Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hok-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that the intake of the newly-built public housing estates in Tung Chung, namely Cheung Tung Estate and Chun Tung Estate, will commence progressively this year, and the population in the district is expected to increase by 30 000 or more within the year. On the other hand, there are views that the North Lantau Hospital (NLH), which has been serving the district for more than 11 years, has yet to be developed into a general hospital and only provides seven specialist outpatient services, making it necessary for some patients to travel a long distance to seek consultation at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Regarding the healthcare services for Islands District, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows if the Hospital Authority (HA) has plans to provide all of the 15 specialist services at NLH; if it has, of the timetable and the next specialist outpatient service to be provided at the hospital; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as it has been reported that Stage 1 of Phase 2 development of the NLH project was completed last year, whether the Government knows when HA plans to commence Stage 2 of the development project; if so, of the details;
 
(3) whether the Government has assessed the demand for healthcare services of the additional population brought about by the two aforesaid newly-built public housing estates in Tung Chung, and the time needed for residents moving into these two estates to arrange for a change of the cluster hospitals they attend;
 
(4) whether it knows the current and projected staff establishment and the vacancy rates of NLH for the next three years, together with a breakdown by specialist outpatient service; of the number of days on which each specialist outpatient service is currently provided at the hospital per week; whether it has assessed if such specialist outpatient services can meet the demand of existing patients; and
 
(5) given that while the Government has proposed in the 2024 Policy Address to develop tourism in the Ex-Lamma Quarry area, it is learnt that clinics in the district cannot provide round-the-clock services at present, whether the Government will enhance the services of North Lamma General Outpatient Clinic, so as to cope with the demand arising from future development; if so, of the details?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hok-fung is as follows:
 
(1), (3) and (4) The HA plans and develops various public healthcare services on a cluster basis, taking into account a number of factors, including the increase of service demand arising from population growth and demographic changes, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, technology advancement, manpower supply as well as service arrangements of the various clusters. The HA monitors the utilisation of various healthcare services and plans future hospital services according to the population projection parameters of various districts of Hong Kong and the development plans of the Government.
 
     Currently, Tung Chung falls within the catchment area of the Kowloon West Cluster (KWC). The five hospitals in the KWC, namely the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), the Caritas Medical Centre (CMC), the Yan Chai Hospital (YCH), the Kwai Chung Hospital and the North Lantau Hospital (NLTH), provide comprehensive clinical services to the residents of the district. Based on the Projections of Population Distribution 2023-2031 of the Planning Department, the population of the Tung Chung New Town is about 150 000 in 2025. Under the First Hospital Development Plan (HDP) which is currently being implemented and the Second HDP which is being planned, the Government and the HA will, having taken the healthcare service needs brought by the projected population growth in the relevant districts (including the Tung Chung New Town Extension) into consideration, take forward and plan hospital development projects to increase the number of beds and other healthcare facilities. The HA will also keep in view the utilisation of healthcare services in the KWC to conduct cluster planning and adjust the service provision in the cluster in accordance with the latest projection of service demand, with a view to meeting the healthcare service needs of their patients (including the residents of Tung Chung).
 
     If residents who have newly moved to Tung Chung wish to receive medical consultations in hospitals of the KWC due to personal choice, travel distance to/from hospitals or physical condition, etc., they may apply for the HA’s referral services according to their own needs. The HA will process such applications as soon as practicable.
 
     With regard to the manpower establishment and the provision of specialist out-patient services in the NLTH, the HA provides healthcare services through multi-disciplinary teams comprising doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and supporting grade staff. At present, all the planned projects for Phase 1 development of the NLTH have been put into service, and necessary staff have been recruited according to operational needs. As at February 28, 2025, the NLTH has about 800 staff and 30 vacancies across different staff groups. Arrangements for the manpower establishment of the NLTH in future are made in accordance with the HA annual plan, which is formulated based on service needs. The HA will assess the manpower needs from time to time and deploy manpower flexibly to meet service and operational needs.
 
     The NLTH is currently providing the following specialist out-patient services with the service frequency as below:
 

Specialist out-patient service	Number of days of service in a week
Medicine and Geriatrics	4
Surgery	1
Urology	1
Orthopaedics and Traumatology	4
Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine	3
Gynaecology	1
Psychiatry	2

 
     Besides, all beds in NLTH have been commissioned. As at December 2024, the bed number at the hospital is 180.
 
