Untitled - Civic Exchange

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
(c)
Government should track developments in more advanced technologies, including
hybrids, fuel cells, and electric battery vehicles, but should not delay implementation of
simpler options that are commercially viable and available today, such as oxygenated
fuels, bio-diesel, and particulate traps.
5. Planning for the pedestrian experience as an integral part of each public transport
journey.
Hong Kong's high reliance on public transport means that most people are pedestrians
several times each day. Despite this fact, Hong Kong is a pedestrian hostile environment.
Walking in Hong Kong's urban areas is typically unhealthy, unpleasant, and unsafe due to
traffic congestion, noise, and poor street level air quality.
6. Basic reform of the transport planning and policy-making processes.
Effective implementation of these recommendations will require changes in the way that
the Transport Department, Transport Bureau, and other government agencies make
decisions about Hong Kong's transport system. At a fundamental level, there must be a
change in the mind-set of senior government officials regarding the costs and benefits of
the various options available for Hong Kong's future transport system and an
improvement in the assessment process. While the new Principal Officials Accountability
System (POAS) offers a framework for future change, the POAS is an insufficient
measure for improving the quality of decision-making.
Overview
Chapter 1 provides a general discussion of sustainable transport and suggests a paradigm for assessing
different transport options. Chapter 2 presents an assessment of Hong Kong's current transport system and
outlines recent government initiatives in the direction of sustainability. Chapter 3 takes a look at how
urban passenger rail and bus systems are financed in Hong Kong and the larger implications of present
financing arrangements. Chapter 4 looks at planning strategies for reducing the impact of road transport
in Hong Kong's highly dense urban setting. This chapter focuses primarily on pedestrianism. Chapter 5
briefly reviews a range of technology-based options for more sustainable road transport, including the use
of tethered electric transport systems, such as electric trolley buses and trams, as well as a number of
alternative fuel/engine systems for free-wheeling road vehicles. Chapter 6 discusses some of the transport
issues associated with Hong Kong's potential role as a logistics hub for the greater Pearl River Delta region.
Chapter 7 looks at the institutional context in which transport decisions are made in Hong Kong. It also
includes case studies of a number of policy and technology assessments carried out recently by the
Transport Bureau and Transport Department. Chapter 8 pulls together findings from the previous chapters
to summarize the key points of our vision of a more sustainable transport system for the HKSAR. A list of
references and information about the authors is included at the end of the report.
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