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Thursday, Dec 26, 2024
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East Kowloon Line should be coupled with cycling tracks and walkways: DAB
The city’s largest pro-establishment party suggested on Tuesday that the mass transit system for the East Kowloon Line should be developed in a hybrid mode and coupled with midair bicycle tracks and walkways to accommodate residents’ needs and promote green transportation.
In a press conference today, Starry Lee Wai-king, the chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said government’s current plans do not cover the whole of Kowloon East, especially after the proposal of a light rail line in Kai Tak has been canceled.
The public transportation in the area will also be burdened with the construction of light public housing, Lee said.
The government originally proposed the line to run from Po Tat via Sau Mau Ping, Shun On, Shun Lee, and Choi Wan to Choi Hung East Station.
Meanwhile, Lee suggested extending the rail line to cover areas including Tsz Wan Shan, Diamond Hill, and Anderson Road to make the transport system accessible to residents who live further uphill.
On the other hand, lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu noted government’s monorail, also known as elevated trackless rapid transit system, will require overhead cables installation works.
Ngan then referred to different driverless railway systems including SkyShuttle in Shenzhen and the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) in Hunan, saying they both run on battery and can satisfy authorities’ demands when it comes to cost-benefit analysis.
He believed the actual construction costs will be far lower than the estimated construction costs, meaning the government will no longer be able to refuse importing SkyShuttle into the SAR.
Ngan also suggested developing the transit system in a hybrid mode and building midair cycling tracks and walkways by using the line’s elevated structure as support – taking reference from the Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link.
There will also be parking spaces for bikers in order to promote green transportation.
The public transportation in the area will also be burdened with the construction of light public housing, Lee said.
The government originally proposed the line to run from Po Tat via Sau Mau Ping, Shun On, Shun Lee, and Choi Wan to Choi Hung East Station.
Meanwhile, Lee suggested extending the rail line to cover areas including Tsz Wan Shan, Diamond Hill, and Anderson Road to make the transport system accessible to residents who live further uphill.
On the other hand, lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu noted government’s monorail, also known as elevated trackless rapid transit system, will require overhead cables installation works.
Ngan then referred to different driverless railway systems including SkyShuttle in Shenzhen and the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) in Hunan, saying they both run on battery and can satisfy authorities’ demands when it comes to cost-benefit analysis.
He believed the actual construction costs will be far lower than the estimated construction costs, meaning the government will no longer be able to refuse importing SkyShuttle into the SAR.
Ngan also suggested developing the transit system in a hybrid mode and building midair cycling tracks and walkways by using the line’s elevated structure as support – taking reference from the Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link.
There will also be parking spaces for bikers in order to promote green transportation.