     To ensure the effective use of resources and that the service volume of individual specialist out-patient services are sufficient for the healthcare staff’s accumulation of clinical experience to ensure the quality of services, the various hospitals in the same cluster will provide different and complementary services to provide comprehensive and optimal services to residents in the cluster’s catchment area. The hospitals in KWC will provide the NLTH with the appropriate service support, such as patients requiring emergency surgeries or having complex medical conditions will be supported by PMH or transferred to PMH for further treatment. Support will be provided to special cases of the Eye as well as the Ear, Nose and Throat specialities by the CMC and the YCH respectively. The KWC will review and plan the clinical services of the five hospitals in the cluster (including the NTLH) from time to time and adjust the service provision as necessary.
 
(2) NLTH Development Phase 2, Stage 1 project, i.e. the Hospital Authority Supporting Services Centre (HASSC), is amongst the projects under the First HDP. Following the funding approval by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in 2020, the construction works commenced in the fourth quarter of the same year. The HASSC was completed in 2024 and will commission in phases starting from March 2025. It will provide services including laundry, patient meals, critical personal protective equipment and key linen items storage, and a data centre for supporting the operations of NLTH and other public hospitals.
 
     As for the next stage of development for the NLTH, with the changes in the planning and development situation of Hong Kong, the Health Bureau and the HA are reviewing the Second HDP. Amongst others, in view of the planning and development strategies for the whole territory and regions announced by the Planning Department, including the “Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030” and the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, as well as the corresponding population projections of Hong Kong including the latest changes in overall population, its distribution and demographics, the Health Bureau and the HA have to make reference to the latest future planning of the whole territory (including the development concepts of the Northern Metropolis), population statistics, population distribution and demographics projections of various districts, and the population policy and talent attraction initiatives of the Government, adopt a planning horizon of up to 2040 and beyond for the Second HDP, and to project the healthcare service demand and consider the supply and conditions of the land required, for optimising the Second HDP.
 
     The Government also considers factors such as the needs for and cost-effectiveness of renovation, refurbishment, redevelopment or addition of facilities for individual hospitals; and the convenience of access of the public for healthcare services under various major transport infrastructure development plans, etc., for determining the distribution, scale and priority, etc. of various hospital development projects under the Second HDP. Upon completion of the review, the Government will announce the details of the Second HDP in due course. 
 
(5) Currently, the public healthcare services on the Lamma Island is mainly provided by the Hong Kong East Cluster of the HA.  The HA has two general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) on the Lamma Island, namely the North Lamma GOPC and the Sok Kwu Wan GOPC. The North Lamma GOPC provides service from Mondays to Fridays during the daytime and on Saturday mornings, with a doctor stationed at the clinic; whereas the Sok Kwu Wan GOPC provides service from Mondays to Saturdays during the daytime, with a doctor stationed at the clinic from Mondays to Fridays and a registered nurse providing nursing and support services during the remaining service hours.
 
     The GOPCs mainly provide service to chronic disease patients with stable medical conditions and episodic disease patients with relatively mild symptoms, and are not intended for provision of emergency services. If any resident of the island encounters emergency situations, the clinic staff will handle the matter according to the contingency mechanism. The clinic nurse will, based on the condition of the patient, contact the accident and emergency (A&E) department and provide appropriate treatment/care to the patient upon the doctor’s advice, or contact other government department(s) for assistance for the transferral of the patient to the A&E department, to ensure that patients with severe and acute symptoms will receive the appropriate treatment and support.
 
     Due to the geographical location of the Lamma Island, apart from the provision of general out-patient services, the HA also provides 24-hour first-aid services by a registered nurse at the North Lamma GOPC to ensure that the residents there can receive immediate first-aid services outside the service hours of the GOPCs.
 
     While planning for and developing the provision of public primary healthcare services, the Government needs to take into account a number of factors, including the delivery model of the primary healthcare service, demographic changes, distribution of the target groups, the provision of and demand for primary healthcare services within the district, etc. Having regard to the cost-effectiveness of providing overnight general out-patient service and the additional demand for healthcare manpower, the HA has no plan to provide overnight general out-patient service on Lamma Island at this stage based on the consideration of effective use of healthcare resources.
 
