Replies to Questions from Finance Committee Members

Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04
CONTROLLING OFFICER’S REPLY TO
INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION
Head : 186 – Transport Department Subhead (No. & title) : 700
General other non-recurrent
Programme : (1) Planning and Development
Controlling Officer : Commissioner for Transport
Director of Bureau : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Question : Regarding the consultancies for Base District Traffic Models (BDTMs)
provided under Item 548, what are the details of the models? What is the
current progress?
Asked by : Hon. LAU Kong Wah
Reply :
Details of the BDTMs are as follows:
The traditional approach in Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) studies involved developing
separate local traffic models for individual studies. Those new local traffic models
(notably road network and trip matrices) had to be prepared, calibrated and validated from
scratch each time before they could be applied for traffic forecasting purposes. The
setting up of BDTMs, covering the whole territory, provides a consistent and efficient
base framework for conducting TIA studies. This stems from the fact that the basic
network and matrices data built up in their development/updates can be re-used in other
TIA studies. As such, there will be savings (about 20%) in both time and costs for
conducting future TIAs. In addition, BDTMs will also be used to facilitate the planning
of traffic management schemes on a district level.
As regards the progress, the base models have been substantially set up and validated to
2000-based planning data issued by the Planning Department. As Planning Department
issued an updated 2001-based planning dataset last year and to ensure that local traffic
forecasts by BDTMs are compatible with updated planning data and the corresponding
network assumptions, works are required to re-validate and update the BDTMs.
Opportunities will also be made to enhance the performance and functionalities of the
models.
Gototop
Signature
Name in block letters ROBERT FOOTMAN
Post Title Commissioner for Transport
Date 20 March 2003
Reply Serial No.
ETWB(T)045
Question Serial No.
0215