HONG KONG 2005

Effective transport management is essential for the orderly and safe operation of the transport system. The Government's regulatory powers are provided under the Road Traffic Ordinance. Every effort is made to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transport management through the use of modern technology in a variety of areas.

At the end of 2005, there were 1 782 702 licensed drivers, 534 246 licensed private vehicles and 6 394 government vehicles. There were 350 753 licensed private cars, of which 27 032 were new vehicles registered during the year. Registered goods vehicles totalled 121 816, of which 75 522 were light goods vehicles, 42 794 were medium goods vehicles and 3 500 were heavy goods vehicles. On average, there were 3 890 new learner-drivers per month.

Since the introduction of the Driving-offence Points System in August 1984, 74 549 disqualifications have been ordered by the courts and 734 103 notices served under the Road Traffic (Driving-offence Points) Ordinance. The figures for 2005 were 2 948 and 44 574 respectively. Over the past five years, 474 005 drivers have incurred Driving-offence points for committing scheduled offences under the Driving-offence Points System.

Drivers can join the driving improvement course voluntarily and the court is empowered to direct a driver who has committed any scheduled offence with five or more driving-offence points under the Road Traffic (Driving-offence Points) Ordinance to attend the driving improvement course. A driver who has satisfactorily completed the driving improvement course and obtained a course certificate issued by a driving improvement school has three driving-offence points deducted from his or her total driving-offence points.

From September 2002 to December 2005, nearly 6 300 drivers attended the driving improvement course. The feedback from the course participants was encouraging and positive. They found the course very useful in improving their driving behaviour and attitude. Six months after the course, about 76 per cent of participants had not incurred any new driving-offence points.

The Transport Department computerised the written part of the driving test in October 2003 to provide better customer service and streamline the testing process, which assesses a candidate's knowledge of the Road Users' Code. Candidates know their test results as soon as they have completed the written test, and successful applicants can then make appointments for road tests within 15 minutes. Since the computerisation of the written test service led to more efficient use of resources, the department merged its two driving test appointment offices in July 2004. The average waiting time for taking the written test was shortened from 40 days in 2002 to 25 days in 2005.

Vehicles are examined to ensure that they are roadworthy and properly maintained. Compulsory annual inspection applies to all public service vehicles, goods vehicles and trailers. In 2005, 197 000 vehicles were examined at the four government vehicle examination centres. Private cars over six years old and light goods vehicles not exceeding 1.9 tonnes are inspected annually at 22 designated car testing centres operated by the private sector. These centres conducted 186 000 vehicle examinations during the year. In addition, 3 500 spot checks were conducted on franchised buses to ensure their safety, roadworthiness and service standards.

A chassis dynamometer has been installed in the Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre to perform random checks of smoke emissions from diesel vehicles under load.

All vehicles imported into Hong Kong may be examined to ascertain whether they meet statutory requirements before they can be registered and licensed. In 2005, out of 542 vehicle types approved, 511 were made through one-stop-shop mechanism through a simplified system which examines sample vehicles of the same model.

Electronic payment is now available at all vehicle examination centres, providing additional convenience for users. Vehicle Appointment Status Display Systems have been installed at the New Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre, Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre and To Kwa Wan Vehicle Examination Centre to show the available examination slots to members of the public who want to make appointments. This service has been available through the Internet since January 2005.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are installed to enable traffic conditions at critical locations to be monitored and appropriate actions taken to alleviate traffic congestion where required. At present, there are 168 cameras installed in the urban areas of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tai Po and North districts. To stay in the forefront of technology, the Transport Department will replace the old CCTV systems currently installed on Hong Kong Island with the first digital CCTV system in Hong Kong in 2006. The use of digital technology will improve monitoring and reduce the long-term operating cost of transmitting and disseminating CCTV images. In addition, there are 72 cameras operating on major highways such as Tuen Mun Road, West Kowloon Highway, North Lantau Highway, San Tin Highway, Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway and roads leading to the boundary crossings.