     In the long run, the HA will dovetail with the Government’s overall development policies, continue to closely monitor the demand for public primary healthcare services in the district and plan for and adjust the services with reference to the demand, so as to provide suitable primary healthcare services to the residents in the district. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 is 106.3 (same as yesterday’s index). read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Judy Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):

Question:

     Since April 2023, the Hospital Authority (HA) has started using the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital (CGAEH) located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop for the provision of ambulatory services, and has launched the Ambulatory Diagnostic Radiology Service Pilot Programme (the Pilot Programme) to invite patients with suitable clinical conditions to switch to CGAEH to receive radiological diagnostic services. Subsequently, HA has gradually expanded the services of CGAEH, including extending the service scope of the Pilot Programme to cover patients referred by all public hospitals in Hong Kong, introducing Magnetic Resonance Imaging services for thyroid eye disease, and providing imaging examination services with the use of two Ultrasonography machines and three Computed Tomography scanners. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number of patients who received radiological diagnostic services at CGAEH each year since the launch of the Pilot Programme, together with a breakdown by the hospital cluster to which the patients belonged;

(2) whether it knows the waiting situation for and the number of cases handled by HA’s radiology services in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by hospital cluster;

(3) whether it knows the number of various types of medical equipment in CGAEH since its operation and the dates on which they were commissioned;

(4) whether it knows the existing and future medical services provided by CGAEH;

(5) whether it knows the patronage of the shuttle bus provided by HA for transportation to and from CGAEH in the past year; and

(6) as a member of the public who belongs to a hospital cluster outside the New Territories has told me that even though the Pilot Programme has now been extended to cover patients referred by all public hospitals in Hong Kong, he has not yet been arranged to receive radiological diagnostic services at CGAEH, whether the Government knows if there are similar cases; if there are, of the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Judy Chan is as follows:

     The Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital (the Emergency Hospital) located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop was commissioned for construction by the Central Government during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong and handed over to the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on December 30, 2022, for operation and management. With Hong Kong having returned to normalcy, the Government handed over the Emergency Hospital to the HA for planning of day hospital services, with the New Territories East Cluster (NTEC) tasked with the management and operation of the hospital, so as to make good use of resources gifted by the Central Government. The Government and the HA will dovetail with the progress and need of land use development in the Loop and continue to arrange optimal use of relevant resources.

     The HA subsequently launched the Ambulatory Diagnostic Radiology Service Pilot Programme (the Programme) in April 2023, with a view to shortening the waiting time of patients and alleviating the pressure on the radiology services of public hospitals. The Programme was first implemented in the NTEC and subsequently extended to patients of all public hospitals in Hong Kong. Under the Programme, various cluster hospitals actively select suitable patients who are waiting for investigations, including non-emergency and non-hospitalised patients with stable conditions who are self-ambulatory, and invite them to participate in the Programme on a voluntary basis, so that various clusters can make available resources to expedite handling of urgent cases with a view to shortening the waiting time. Invitations are issued by various cluster hospitals, rather than patients making applications themselves. Those who do not fulfil the above criteria will not receive invitations.

     As at the end of December 2024 since the inception of the Programme, more than 24 000, 5 300 and 5 600 patients have undergone Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Ultrasonography services in the Emergency Hospital respectively. The waiting time (median) of patients participating in the Programme (investigations undergone and appointments booked) has also improved, with the waiting time for CT patients shortened from 108 weeks to about 25 weeks (Note), that for MRI patients from 118 weeks to about 36 weeks (Note), and that for Ultrasonography patients from 165 weeks to about 56 weeks (Note). The number of patients receiving diagnostic radiology services in the Emergency Hospital by clusters is set out at Annex I. The HA’s waiting situation for radiological services and number of cases handled by clusters are set out at Annexes II and III.

