Special traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong Streetathon 2024 this Sunday
The Transport Department (TD) today (December 4) reminded members of the public that temporary special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in phases at various locations on Hong Kong Island North and in Kowloon East and Tseung Kwan O from 1am this Sunday (December 8) to facilitate the holding of the Hong Kong Streetathon 2024.
The full marathon race will start at the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) near Hing Fat Street and route through major road sections including the IEC, the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, Lung Wo Road, then turn back and be routed through the Eastern Harbour Crossing and the Tseung Lam Highway, then turn back again and be routed via Cha Kwo Ling Road, Kwun Tong Bypass, Hoi Bun Road, Kai Fuk Road, Kai Tak Tunnel and East Kowloon Corridor to the finishing point at San Shan Road in To Kwa Wan.
The race route of the half marathon race will be similar to the full marathon race, except that it will not be routed through the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, Lung Wo Road and the Tseung Lam Highway.
The 10-kilometre race will start at the Tseung Lam Highway near Tong Yin Street and route through the Tseung Lam Highway, Cha Kwo Ling Road and Kwun Tong Bypass, and finish at Hoi Bun Road in Kwun Tong.
Subject to the race arrangements and progress, the road sections along the race routes will be temporarily closed in phases from 1am on that day, until the reopening of roads at about 1pm. Motorists are advised to pay attention to the traffic signs erected at the scene and consider using alternative routes to their destinations.
Due to the temporary road closures, the TD anticipates that the traffic at various locations on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon will be more significantly congested when compared with normal Sundays, including:
Hong Kong Island: King's Road, Java Road, Shau Kei Wan Road, Causeway Road, Victoria Park Road, Yee Wo Street, Gloucester Road, Hennessy Road, Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road, Queensway, the Aberdeen Tunnel (Wan Chai bound) and in the vicinity of Central Ferry Pier areas; and
Kowloon: Kwun Tong Road, Wai Yip Street, Prince Edward Road East and in the vicinity of Kowloon Bay areas.
Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the above affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on-site.
In view of temporary road closures, 58 bus routes (including 18 KMB routes, 20 Citybus routes and 20 Cross Harbour Bus routes) and 16 Green Minibus routes will be affected and subject to diversion, truncation or relocation of stops in phases until the reopening of the roads. During the road closure period, taxi stands (including taxi pick-up/drop-off points), public light bus stands, roadside parking spaces and private car parks on the roads affected will be suspended.
To enable participants travelling to Causeway Bay for the full and half marathon races with the earliest starting times from 5.15am and 5.55am respectively, the first departures of all MTR rail lines (except the Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line) will be advanced suitably on Sunday, with the first departures on the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line to be operated at 2.50am. In addition, three special bus routes will also be operated to serve event participants travelling to Causeway Bay this Sunday.
Members of the public should plan their journeys early to avoid unexpected delays, and use public transport services (particularly railway services) as far as possible, and pay attention to the arrangements of temporary route diversions and relocations of stops. They may browse the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) or mobile application "HKeMobility" for information about the special traffic and transport information, or may also browse relevant public transport operators' websites or mobile applications for details of service changes.
The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation. Other temporary road and traffic control measures, including adjusting the extent of road closures, and alteration or suspension of public transport services may be implemented by the Policeat short notice depending on the actual traffic conditions. Members of the public are advised to stay alert to the latest traffic news.
2024 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video)
To enable the community to have a better understanding of the Constitution, the Basic Law, and the HKSAR's constitutional basis as laid down by the Constitution and the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR today (December 4) jointly held a seminar on Constitution Day, with the Endeavour Education Centre as the supporting organisation.
About 1 000 participants from various sectors of the community attended the Seminar themed "The Constitution and Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively". The Seminar comprised of two parts: a keynote speech and a panel discussion. The keynote speech was delivered by Professor Mo Jihong, who is the Member of the Academy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Dean of the School of Law of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Executive Vice-President of the Association of Constitutional Law of the China Law Society. The panel discussion was moderated by member of the Management Committee of the Endeavour Education Centre, Miss Elsie Leung, who hosted a discussion with Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and non-official member of the Executive Council and member of the Legislative Council, Mr Martin Liao; and member of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Dr William Wong, SC, on the vital functions of the Constitution in the process of further deepening reform comprehensively and promoting Chinese modernisation, as well as Hong Kong's integral roles in this regard.
Speaking at the Seminar, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said that in the course of further deepening the reform comprehensively, the status of the Constitution as the fundamental law of the country must be upheld, and the provisions, principles and spirit of the Constitution must be firmly safeguarded and implemented, so as to ensure that the reforms are heading in the right direction and are carried out correctly and steadily. At the same time, education on the Constitution must be stepped up, because only when all people fully understand the content and spirit of the Constitution, a favourable atmosphere of respecting and abiding by the law can be created in society, and reforms can move forward steadily while abiding by the rule of law. He pointed out that the Resolution (the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization) adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC Central Committee) put forward more than 300 important reform initiatives, many of which are closely related to Hong Kong, and the key requirement throughout is that the HKSAR should fully capitalise on the institutional advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle.
Addressing in his speech, Mr Zheng Yanxiong, the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, mentioned that with the propelling of further comprehensive deepening of reforms, the full implementation of the Constitution mechanism will be further enhanced. The rule of law and Rule of the Constitution will step to a new stage and enter a new horizon in the new journey of the Chinese modernisation. The spirit of the rule of law and innovation will lead Hong Kong to a higher level of security and quality development. At present, with the staunch support of the Central Government, the strong leadership of the HKSAR Government, and the concerted efforts of all sectors of the HKSAR, the situations in Hong Kong society remain stable, and the economic and social developments of Hong Kong experience favourable changes. Hong Kong is now entering the best period for striving for economic growth and development at full strength.
When delivering his keynote speech, Professor Mo expressed his full confidence in the future of Hong Kong, which originates from the successful implementation of the Basic Law in Hong Kong in an active and effective manner. He pointed out that we must firmly establish the awareness of the importance of the Constitution, consciously uphold the authoritative status of the Constitution as the fundamental law in promoting Hong Kong's economic development and prosperity, use the reform spirit of the Constitution to promote practical innovation of the HKSAR's system, and continue to ensure that on the premise of the Central Authorities' effective exercise of overall jurisdiction, we can fully mobilise and utilise the initiative and proactiveness of all sectors of the community in Hong Kong, and encourage and support the HKSAR and the HKSAR Government to make good use of the high degree of autonomy conferred by the Constitution and the Basic Law, in order to place the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents at the core position of the HKSAR's system.
During the panel discussion of the Seminar, Mr Liao said the Constitution is the founding capital of modern countries and a country's fundamental law which possess the highest authority and status. We are all familiar that the Constitution is also the crystal of unity for the party and the country and unity for the people. It is also a mutual adaptation to the history of the country, the cultural background, the social values, as well as the current institution and mechanism, and a representation of the entire country's spiritual outlook, both internally and externally. Dr Wong pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee put forward new development concepts, emphasising on comprehensive ruling of the country in accordance with the law. He considered this as opportunities for all young people in Hong Kong, for the reason that establishing a completely fair cultural awareness and a fair mechanism allow all citizens to give full play to their strengths and pursue happy lives.
The Government has arranged the government website as well as some major television stations to broadcast live the Seminar. The full version of the Seminar will also be uploaded to the website of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/home/index.htm) to enable members of the public to review the Seminar. They may visit the dedicated webpage (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/constitution_day.htm) for other information about Constitution Day.
2024 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
2024 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
2024 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
