Untitled - Civic Exchange

Chapter 7:
The Dynamics of Decision-making in Hong Kong
fundamentally flawed and needs to be redone. The following examples highlight the potential benefits of
ERP and indicate the urgent need to re-assess this option in a comprehensive and transparent manner.
If road pricing was introduced in those areas of Hong Kong where air pollution, noise levels, and
congestion are particularly acute:
• Charging all passenger vehicles except buses (and perhaps school buses) would induce people to
leave their private cars at home and use high occupancy road and rail transport.
• Charging buses would induce bus operators to consider bus scheduling and routing more carefully
so as to avoid running nearly empty buses in priced areas. 276
• Charging goods vehicles and other industrial vehicles could discourage businesses from
contributing to congestion at peak times and encourage them to shift the time of their operations to
off-peak periods (see Chapter 5).
Case Study 4: Trams and Electric Trolley Buses
The feasibility of trams and electric trolley buses for Hong Kong is addressed in Chapter 5. Trams and
electric trolley buses produce no pollution at street level and generate less noise than buses. Considering
the unhealthy quality of air at street level and the widespread exposure to traffic noise in Hong Kong's
urban areas, these technologies would seem to offer an attractive option worthy of in-depth government
assessment. However, this does not appear to have been the case. 277
Modern trams, such as those in operation in various European cities, were not mentioned in CTS3,
although the report concludes that Hong Kong's existing "antique" trams should continue to operate -
without expansion of services - to provide feeder service for heavy rail. 278 The major limitations of trams
are that they are restricted to flat or nearly flat areas and, being heavy, may require strengthening of
roadbeds. In Hong Kong, trams are best suited to reclaimed areas that tend to be very flat, such as the
northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island. However, trams could also be introduced in much of the Kowloon
peninsula (particularly in new reclaimed areas 279 ) and in parts of the New Territories. 280 Trams can also be
used imaginatively in conjunction with pedestrian schemes, such as those being proposed by the Hong
Kong Institute of Planners. 281
Like trams, electric trolley buses are a long-established technology used worldwide. Citybus, one of Hong
Kong's franchised bus operators, has expressed interest in this technology and is now testing electric trolley
buses at its Aberdeen depot. CTS3 stated that:
"Before recommendation to trolley buses could be made, there should have to be confirmation of the
276 A key criticism of Hong Kong's current transport system is the vast number of empty buses in urban areas,
particularly in Central, which are a major cause of congestion and an important source of air and noise pollution.
Transport officials have been unsuccessful in dealing with this issue due to the failure to develop a clear policy on
competition and coordination between transport modes. See Chapter 3 for more on this point.
277 Chapter 5 compares trams and electric trolley buses with diesel buses in terms of air and noise pollution.
278 Transport Department (1999), Third Comprehensive Transport Study: Technical Report, Hong Kong: HKSAR
Government.
279 An ideal area would be the planned South East Kowloon reclamation.
280
Introduction of modern tram service would be very suitable in Tseung Kwan O, a large new development where
government planners failed to consider options for eliminating transport-related local pollution during site design.
281 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.
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