     Apart from the above diagnostic radiological services, the HA has also progressively rolled out other services in the Emergency Hospital over the past year or so, including endoscopy, sleep study, microbiological tests and 25-hydroxyvitamin D analysis, and will commence intravitreal injection service with a view to optimising the use of medical facilities in the hospital. The quantity of major medical equipment in the Emergency Hospital and their commissioning dates are set out at Annex IV.

     To facilitate patients using the services, the Emergency Hospital provides free shuttle buses to transport patients between designated MTR stations and the hospital. Except public holidays, there are about 10 shuttle bus trips daily between Sheung Shui MTR station and the hospital from Mondays to Saturdays, and about eight shuttle bus trips daily between Yuen Long MTR station and the hospital, as well as between Siu Hong MTR station and the hospital on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At present, the monthly number of shuttle bus passenger exceeds 10 000.

Note: Waiting time is counted from when a patient joins the waiting list at a public hospital. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Robert Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:
 
     Recently, six departments of the Central Authorities jointly announced the Implementation Plan on Promoting the Inflow of Medium to Long-term Capital into the Market, so as to steadily expand the scale of investment and improve the supply and structure of funds in the capital market. Moreover, it has been reported that as pointed out by the Governor of the People’s Bank of China, the proportion of the country’s foreign exchange reserves allocated to Hong Kong’s assets will be substantially increased to support the development of Hong Kong’s capital market. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether the Government has discussed with the relevant Mainland authorities the specific details (such as the target level of the allocation proportion, the types of assets to be allocated and the amount involved) and the implementation timetable for increasing the allocation of the country’s foreign exchange reserves to Hong Kong’s assets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) whether the Government will study with the Mainland regulatory authorities the establishment of a mechanism for channelling capital, so as to promote the investment of the country’s foreign exchange reserves and some of the Mainland medium to long-term capital (such as the National Social Security Fund, commercial insurance funds and pension funds) in Hong Kong’s capital market;
 
(3) whether the Government will actively consider making good use of the funds under its control, such as charitable trust funds, university endowment funds and funds managed by different government departments, to jointly increase investment in Hong Kong stocks, so as to play a leading role and boost market confidence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) as it has been reported that the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) has recently proposed to promote the publication of a White Paper on Hong Kong’s Capital Market (the White Paper), whether the SAR Government will implement the formulation of the White Paper; if so, whether it will study collecting various financial institutions’ views in areas such as market regulation, transaction costs and corporate governance?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In consultation with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), my consolidated reply to the four parts of the question is as follows:
 
     During his remarks at the Asian Financial Forum in January 2025, the Governor of the People’s Bank of China said that a thriving capital market serves as the core and backbone of Hong Kong as an international financial centre. It will encourage quality enterprises to get listed and issue bonds in Hong Kong, and continuously enhance and expand the connectivity mechanisms between the Mainland and Hong Kong for stocks, bonds, wealth management products and interest rate swaps. It will also deepen the financial co-operation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and increase the allocation of our country’s foreign exchange reserves in assets in Hong Kong, so that the financial development in Hong Kong will embrace a broader future. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and financial regulators will continue to co-ordinate closely with relevant Mainland authorities as always to support the integration and healthy development of the Mainland and Hong Kong capital markets. We will also discuss with the Mainland further expansion and enhancement arrangements for mutual market access between capital markets of the two places, so as to better meet the needs of residents in both places for cross-market and diversified asset allocation, as well as attract more Mainland and international fund flows into Hong Kong.
 
     The Government very much welcomes and is grateful to the increase in allocation of the national foreign exchange reserves in assets in Hong Kong, which is a recognition of Hong Kong’s investment environment and the quality of our products. The specific details (such as funding distribution or timetable) will be considered by relevant Mainland institutions and announced as necessary. The Government and financial regulators have been maintaining communication with the Mainland financial regulators on financial market matters and will fully support related work. In fact, we need to strengthen our efforts in optimising the market and utilising our own attractiveness to encourage more Mainland and overseas institutions and individual investors to participate in trading Hong Kong stocks. In the face of challenges from the external environment in the past few years, the Government has been striving to continuously improve market liquidity through taking forward specific enhancement measures. Specifically, the Government set up the Task Force on Enhancing Stock Market Liquidity in 2023 to review the factors affecting market liquidity and put forward improvement recommendations on different areas such as listing regime, market structure, trading mechanism, etc. The Government together with the SFC and HKEX have taken forward various measures, including enhancing the specialist technology listing regime, reforming GEM, facilitating listing of overseas issuers, implementing arrangements for trading under severe weather, establishing the regime for share repurchase and treasury, narrowing the trading spread, etc. We have also been actively attracting overseas capital through different channels, including consolidating traditional sources of funds and opening up new capital sources.
 
