Special Traffic and Transport Arrangements for Tuen Ng Festival Dragon Boat Races Announced

Special traffic and transport arrangements in Southern District and Tai Po before and during Tuen Ng Festival holiday

The Transport Department (TD) today (June 15) reminded members of the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in the Southern District and Tai Po before (June 18) and during the Tuen Ng Festival holiday (June 19) to facilitate the holding of dragon boat races:

Southern District

A. Traffic arrangements

(i) Road closures

Hoi Fung Path and Stanley Link Road will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic, except for vehicles of the local residents, police and emergency vehicles, from 6am to 9pm on June 19.

(ii) Adjustment of pedestrian precinct effective period

• The effective period of the pedestrian precinct at Stanley Main Street will be advanced to 7am till 11pm on June 19; and

• The effective periods of the pedestrian precincts at Stanley New Street and Stanley Market Road will be adjusted to 7am till 9pm on June 19.

B. Public transport arrangements

The following adjustments will be implemented for the public transport services on June 19:

(i) Citybus special route No. 73S (Stanley Village to Ocean Park Station) will be operated from 4.30pm to 8pm and additional departures will be operated subject to passenger demand;

(ii) The services of Citybus route Nos. 6, 6X, 14, 65, 73 and 260 will be strengthened or adjusted subject to passenger demand and traffic conditions, and the first departure of Citybus route No. 260 from Central (Exchange Square) will be advanced to 6.45am;

(iii) The service of Hong Kong Island (HKI) green minibus (GMB) route No. 40 will be suspended from 6am to 7pm, while the service of HKI GMB route No. 40X will be strengthened accordingly;

(iv) The kaito service between the landing step outside the Aberdeen Promenade and Ap Lei Chau will be suspended from 7am to 5pm; and

(v) Some bus stops, GMB stands and taxi stands in the vicinity of Stanley, Repulse Bay and Aberdeen will be suspended or temporarily relocated by phases.

Tai Po

A. Traffic arrangements

(i) Road closures

Dai King Street, Dai Hei Street and the section of Dai Kwai Street south of Dai Cheong Street will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic, except for taxis, emergency vehicles and those vehicles authorised by the Police on site, from 6pm on June 18 to 5pm on June 19.

B. Public transport arrangements

(i)Bus route diversion and suspension of bus stops

KMB route No. 72A (Tai Wai Station - Tai Po Industrial Estate) (both bounds) will omit Dai King Street, Dai Hei Street and the section of Dai Kwai Street south of Dai Cheong Street from 6pm on June 18 to 5pm on June 19. Concurrently, the bus stops on the above road sections will be suspended.

(ii) Temporary provision of taxi pick-up/drop-off area

A temporary taxi pick-up/drop-off area will be provided on the section of Dai Hei Street west of Dai Kwai Street from 7am to 5pm on June 19.

For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may refer to the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), its mobile application "HKeMobility" or passenger notices issued by relevant public transport operators.

Due to road closures, the TD anticipates that traffic in the concerned areas will become significantly congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on site.

The TD appeals to the public to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delay. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements, subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or "HKeMobility".

Photo source: AI-created image

Three property owners fined nearly $230,000 in total for not complying with statutory orders

Three owners were convicted and fined $225,320 in total at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts last Friday (June 12) for failing to comply with statutory orders issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).

The first case involved an unauthorised structure with an area of about 32 square metres on the roof of a village house on a lot at D.D. 115, Yuen Long. Since the Lands Department would not issue a certificate of exemption for the unauthorised building works (UBWs) and the UBWs were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD and was convicted and fined $102,600 in total, of which $62,600 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued.

The second case involved alteration of two adjoining units into mini-storage units in an industrial building on San On Street, Tuen Mun. As the alteration and addition works obstructed the means of escape and means of access for firefighting and rescue, contravening the Building (Planning) Regulations, two removal orders and two repair orders were served on the two owners under section 24(1) and section 26 of the BO. Failing to comply with the statutory orders, the owners were prosecuted by the BD and were convicted and fined $122,720 in total, of which $62,720 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued.

A spokesman for the BD said today (June 15), "UBWs, including the unauthorised alterations causing obstruction to the means of escape and means of access for firefighting and rescue, or affecting the fire-resisting construction of a building, may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who fail to comply with removal orders and repair orders, including instigation of prosecution, to ensure building and public safety."

Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues. Moreover, failure to comply with a repair order without reasonable excuse is also a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of level 5 ($50,000 at present) and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $5,000 for each day that the offence continues.