Untitled - Civic Exchange

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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Table 5.3 Estimates of comparative noise levels for buses with diesel, CNG, fuel cell, or electric motors Vehicle type Power source Estimated noise level (in decibels) Bus Diesel engine 82 CNG 75 Fuel cell 68 Trolley bus Electric 60 City street background 60 Source: Citybus Ltd., personal communication from John Blay, March 20, 2001 A study cited by Wong rated diesel buses at 94 decibels and electric trolleybuses at 74 decibels, figures higher than those cited above. 136 Yet while these noise levels are higher, electric trolley buses are still about 20 decibels quieter than diesel buses, a substantial advantage. • Policy approach Trams and electric trolley buses seem well suited to help reduce serious air and noise pollution in Hong Kong. Yet CTS3 is, at best, ambivalent about tethered electric vehicles as part of any attempt to make Hong Kong's transport system more sustainable. The few references to trams are limited to comments about the value of Hong Kong's existing trams (i.e., their usefulness for short distances when speed is not a concern, but where low cost is an important advantage). CTS3 does not even mention the possibility of modern trams for Hong Kong, such as those in use in a number of European cities. One possible explanation is that Hong Kong's "antique" trams are quite narrow and do not take up the amount of road space required by modern, more comfortable trams. Reluctance to concede some additional road space appears to have superseded the obvious benefits of wider, faster, and more comfortable modern trams. Whatever the reasons for failing to mention modern trams in the CTS3 report, this was a serious omission. Modern trams could be an integral part of local transport in new town developments as well as in some older urban areas. The major limitations of trams are that they are restricted to flat or nearly flat areas and, being heavy, may require strengthening of roadbeds. However, trams are well suited to reclaimed areas, which tend to be flat, such as the northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon peninsula, 137 and parts of the New Territories. 138 Trams can also be used imaginatively in conjunction with pedestrian schemes, such as those being proposed by the Hong Kong Institute of Planners. 139 CTS3 does note that Hong Kong's existing trams (which currently account for nearly 3% of all road journeys) should continue to play a role in short trips and in providing feeder service to heavy rail. Electric trolley buses do not suffer the same limitations as trams in terms of speed and restriction to flat 44 136 Wong Hong Chung (1999), Potential and Limitations for Trolley Bus Transport in Hong Kong. 137 An ideal area would be the planned South East Kowloon reclamation. 138 Introduction of modern tram service would be very suitable in the new Tseung Kwan O development, despite the fact that government planners failed to consider options for eliminating transport-related local pollution during site design. 139 The Des Voeux Road Central Pedestrianisation Focussed Study: Final Report, produced by the Hong Kong Institute of Planners in April 2001, and other pedestrian schemes are discussed further in Chapter 4.
Chapter 5: Cleaner & More Efficient Road Transport areas. In addition, they are somewhat less capital-intensive in that they do not use rails, do not require the strengthening of roadbeds, and have greater flexibility of movement (e.g., can overtake other vehicles, including other trolley buses). The newest electric trolley buses can move over a lane on either side of the overhead line. They have good acceleration and are quite good at climbing hills. In fact, under heavy loads, they significantly outperform diesel buses. 140 Dual mode trolley buses with on-board diesel or electric motors for temporary off-power line operation are also an option. 141 Citybus is now running trials of an air-conditioned, double-decker electric trolley bus with an auxiliary motor. 142 In May 2001, the Transport Department released the Executive Summary of A Feasibility Study of Introducing Electric Trolley Buses into Hong Kong, 143 which discussed the negative features of trolley buses in more detail. The feasibility study claimed that both capital and operating costs are far higher for trolley buses than for diesel buses. It also noted that higher costs would necessitate substantial fare increases for passengers and thereby preclude the possibility of direct trolley bus and diesel bus competition along the same route. In our view, direct competition between diesel and electric trolley buses along the same route is probably not a good idea anyway. In order to realize significant air quality and noise improvements, it would be best if most (if not all) of the diesel buses on particularly polluted and noisy routes were replaced by electric trolley buses. Moreover, the Transport Department's contention that electric trolley buses have substantially higher operating costs is questionable. Wong cites evidence that operating costs are actually lower, 144 while Blay argues that vehicle operating costs are roughly comparable. 145 It is also important to keep in mind the fact that diesel buses remain competitive in Hong Kong because they pay no fuel duty. Internal costs for passengers (bus fares) remain low because they do not have to pay for the external costs of diesel bus use, including the health damages caused by emissions and noise. The feasibility study does not address these points. It is true that the capital costs of electric trolley buses are higher. However, this drawback is partially offset by the fact that trolley buses also have a much longer operating life and should be amortized over a much longer period. 146 This fact is not even mentioned in the feasibility study. As with CTS3, the feasibility study on electric trolley buses provides only passing mention of their advantages. Yet curiously, at the end of a negative assessment of the appropriateness of electric trolley buses for Hong Kong, the feasibility study recommends (without any explanation) that electric trolley buses be considered for local transport in new development areas. One might suspect that the purpose of the feasibility study was really to eliminate public interest in electric trolley buses for older urban areas (where admittedly, they would represent a somewhat greater initial challenge for traffic management). Yet in new development areas where such challenges could be dealt with at the planning stage, the door was left open for the introduction of trolley buses. If true, this approach is off-target since Hong Kong's older urban areas have the most pressing environmental health problems and tethered electric vehicles are the best road alternative commercially available today to help alleviate these problems. More general questions regarding the value of feasibility and planning studies are addressed in Chapter 7. 140 Ibid; John Blay (2002), Citybus Hong Kong Limited, personal communication, March 6, 2002. 141 Transport Department (2001), The Annual Census of Traffic 2000, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government. 142 John Blay (2002). 143 Transport Department (2001), The Annual Census of Traffic 2000. 144 Wong Hong Chung (1999), Potential and Limitations for Trolley Bus Transport in Hong Kong. 145 John Blay (2002). 146 Ibid; Wong Hong Chung (1999), Potential and Limitations for Trolley Bus Transport in Hong Kong. 45
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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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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG:
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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG:
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Civic Exchange Room 601, Hoseinee H
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