     As our country’s economy demonstrates resilience with breakthroughs in key technologies, and as the enhancement measures that we have implemented begin to bear fruit, the sentiment and trading in the Hong Kong stock market have improved since last year. From the beginning of this year, stock market trading has become even more active, with average daily turnover until February exceeding $220 billion, an increase of close to 70 per cent over that of 2024. Last year, Hong Kong was one of the world’s four largest initial public offering (IPO) markets, with total IPO funds raised exceeding $87 billion, up nearly 90 per cent year-on-year. As of the end of February this year, HKEX was processing over 100 listing applications, demonstrating increasing confidence of companies in raising funds in Hong Kong. HKEX and the SFC will continue their efforts in strengthening the competitiveness of the stock market by facilitating corporate financing, promoting product innovation, and improving trading and risk management efficiency.
 
     As regards investment of funds under the Government, funds established by the Government or operated by Government departments have specific purposes and management mechanisms. The relevant funds need to formulate appropriate investment strategies based on factors such as its size, overall risk tolerance, liquidity needs, etc, so as to achieve target returns, cash flow or specific policy objectives through different asset allocations. It is not appropriate to formulate uniform asset allocation recommendations or restrictions for the investment of relevant funds.
 
     The Government has been implementing various reforms for the development of the capital market, including establishing listing avenues for new economy and technology enterprises with weighted voting rights structures, facilitating overseas issuers to raise funds in Hong Kong, etc. As also mentioned in the 2025-26 Budget, the key to consolidating and enhancing the strengths of Hong Kong as an international financial centre lies in institutional innovation, product innovation, a critical mass of enterprises and financial connectivity. To dovetail with the latest economic trends and corporate needs, HKEX and the SFC are taking forward a comprehensive review of the listing regime, which will review listing requirements and post-listing ongoing obligations, evaluate listing-related regulations and arrangements to improve the vetting process, optimise the thresholds for dual primary listing and secondary listing, and review the market structure, including exploring the establishment of an over-the-counter trading market. HKEX and the SFC will conduct in-depth review in each area, with a view to putting forward enhancement proposals in different areas by batches when they are ready within this year for market consultation. Meanwhile, the Government will also collect market views through various channels from time to time, including the financial regulators and the Financial Services Development Council, so as to formulate relevant development strategies in a timely manner. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Stanley Li and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):

Question:

     It is learnt that the continued population growth in the Clear Water Bay Road area in recent years, coupled with the large number of people travelling to Sai Kung and Clear Water Bay Beach at weekends, has resulted in serious traffic congestion at the roundabout on Clear Water Bay Road near Ying Yip Road outside Sussex Lodge, Tseung Kwan O (TKO) (the roundabout). Some residents are hoping for the construction of a carriageway connecting Clear Water Bay Road or Tai Au Mun Road to Wan Po Road so that vehicles can be diverted to TKO Area 137, the Cross Bay Link, TKO, and Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the Government has conducted a comprehensive and systematic assessment of traffic flows at the roundabout and along Clear Water Bay Road; if so, whether it can provide specific data and predictive analysis reports on traffic flows in this area for the past five years and the next five years, including information on vehicle types, peak traffic periods, etc.;

(2) whether the Government has considered implementing temporary traffic control measures in the vicinity of the roundabout to alleviate the existing traffic congestion problem; if so, of the specific measures and their implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether the Government will assess the feasibility of using a smart traffic system to relieve traffic congestion at the roundabout; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) regarding the request to construct a carriageway connecting Clear Water Bay Road or Tai Au Mun Road to Wan Po Road, whether the relevant government department(s) has/have commenced a feasibility study; if so, of the details, including the current stage and the expected completion date of the study, the time required for the preliminary works of the carriageway project, and the official commencement date of construction; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) whether the Government has currently formulated strategies to promote coordinated development between urban planning and carriageway construction in the areas surrounding Clear Water Bay Road and Tai Au Mun Road?

