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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES benchmark of 20 km per hour. 103 Such arguments fail to acknowledge the existing external costs of road transport, including air and noise pollution, which will increase with any growth in the number of vehicles. See Chapter 7 for more information about the assessment of ERP in Hong Kong. 4.3 Promoting pedestrianism in Hong Kong The need for frequent journeys by foot in Hong Kong's urban areas is a direct consequence of high reliance on public transport. While private car owners are often able to park relatively close to their origin and destination, public transport users generally must walk from their origin to a public transport access point and from the departure point to their destination. In addition, public transport users often have to change modes, which may involve another trip on foot. While Hong Kong's transport planners have done an effective job in making public transport attractive for the overwhelming majority of journeys, they have largely ignored the needs of public transport passengers in their consequential capacity as pedestrians. Pedestrians have been treated as if they were unimportant and, even worse, as an impediment to the flow of traffic. We believe it is time to ask why Hong Kong has been allowed to become such a hostile environment for the huge numbers of us who are pedestrians every day. In a city with such a high reliance on public transport, why is the pedestrian experience not treated as an integral part of transport planning Walking tends to be limited to short distances because it cannot match the speed, distance, coverage, and convenience of mechanized transport. 104 In Hong Kong, walking in the city center is unpleasant, quite difficult, and generally hazardous as a result of the deteriorating pedestrian environment. However, walking itself is good exercise and beneficial in terms of fitness and health. Walking does not consume fossil fuel or contribute to environmental degradation. 105 In short, it is a sustainable form of transport. A world city hostile to pedestrians Based on comparisons with urban areas of similar size, density, and income, Hong Kong is arguably one of the most pedestrian hostile cities in the world. Pedestrian facilities are often sub-standard and sometimes non-existent. It is not uncommon to see thousands of people squeezed onto relatively narrow sidewalks, while much greater space is allocated to vehicles carrying far fewer people. Traffic signals are timed to facilitate the movement of vehicles, not pedestrians, and as a result, bottlenecks at pedestrian crossing points are frequent. Pedestrian crossing points are infrequent, sometimes necessitating long detours. Sidewalk railings seem designed to prevent pedestrians from crossing the street illegally rather than to protect them from vehicles. In some areas, sidewalks are extremely narrow and littered with obstacles such as traffic signs, lampposts, and parking meters, which make pushing a baby carriage or operating a wheelchair difficult. In other places, walkers may suddenly discover that the sidewalk has come to an abrupt end and find they have no choice but to walk on the road. In addition, features that might make pedestrian journeys more pleasant, such as street furniture (benches etc.) or shade, do not exist in Hong Kong. Even worse is the fact that pedestrians are exposed to toxic air pollution and harmful noise pollution. Traffic accidents involving 34 103 Transport Bureau (2001), A Safe, Efficient, Reliable and Environmentally Friendly Transport System, Policy Objectives 2001, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government. 104 Robertson, K.A. (1994), Pedestrian Malls and Skywalks: Traffic Separation Strategies in American Downtowns, Aldershot: Avebury, p.1. 105 Tolley, R. (1997), "Obstacles to walking and cycling," in Tolley, R., ed., The Greening of Urban Transport: Planning for Walking and Cycling in Western Cities, Second ed., Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, p.3.
Chapter 4: Strategies for Minimizing Vehicle Trips - Promoting Pedestrianism in Hong Kong pedestrians are also common, sometimes as a result of careless driving and jay walking, but often related to the spillover of pedestrians onto the road because of overcrowding on narrow sidewalks. Overall, the pedestrian environment in Hong Kong is unattractive to ordinary pedestrians and especially challenging for certain groups, such as children, the elderly, the physically impaired, and tourists, particularly those who are unfamiliar with Hong Kong's urban traffic patterns. In a city where relatively few people have private cars and the majority are pedestrians for some part of every day, this situation is unacceptable and unsustainable. Recent government initiatives Pedestrianization is not a new idea, but was largely overlooked by Hong Kong's transport planners in the past. Examples of early pedestrianization efforts include the special traffic arrangements for Chater Road on Sundays and the pilot scheme in Tsim Sha Tsui East. In his 1999 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced government plans to expand pedestrian zones in crowded and particularly polluted areas in order to combat roadside air pollution. 106 One of the guiding principles of CTS3 is that pedestrian needs should be prioritized. CTS3 recommends strengthening existing planning guidelines to develop the concept of planning for pedestrians in new areas and redevelopments. 107 It also recommends improvement in the pedestrian environment in other areas through better pedestrian facilities and more pedestrian schemes. Following the recommendations of CTS3, the Transport Department studied and successfully implemented various pedestrian schemes in older built-up areas such as Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and Sham Shui Po, as well as in tourist areas such as Stanley Market. 108 To give due credit to the Transport Department, more has been done on pedestrianization over the last three years than in the preceding 30 years. Nonetheless, we feel that individual pedestrian schemes are only part of the solution. More broadly, the Transport and the Planning Departments must work together to make Hong Kong a safer and more attractive place to be a pedestrian. Walking is a form of transport and addressing the needs of people who must walk in urban areas should be seen as a necessary component of a sustainable transport system. The Planning Department also plays a major role in looking after pedestrian needs in Hong Kong. As recommended in CTS3, those transport objectives that are related to land use planning have been incorporated into the relevant sections of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) to make sure that they receive due consideration during the planning process. The Planning Department also commissioned a Study on Planning for Pedestrians in late 2000 that aims to develop practical guidelines for achieving a better pedestrian environment through safer, more attractive streets, as well as improved connections between public transport services and other local activities. The study will also explore the effects of improvements in the pedestrian environment on urban regeneration, tourism, and heritage conservation. The first stage of the study was completed in February 2002 and the second stage of the study is scheduled to begin after the close of the stage one public consultation period in March 2002. 109 35 106 HKSAR Government (1999), Quality People, Quality Home: Positioning Hong Kong for the 21st Century, Policy Address by the Chief Executive, 6 October 1999, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government, p.33. 107 Transport Department (1999), Third Comprehensive Transport Study, p.12-13. 108 For example, the Transport Department commenced the first phase of the Pedestrian Scheme Study in May 1999. The first phase covers busy streets in Causeway Bay, Mongkok, and Tsim Sha Tsui. The second phase, which commenced in May 2000, seeks to identify potential streets in Central, Wan Chai, Jordan, and Sham Shui Po for pedestrianization. 109 Planning Department (2002), Study on Planning for Pedestrians, Stage 1 Public Consultation, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government.
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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT FOR HONG KONG
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APPENDICES Appendix 1 The Environme
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AUTHORS Bill Barron (wbarron@hkucc.
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REFERENCES Airport Authority Hong K
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Civic Exchange Room 601, Hoseinee H
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