SCMA visits Macao
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, visited Macao today (July 22) to meet with officials of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to gather their views in preparing for Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan.
Miss Tse met with the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao SAR, Mr Cheong Chok-man, to explore ways to deepen co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao with regard to Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, and to leverage the distinctive advantages and vital roles of the two SARs of having strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems" principle. The government officials of the Macao SAR also shared their experience in drawing up five-year plans.
Miss Tse said that the Government of the Hong Kong SAR is working at full speed to draw up Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, which will set out the city's development vision and strategic directions for the next five years. The Plan will definitely have a close connection with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), of which Hong Kong is a part. Hong Kong will work more closely with Macao to jointly explore forward-looking and strategic development directions, and to leverage respective strengths to promote the development of the GBA.
The Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Miss Pamela Lam, was among the officials joining the visit.
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, today (July 22) met with officials of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Macao. Photo shows Miss Tse (fifth left) and the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Miss Pamela Lam (fifth right), with the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau, Mr Cheong Chok-man (centre) and other representatives after the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa (fourth right) today (July 22) met with the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Cheong Chok-man (third left), in Macao. The Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Miss Pamela Lam (third right), also joined the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video)
The Transport Department (TD) announced today (July 23) that a pilot licence for autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been updated in accordance with section 20(3)(b) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA) to further expand the AV trial in North Lantau, including commencing a driverless trial on Airport Island.
In February, the TD approved AVs on Airport Island trial routes to be monitoredby operators in the remote control centre, in addition to the in-vehicle backup operators. The trials of remote operation to date have met the requirements regarding safety, stability, accuracy and smoothness. Upon examining the test reports and conducting multiple site inspections, the TD is satisfied with the safety performance of AVs, with no abnormalities detected so far. While ensuring road safety, the TD has approved the driverless tests to commence on Airport Island with no in-vehicle backup operators. In addition, for the Tung Chung and Sunny Bay trial, remote backup operators will be introduced on top of in-vehicle backup operators to test remote operations.
The Commissioner for Transport, Miss Winnie Tse, said, "The launch of fully remote testing for Hong Kong's first AV pilot licence trial has achieved the driverless operations. This marks an important step toward realising the goals of driverless, scaled-up and commercialised AV operations as set out in the Policy Address and the Transport Strategy Blueprint, as well as achieving a milestone in accelerating the introduction of autonomous driving locally. I will continue to lead the Autonomous Vehicle Applications Promotion Working Group, working with its members from the industry and different departments, to monitor the progress of various trials and provide the necessary support and co-ordination, promoting the safe development of AVs in a proactive and orderly manner."
The updated details of the pilot licence have been uploaded to the TD's website on AV trials. The TD's pilot AV labels must be displayed on all pilot AVs for identification by other road users. To facilitate easier identification of AVs undergoing driverless trials by drivers and pedestrians, additional labels (see attachment)will be put up on the vehicle body to indicate that a fully driverless test of an AV is in progress.
The TD welcomes interested organisations or enterprises to submit applications for a pilot licence for AVs. Upon receipt of an application, the TD will consider various factors, including the operational design domain and functions of the autonomous driving system, relevant national or international standards/guidelines, and the road testing conditions, based on the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles, before approval.
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
