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The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau of the Government Secretariat,
headed by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, is responsible
for, among other matters, the overall policy formulation, direction and
coordination of land transport and ferry services. The Secretary is assisted
by the Transport Advisory Committee, which advises the Chief Executive
in Council on major transport policies and issues. The committee has 18
appointed members, including the chairman and three government officials.
A Transport Complaints Unit is established under the committee, and in
2003 this unit received 15 118 complaints and suggestions
on traffic and transport matters. On local transport matters, the Government
is advised by the District Councils and their traffic and transport committees.
The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau is supported
by the Transport Department and the Highways Department. The Transport
Department is headed by the Commissioner for Transport. The Highways Department
is headed by the Director of Highways. The Transport Department is the
authority for administering the Road Traffic Ordinance and legislation
regulating public transport operations. Its responsibilities cover transport
planning, road traffic and tunnel management, carparks and metered parking
spaces, regulation of roads, railways and waterborne public transport,
licensing of drivers and the registration, licensing and inspection of
vehicles. The Highways Department is responsible for the overall design
and construction of highways, and their repair and maintenance. The department
also studies new railway proposals, monitors their construction, and helps
resolve any interfacing problems they may have with other works projects.
The Hong Kong Police Force is the principal agency
for enforcing traffic legislation and prosecuting offenders. The Prosecutions
Unit of the Transport Department handles prosecutions involving safety
defects on buses, disqualification under the Driving-offence Points System,
and breaches of vehicle safety regulations, government tunnel regulations
and Tsing Ma Control Area regulations. In September, the unit expanded
its purview to coordinate the enforcement and regulatory actions of the
department concerning illegal transport. The name of the unit was also
changed to Prosecution and Regulation Unit.
Transport Tribunals, set up under the Road Traffic
Ordinance with a chairman and members appointed from among the public,
provide a channel of appeal against decisions made by the Commissioner
for Transport in respect of the registration and licensing of vehicles,
the issue of hire car permits and passenger service licences, and the
designation of car-testing centres, vehicle emission testing centres,
driving schools and driving improvement schools. The Transport Department
also operates an Emergency Transport Coordination Centre, which provides
a focal point for liaison with public transport operators on traffic and
transport arrangements during serious traffic and transport disruptions,
rainstorms and typhoons. |
