Concern over Environment

In 2010, the Transport Department continued to take active measures to ameliorate air quality. These measures include phasing in LPG and electric light buses, controlling the growth of the franchised bus fleet, enhancing bus operations in congested areas, introducing bus-bus and bus-rail interchange schemes, reducing vehicle emission, and implementing pedestrian schemes.

LPG Taxis

As at end of 2010, there were 18,136 registered LPG taxis in Hong Kong, representing over 99% of the whole fleet. A total of 61 LPG filling stations were operating in various parts of the territory.

Since the disbursement of a one-off grant to encourage taxi owners to replace their diesel taxis with LPG ones, there have been few, if any, diesel taxis imported or newly registered in Hong Kong. Relevant legislation also restricted any diesel taxi to be imported into Hong Kong from 1 August 2001.

LPG / Electric Light Bus

The Government launched a voluntary incentive programme in August 2002 to encourage existing light bus owners to replace their diesel vehicles with LPG or electric ones. Under the scheme, an one-off grant of $60,000 or $80,000 was given for a change to a LPG or electric light bus respectively. The scheme ended in December 2005.

Another scheme was launched in April 2007. Under the scheme, an one-off grant of $40,000, $60,000 or $80,000 was given to a light bus owner who replaced a Pre-Euro or Euro I diesel light bus with a Euro IV diesel, Euro IV LPG or an electric light bus respectively. The scheme ended in March 2010.

The Government launched a new incentive scheme in July 2010. Under this new scheme, an one-off grant of $77,000, $88,000 or $92,000 will be given to a light bus owner who has replaced a Euro II diesel light bus with a new vehicle that meets the Euro IV or more stringent emission standard in form of a diesel, LPG or an electric light bus respectively. This scheme will end on 30 June 2013. At year-end of 2010, there were 2,809 licensed LPG public light buses in Hong Kong.

Controlling the Growth of the Franchised Bus Fleet

To ensure efficient use of the existing franchised bus fleet, we are scrutinizing the companies' five-year forward planning programmes very carefully. The Administration continues to liaise with the bus companies to re-organise and rationalise the bus services, especially those services operating along the busy corridors with low utilisation, to reduce the bus trips in busy corridors by route cancellation, amalgamation, truncation and frequency adjustment, with a view to reduce air pollution, noise nuisance, traffic congestion and fuel consumption.

Bus Operations in Congested Areas

The Department further pursued the reduction of bus trips in busy corridors in 2010. There were about 13 bus trips and 179 bus trips per day reduced along the busy corridors in Yee Wo Street and Central respectively after a series of rationalisation exercise from 1 January to 31 December 2010. In addition, the reduction on Nathan Road accounted for about 32 bus trips per day during the same period. For the period from 2002 up to 2010, the cumulative reduction of the number of the bus trips in the above busy corridors was about 4,724.

Bus-bus and bus-rail Interchange Schemes

To avoid the introduction of excessive direct bus services, help relieve congestion and minimize the environmental impact on busy corridors, the Administration encourages the bus companies to introduce more bus-bus and bus-rail interchange schemes and to offer the interchanging passengers with fare discounts. By end 2010, there were a total of 241 bus-bus interchange schemes.

Reducing Vehicle Emission

By the end of 2010, about 98% of the franchised buses were running on engines in compliance with the Euro emission standards. With effect from October 2006, all new buses purchased by the franchised bus companies also met the Euro-IV emission standards.

The franchised bus companies are gradually scrapping and replacing pre-Euro and Euro I buses by new buses of the latest Euro emission standards. All pre-Euro and Euro I buses have been fitted with emission reduction devices (ERD). The franchised bus companies have completed retrofitting ERDs on their buses of Euro II and Euro III emission standards where technically feasible by end 2010. Since December 2007, all franchised buses have been using Euro V diesel with sulphur content of 0.001%.

The legislative amendment to tighten the in-use diesel vehicle emission standard from 60 Hartridge Smoke Units (HSU) to 50 HSU has been effective from 1 May 2008. The statutory requirement for mandatory use of Euro V diesel has also been effective from 1 July 2010.

Pedestrian Schemes

In order to enhance road safety for pedestrians, promote walking as a transport mode and improve the overall pedestrian environment, the Transport Department has implemented pedestrian schemes in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Jordan, Stanley, the Peak, North Point, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long. These schemes were well received by the public at large. As at end 2010, we have implemented 7 Full-time Pedestrian Schemes, 30 Part-time Pedestrian Schemes and over 40 Traffic Calming Schemes. They include:

(i)
Full-time Pedestrian Schemes:
Theatre Lane, Chiu Lung Street, Findlay Road, Russell Street, Paterson Street, Jardine's Crescent and Nanking Street.

(ii)
Part-time Pedestrian Schemes:
Lan Kwai Fong, D'Aguilar Street, Wo On Lane, Tai Yuen Street, Lockhart Road, East Point Road, Great George Street, Pak Sha Road, Lee Garden Road, Marble Road, Stanley Main Street, Stanley Market Road, Stanley New Street, Bowring Street, Temple Street, Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Nelson Street, Tung Choi Street, Soy Street, Apliu Street, Fuk Wa Street, Pei Ho Street, Kweilin Street, San Hong Street, San Kung Street and Yuen Long New Street.

(iii)
Traffic Calming Schemes:
Wyndham Street, Queen's Road Central, Elgin Street, Peel Street, Staunton Street, Jaffe Road, Johnston Road, Kai Chiu Road, Foo Ming Street, Lan Fong Road, Pak Sha Road, Yun Ping Road, Russell Street, Paterson Street, Great George Street, Lee Garden Road, Jardine Bazaar, Haiphong Road, Hankow Road, Canton Road, Peking Road, Lock Road, Ashley Road, Ichang Street, Minden Avenue, Nanking Street, Pilkem Street, Shanghai Street, Bowring Street, Saigon Street, Pak Hoi Street, Fa Yuen Street, Shantung Street, Fuk Wa Street, Pei Ho Street, Nam Cheong Street, Yu Chau Street and Fuk Wing Street.