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Following is a question by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 1) :
Question:
In the wake of the serious traffic congestion in Kowloon on May 9 last year, a task force was set up to review and recommend measures to enhance the emergency transport coordination framework. In its report submitted to the authorities in July last year, the task force mapped out 56 recommendations for better traffic management, many of which related to enhancing application of information technology (IT). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the task force's recommendations which have been in force, are in the pipeline, or will be implemented shortly; the anticipated timeframe for the implementation of all the recommendations; and
(b) whether it has other IT application projects to improve the traffic management; if so, of the details of such projects and the implementation schedule?
Reply:
Madam President,
In the past few months, the Transport Department (TD) has been actively implementing the recommendations in the Report of the Task Force on Emergency Transport Coordination regarding application of IT in traffic management. The details are set out below -
Actions Completed
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- Use a digitised "incident map" to collate information from different sources to assess the severity and spread of congestion;
- Provide a real-time web-based incident management communication system for TD and other Government departments;
- Enhance the use of area traffic control (ATC) systems to adjust traffic signals for effective queue management and dissipation;
- Improve the design of TD's homepage and commission the personal digital assistant version of the homepage to facilitate members of the public to check the latest traffic conditions and special traffic news;
- Use the geographical information system (GIS) to show the journey time and average vehicular speed along major routes on Hong Kong Island towards Kowloon using the three road harbour crossings;
- Establish an Interactive Voice Response System to provide real-time traffic information;
- Inform 130 organisations and Government departments with more than 500 employees of special traffic news through email;
- Cooperate closely with bus and railway companies to inform passengers of emergency news using various channels (e.g. Light Emitting Diode display panels at bus termini and public announcement systems in train compartments) in case of serious traffic and transport incidents;
- Cooperate closely with radio stations to increase the frequency of traffic news broadcasts;
- Use third-generation mobile phones to transmit images of roads or incident sites to facilitate incident management;
- Review the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Strategy; and
- Discuss with academics measures to enhance incident management.
Actions in Progress
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- Install additional closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at strategic locations along major routes in phases to enlarge the coverage of the CCTV system;
- Implement a full-scale trial of mobile CCTV system;
- Explore the use of map and database with built-in GIS to enhance the efficiency of producing "incident maps" and to disseminate real-time traffic information;
- Explore the use of various types of vehicle tracking technologies to measure the travel time and speed of the road network;
- Explore ways to disseminate traffic news using short messaging service in a more efficient manner;
- Explore the mode of cooperation with mobile phone companies to transmit CCTV images to the public using the mobile phone network; and
- Plan to install variable message signs (VMS) at strategic locations and junctions in phases, and explore the feasibility of using mobile VMS in Hong Kong.
We expect that the majority of the above tasks can be completed within 2006.
Actions to Commence Shortly
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TD will commission a study on the following areas by the end of this year :
- Use loop detectors underneath the roadway to collect real-time regional traffic data;
- Develop an automatic incident database to facilitate incident management;
- Explore the use of traffic simulation models to assess the traffic impact of incidents;
- Develop a computerised expert-system-based incident management system; and
- Develop a shared computer-aided dispatch system to enhance inter-departmental dispatch coordination.
We expect that the above study will be completed in 2007. Depending on the outcome of the study, TD will decide whether and how to apply these technologies.
Apart from the recommendations of the Task Force, we will establish a centralisd Transport Information System and establish a more comprehensive traffic management framework in accordance with the ITS Strategy to enhance the traffic flow and improve the safety of our road network. TD is arranging for the tendering of the new TIS contract, which is expected to be awarded soon.
As regards the traffic management framework, the installation of ATC and CCTV systems in Tai Po and North Districts has been completed. We have commenced the works to expand the system to Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and we expect the works to be completed by October 2008. Upon completion of the project, more than 90% of all signalised junctions in Hong Kong will be covered by the ATC system. The renewal of the Hong Kong Island ATC system has progressed well and is scheduled for completion within 2006. We are also planning to replace the systems in Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin, and extend the system to Tseung Kwan O.
In addition, we also plan to install traffic control and surveillance facilities on major expressways, including the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, Deep Bay Link, Route 8 and Fanling/Tolo Highway between 2006 and 2009. We will also install additional CCTV cameras along the Island Eastern Corridor, Yuen Long Highway, Tung Chung Road, Road T3 in Sha Tin and Route 9 Extension in Tsuen Wan by 2007 for better traffic management.
We are planning to extend the Journey Time Indication System to the Kowloon approaches to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel to provide more information to motorists. We will seek funding later, and expect the project to be completed in 2008.
We will continue to use ITS and implement various projects under the ITS Strategy in a cost-effective manner through collaboration with the private sector and the academia.
Ends/Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:58
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