Untitled - Civic Exchange

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
In September 1997, in a delayed response to international attention to sustainable development, the
HKSAR government commissioned the Study on Sustainable Development for the 21st Century (SUSDEV
21), which aimed "to develop a tool to assist decision makers incorporate the concept of sustainability into
Hong Kong's future development." 43 Hong Kong's working definition of sustainable development is as
follows:
"Sustainable development in Hong Kong balances social, economic and environmental needs,
both for present and future generations, simultaneously achieving a vibrant economy, social
progress and better environmental quality, locally, nationally and internationally, through the
efforts of the community and the Government." 44
Guiding principles and indicators were developed to link the definition to practical day-to-day working
decisions. Mobility is identified as one of the eight guiding principles of SUSDEV 21 and refers to the
provision of "safe, accessible and efficient transport systems and pedestrian facilities along with an
efficient transport network for the movement of goods and facilitation of services for the community." 45
Of the 39 sustainability indicators, three are associated with mobility. 46 However, they serve mainly to
enhance existing decision-making procedures. The study did not provide detailed policy objectives or
action plans at the sectoral level.
The Third Comprehensive Transport Study
The Third Comprehensive Transport Study (CTS3), commissioned in 1997 and completed in 1999,
provides key insight into the government's approach to future transport development. The objective of the
study was:
"… To provide a framework on which Government can develop a balanced transport strategy
to facilitate the mobility of people and goods of Hong Kong in an environmentally sustainable
manner up to 2016." 47
CTS3 also identified a number of guiding principles for future transport policies, including the following:
• Integrating land-use, transport, and environmental planning;
• According priority to railways;
• Coordinating and enhancing public transport services;
• Providing transport infrastructure in a more timely fashion;
• Managing transport with new technologies;
• Giving more emphasis to pedestrian needs; and
• Alleviating the environmental impact of transport to an acceptable level.
CTS3 and the later Second Rail Development Strategy 2000 (RDS2) propose a series of road building
projects, as well as extensions to the passenger rail system. Yet faced with a relentlessly growing
population, expected to increase from 7 million to at least 8 million by 2016, 48 gains in mobility obtained
16
43 HKSAR Government (1999), Sustainable Development in Hong Kong for the 21 st Century: Second Stage
Consultation (Consultation Document), Hong Kong, p.2.
44
Ibid, p.3.
45 Ibid, p.14.
46 Average travel distances, average network speed, and the cost of freight transport.
47 Transport Department (1999), Third Comprehensive Transport Study: Final Report, p.i..
48 CTS3 estimated that the HKSAR's population would reach between 8.2 and 10 million by 2016. More recently
however, government planners have begun suggesting informally that the higher end of this range is unlikely,
although the reasons behind this change in population projections remained unclear at the time of this writing.