Special traffic arrangements for race meeting in Happy Valley
Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley today (December 4). The arrangements will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.
A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race
The following road closure and traffic diversions will be implemented from 50 minutes before the start of the first race for day racing, or from 6pm onwards for night racing:
1. Road closure
Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp outside the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed, except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.
2. Traffic diversions
- Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside the HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
- Traffic along eastbound Queen's Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
- Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
- Traffic along Queen's Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road, except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel;
- Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen's Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East; and
- Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.
B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting
The following road closure and traffic diversions will be implemented from about 35 minutes before the start of the last race:
1. Road closure
- The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside the HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
- Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
- Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of the HKJC;
- Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
- Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen's Road East.
In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of the HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.
2. Traffic diversions
- Eastbound Queen's Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
- Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
- Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
- Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
- Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
- Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.
C. Learner drivers prohibition
Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:
- Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
- Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
- Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
- Canal Road East; and
- The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.
D. Suspension of parking spaces
Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm for day racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm for night racing respectively.
All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.
Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site.
CSTB convenes meeting to strengthen co-ordination of preparation work for receiving mega cruise ships
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) convened a meeting yesterday (December 3) to strengthen preparations for receiving mega cruise ships homeporting at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) in the coming months.
The meeting was chaired by the Commissioner for Tourism, Mrs Angelina Cheung, and attended by representatives of the Transport Department (TD), the Hong Kong Police Force, relevant cruise lines, transport services providers, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the cruise terminal operator.
Mrs Cheung said, "The Government attaches great importance to facilitating operations on international cruise lines, and aspires to furnish cruise passengers with better visiting experiences, thereby consolidating Hong Kong's position as a major homeport in Asia and attracting more ship calls."
Departing from Shanghai, Spectrum of the Seas will berth at the KTCT on December 6 (Friday) until the afternoon on the same day with some 4 900 passengers from different places, beginning its seasonal homeport deployment in Hong Kong with a total of eight ship calls in the coming two months. The Government welcomes the ship to choose Hong Kong as its homeport, and looks forward to working with the trade to better prepare to receive cruise passengers.
At the suggestion of the CSTB, the cruise lines will collect information from passengers and persons-in-charge of the tour groups on board regarding post-disembarkation arrangements such as planned destinations and whether a vehicle pick-up has already been arranged. The cruise lines will pass such information to the terminal operator so that the transport arrangements can be adjusted and enhanced as necessary.
Transportation services at the KTCT will be strengthened during the disembarkation period between 7am to 10.30am on December 6, with due regard to the disembarkation arrangements by the cruise line, and to enable passengers to head to different destinations. Improved services include:
(a) apart from four regular franchised bus routes and one minibus route, two additional express bus routes will be in service, connecting the Kai Tak MTR Station and the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Station (via Tsim Sha Tsui) respectively. Franchised bus companies will step up service levels to meet demand when necessary, and will deploy more buses with luggage racks to serve passengers with luggage. At least 53 flights of buses will be in operation;
(b)coach operators will provide free and paid shuttle services as well as support pre-arranged tours organised by local travel agents. At least 38 coaches will be in operation; and
(c)with regard to taxis, since the taxi supply may fluctuate during peak hours, shift-change hours and inclement weather conditions, in addition to the existing mechanism of frequently notifying the taxi trade before and during the disembarkation period via instant message platforms, the TD has also recently communicated with the taxi trade specifically on cruise ship calls, and will further assist in informing the taxi associations in advance before the arrival of mega cruise ships. If an exceptionally strong demand is anticipated, the terminal operator will, depending on the ground situation, increase the face value of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) coupons distributed to each taxi that picks up passengers at the KTCT to $100 as appropriate. Real-time messages to the taxi trade will also be refined by including the forecast taxi demand on top of the time of disembarkation and real-time waiting situations.
Furthermore, the CSTB reminded parties attending the meeting to work together and take other necessary measures to ensure that passengers can leave the terminal for their destinations quickly and smoothly. In particular:
(a) making available to passengers, through cruise lines and before the ship’s arrival, specific information about various transport options so that passengers can decide on their transportation arrangements in advance;
(b)imposing appropriate crowd management measures, through cruise lines, the terminal operator and relevant parties early and in a timely manner, and deploying sufficient manpower and signage at the KTCT to guide and assist passengers; and
(c)informing the terminal operator immediately of any congestion and major traffic incidents in the vicinity of the KTCT and along major trunk roads so that appropriate contingency measures can be imposed and alternate advice to passengers could be given.
The Government has long been providing, and will continue to provide, necessary support to the terminal operator with regard to receiving cruise ships. The terminal operator should continue to discharge its responsibilities of co-ordinating various departments, cruise lines, and service providers on making appropriate transportation plans and on ensuring efficient, smooth and effective management of cruise passenger flows. Stakeholders will continue to maintain close communications on the ship calls at the KTCT, plan in advance and co-ordinate different aspects for receiving cruise passengers to Hong Kong. The CSTB will also closely monitor the implementation of the strengthened measures and will further review and adjust the arrangements for ship calls thereafter.
CSTB convenes meeting to strengthen co-ordination of preparation work for receiving mega cruise ships Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
