schedule for completion before mid-2007 to meet the growing
demands of cross-boundary passenger traffic and to ease congestion at
Lo Wu.
The preliminary planning and design of the Shatin
to Central Link and detailed planning and design of the Kowloon Southern
Link are ongoing. In January, the Government decided that the completion
of the North Hong Kong Island Line of the Island Line Extensions should
be deferred to beyond 2016. The MTRCL was also invited to proceed with
further planning on the West Hong Kong Island Line Phase 1 from Sheung
Wan to Belcher of the Island Line Extensions including a possible link
with the South Hong Kong Island Line.
During the year, construction of several major road
projects began, including the Deep Bay Link, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western
Corridor, a new boundary bridge between Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang and
Trunk Road T3. There has also been significant development in the planning
of a road transport link between Hong Kong and Pearl River West. The joint
study commissioned by HKSAR and Mainland authorities has been completed,
confirming the urgency of and the need for such a link. The Governments
of Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong have set up a Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao
Bridge Advance Work Co-ordination Group to take forward the preparatory
work for the bridge.
The new bus franchises of Citybus Limited (North Lantau
and Airport bus network), Long Win Bus Company Limited and New World First
Bus Services Limited took effect in mid-2003, for a period of about 10
years, upon expiry of their previous franchises.
In traffic management, a comprehensive Intelligent
Transport Systems (ITS) Strategy, which sets out a plan for the deployment
of advanced information and telecommunication technologies to enhance
the safety, efficiency, reliability, user and environmental friendliness
of the transport system in Hong Kong, was finalised in 2001. The ITS Strategy
features two core projects — a Transport Information System currently
under development and the Journey Time Indication System which has been
put into operation. (See later section on Use of Information Technology
in Transport) |
