Special Traffic Arrangements for Hong Kong Football Match Tonight in So Kon Po and Causeway Bay

Special traffic arrangements for International Football Friendly Match - Hong Kong, China vs Cambodia

The Police announced today (November 13) that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in So Kon Po and Causeway Bay to facilitate the International Football Friendly Match - Hong Kong, China vs Cambodia, which will be held tonight at the Hong Kong Stadium. The Police urge members of the public travelling to areas subject to road traffic control to make use of public transport as far as possible.

A. Traffic arrangements before the start of the event

Depending on the crowd and traffic conditions, the following arrangements will be implemented from about 5.30pm:

Road closure

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- Caroline Hill Road between its eastern junction with Leighton Road and Cotton Path;

- Part of the traffic lane of Caroline Hill Road between Eastern Hospital Road and Cotton Path;

- Westbound Hysan Avenue between Yun Ping Road and Hoi Ping Road;

- Stadium Path; and

- Lee Garden Road between Lan Fong Road and Hysan Avenue, except for green minibuses (GMBs).

Traffic diversions

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- Caroline Hill Road between its western junction with Leighton Road and Stadium Path will be re-routed one way southbound;

- Eastern Hospital Road between Stadium Path and Tung Lo Wan Road will be re-routed one way northbound;

- Two traffic lanes on Caroline Hill Road between its western junction with Leighton Road and Link Road will be designated for traffic entering Caroline Hill Road from Hoi Ping Road;

- Hysan Avenue between Leighton Road and Hoi Ping Road will be re-routed one way eastbound;

- Two traffic lanes on eastbound Hysan Avenue will be designated for traffic turning right to Hoi Ping Road;

- Vehicles leaving the private driveway of Lee Garden One must turn left to eastbound Hysan Avenue;

- Traffic along Yun Ping Road cannot turn left to westbound Hysan Avenue, and vehicles will be diverted to Lan Fong Road and Pak Sha Road;

- Traffic along northbound Link Road downhill to northbound Caroline Hill Road may need to turn left to westbound Leighton Road; and

- Vehicles travelling along Lan Fong Road may not be allowed to turn left to southbound Lee Garden Road, and will be diverted to northbound Lee Garden Road, Foo Ming Street and southbound Percival Street, except for GMBs.

Passenger drop-off zone

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The drop-off zone for taxis and private cars will be arranged to set down passengers at the locations specified below:

- Western kerbside of Caroline Hill Road near the Disciplined Service Sports and Recreation Club;

- Northern kerbside of Cotton Path; and

- Southern kerbside (taxi drop-off zone) and northern kerbside (private car drop-off zone) of Eastern Hospital Road near the main entrance of Hong Kong Stadium.

B. Traffic arrangements upon conclusion of the event

Depending on the crowd and traffic conditions, the following arrangements will be implemented from about 9.30pm:

Road closure

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- Caroline Hill Road;

- Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Cotton Path;

- Northbound Link Road (downhill), except for vehicles heading for No. 1, 3, 5 and 7 on Link Road;

- Hoi Ping Road;

- Sunning Road, except for vehicles leaving Lee Garden Three Car Park;

- Cotton Path and Leighton Road (when necessary).

Traffic diversions

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- Before the end of the event, vehicles leaving the South China Athletic Association car parks may be permitted to turn right at the western exit to northbound Caroline Hill Road;

- Before the end of the event, vehicles leaving buildings on Eastern Hospital Road may be permitted to turn right to northbound Eastern Hospital Road;

- Traffic along westbound Leighton Road cannot enter Caroline Hill Road for Link Road, and vehicles will be diverted via Wong Nai Chung Road and Broadwood Road; and

- When Leighton Road is closed, traffic along westbound Causeway Road will be diverted via Irving Street; traffic along eastbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted via Canal Road West; traffic along southbound Percival Street must turn right to westbound Leighton Road; and traffic along southbound Canal Road East cannot turn left to Leighton Road.

C. Other special arrangements

Prohibition for learner drivers

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The following roads will be prohibited to all learner drivers between 5pm to 11pm:

- Westbound Leighton Road;

- Percival Street south of Hennessy Road;

- Caroline Hill Road;

- Link Road;

- Stadium Path;

- Cotton Path; and

- Eastern Hospital Road.

Suspension of parking spaces

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All on-street parking spaces on the following roads will be suspended from 5pm to 11pm:

- Stadium Path;

- Northbound Caroline Hill Road between Stadium Path and Cotton Path;

- Hoi Ping Road;

- Sunning Road; and

- Eastern Hospital Road.

Restrictions on access to / exit from car parks

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During the road closure period, vehicles in car parks within the road closure area may not be permitted to leave. If necessary, all car parks along Caroline Hill Road, Eastern Hospital Road, Stadium Path and Cotton Path will be closed at short notice.

During the implementation of the special traffic arrangements, any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts mentioned above will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.

The Police will implement the special arrangements subject to traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience, and take heed of instructions of police officers on site.

Source: AI-found images

Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses

Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.

Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.

The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:

(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.

(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.

"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.

To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.

Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.

Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.

Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.

Source: AI-found images