Images captured by CCTV cameras at 43 strategic locations were first broadcast to the public via the Internet in 1999. The public welcomed the service and the Transport Department has since increased the number of such locations to 119.

Traffic control and surveillance (TCS) facilities, such as CCTV and lane signals, have been provided in all tunnels and the Tsing Ma Control Area. Variable message signs, automatic incident detection system and variable speed limit signs have been installed or are being retrofitted in some tunnels. Major new road projects will have new TCS equipment for efficient traffic and incident management, including the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (HK-SWC), Deep Bay Link and Route 8 between Sha Tin and Tsing Yi.

The Traffic Control Centre completed in 2004, continues to manage traffic incidents for the whole territory and control traffic in the New Territories. The video wall display has been enlarged to allow display of video images originated from new systems including the traffic control system for the Tai Po and North districts and from the TCS system for the HK-SWC and Deep Bay Link.

The Area Traffic Control (ATC) system for the Tai Po and North districts was completed in 2005, bringing 130 signalised junctions under computer control. Tenders for new ATC and CCTV systems for the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts were in progress at the end of 2005. Contracts will be awarded in early 2006 for completion by 2008. The elderly Hong Kong ATC and CCTV systems are being replaced with new systems with latest technologies. The replacement project is scheduled for completion in mid-2006. The department is also planning to replace the ATC and CCTV systems for the Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin areas in 2010.

At year-end, 1 724 signalised junctions were in operation, of which 1 318 were controlled by ATC systems.

Automatic toll collection (autotoll) systems were first installed at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel in August 1993, and then eventually to all the tunnels and Lantau Link. The systems allow motorists to pay tolls by driving through designated toll booths without stopping. Since October 1998, these autotoll systems have been unified so that a subscriber needs only one tag to use all tunnels and toll roads fitted with the system. About 49 per cent of motorists use autotoll when passing through the tunnels and toll roads.

On-street parking is provided where there is parking demand and traffic conditions permit. At year-end, Hong Kong had about 17 800 metered parking spaces, with electronic parking meter charging in operation mainly between 8 am and midnight from Mondays to Saturdays, and 10 am to 10 pm on Sundays and public holidays. The management and operation of on-street metered parking spaces is contracted out to a private operator.

The Government owns 13 multi-storey car parks and the Sheung Shui Park-and-Ride Public Car Park which together provide about 7 500 parking spaces. They are operated and managed by two private operators under management contracts with the Government.

In addition to government car parks, off-street public parking is provided by the Airport Authority at the airport at Chek Lap Kok, the Housing Department and The Link REIT in some public housing estates, and the private sector in multi-storey commercial/residential buildings and open-air public car parks. Park-and-ride facilities are operated by MTRCL at Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi Stations on the Airport Express Line, and at some commercial car parks located near Olympic Station on the Tung Chung Line and Hang Hau Station on the Tseung Kwan O Line. The KCRC provides park-and-ride facilities at West Rail Kam Sheung Road Station. In all, there are 186 000 off-street public parking spaces (excluding those in government car parks).

Traffic accidents involving injury increased slightly by 0.2 per cent in 2005. There were 15 062 traffic accidents, of which 2 504 were serious and 139 fatal. This compares with 15 026 accidents in 2004, of which 2 519 were serious and 160 fatal.

In-depth investigations were carried out at 107 traffic accident blackspots to identify common accident causes. Remedial measures were recommended at 87 of these locations.

Road safety campaigns, including the 'Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal' promotion, continued to play an important role in reducing traffic accidents. Publicity to remind passengers to wear seat belts on public light buses was strengthened in 2005. There was also a publicity campaign about obeying traffic signals, including public information advertisements broadcast on radio and TV, posters and leaflets.

To enhance road safety, legislation was amended in June 2005 to increase the penalties for disobeying traffic signals and update the standards of protective helmets and seat belts. The new compulsory requirement for kindergarten pupils to be escorted on school private light buses was also implemented in September.