Reply:

President,

     In respect of the questions raised by the Hon Stanley Li regarding the transport planning in the vicinity of Sussex Lodge in Tseung Kwan O, having consulted the Transport Department (TD) and the Highways Department (HyD), my consolidated reply is as follows.

     Currently, the neighbourhood of Clear Water Bay Road and Tai Au Mun Road is a low-density residential area, primarily connected to the Tseung Kwan O town centre via the Clear Water Bay Road/Ying Yip Road roundabout (i.e. the roundabout in front of the Sussex Lodge). While the traffic on Clear Water Bay Road and Tai Au Mun Road is relatively busy in the morning peak hour (approximately from 7.30am to 8.30am), the vehicular flow is generally smooth in other periods. Based on the traffic impact assessments under other developments in the Tseung Kwan O region submitted in recent years, the Design Flow to Capacity (DFC) ratios of the roundabout in front of Sussex Lodge during the morning peak hour are as follows:
 

Year	DFC ratio (Note) during morning peak hour
2023	0.85
2026	0.92 (estimated)
2031	0.92 (estimated)

Note: DFC ratio shows the operational performance of a roundabout/priority junction. A DFC ratio below 1.0 implies that there is sufficient capacity; above 1.0 implies that the roundabout/priority junction is overloaded.

     As there is so far no large-scale development in the vicinity of Clear Water Bay Road and Tai Au Mun Road under planning in future, the TD, after evaluation, considers that the capacity of the concerned roundabout and its connecting roads remain sufficient to meet the demand. Nevertheless, the TD will closely monitor the situation, and review the relevant traffic demand as well as implement appropriate traffic improvement measures as necessary in keeping with the developments in the area. Based on the TD’s on-site traffic surveys, during the morning peak hour, a significant portion of the northbound traffic on Clear Water Bay Road turns left at the roundabout into Hang Hau Road, heading towards the Tseung Kwan O town centre and other destinations. To alleviate the above situation, the TD and the HyD have planned to introduce an exclusive left-turn lane at the roundabout towards Hang Hau Road. This measure will enable the Clear Water Bay Road northbound vehicles to enter Hang Hau Road more quickly without entering the roundabout, thereby reducing the traffic volume circulating inside the roundabout and improving convenience for vehicles traveling in all directions. When this exclusive left-turn lane is introduced, the TD assessed that the DFC ratio of the roundabout in the morning peak hour could be reduced to approximately 0.7 by 2031. The TD and the HyD have commenced the preparatory works in September 2024. Considering that the construction works involve relocating underground utilities and tree transplantation or removal, it is anticipated that the works will be completed by late 2027/early 2028.

     To minimise the impact on the nearby traffic due to the temporary traffic arrangements during the construction works, the works will be carried out in phases. Currently, the HyD is undertaking preliminary excavation for trial pits, discussing with relevant utility undertakers the relocation of underground utilities, and carrying out tree assessments, etc. As different phases of the works involve underground utility relocation and tree transplantation or removal, the TD and the HyD will carefully assess the construction progress and formulate temporary traffic measures for subsequent phases based on the latest traffic conditions.

     On the other hand, the TD has made reference to the traffic management measures at other roundabouts, such as the possibility of installing traffic signals at the concerned roundabout. However, due to site constraints, the roundabout has a relatively small diameter. The roundabout and its connecting roads lack sufficient space to accommodate the vehicular queues for temporary stopping if traffic signals or real-time adaptive traffic signal systems are to be installed. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, the TD will continue to review and consider viable improvement options.

     Regarding the town planning for the peripheral areas of Tseung Kwan O in future, such as the large-scale development project in Tseung Kwan O Area 137, the primary traffic demand to the urban area will be catered by the proposed Tseung Kwan O Line Southern Extension, and the major roads including Wan Po Road, Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link and Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel. As such, it is expected that the additional traffic demand would not have significant impact on Clear Water Bay Road or Tai Au Mun Road. The Government currently has no plan to construct a road connecting Tseung Kwan O Area 137 to Clear Water Bay. read more