The traffic planning of the new public housing is not good. Following this newspaper’s earlier report that the transportation facilities of Queen’s Hill Village in Fanling were insufficient, which resulted in long queues for the villagers to take the transportation. There were also two units in Tuen Mun that started to be occupied in August. Hetian Village and Jingtian Village, with a population of more than 20,000, are severely lacking in basic living facilities. Not only is there no market, but even a covered bus stop is not available. Residents endure the wind and rain while waiting for the bus. Since there is no stop in the village, our reporter actually measured that it would take more than two minutes to reach the bus from the estate at the fastest. At the station, some prospective residents bluntly expressed their worries about heat stroke in the scorching sun. The Queen’s Mountain Village, which has been criticized many times, has reproduced loopholes. The hollow design of the overhead garden bridge is like “The House of Dancing Water” in rainy days, and the crossing is far away from the bus stop.
Hotan Village and Ching Tin Village, located in Area 54 in the northwest of Tuen Mun, will be occupied in August this year. The two villages provide a total of more than 9,400 units, involving a population of more than 23,000. However, this newspaper has received reports from prospective residents that the transportation facilities at the place are not satisfactory, and they may become a replica of Queen’s Hill Village. The reporter visited the site on a rainy day a few days ago and found that although there is a bus terminal opposite Hetian Village, it is only a roadside stop. There is only a bus line of about 65 meters long. Park 5 buses at the same time.
Very far from the MTR station to buy food and have to go out of town
Although it is called a bus terminus, the facilities at the “terminus” are “nothing” and are not covered. The public waiting for the bus needs to be exposed to the wind and rain. The reporter also found that the footpath from Hetian Village to the bus station is also uncovered along the way. The power of wind and rain is especially felt on rainy days. The reporter took the actual measurement at the He Lai Building, which is the closest to the entrance of the housing estate. From this location, it takes 2 minutes to reach the nearest bus stop by walking. For housing estates in later locations, it is believed that the time spent will be doubled.
Mr. Deng, the prospective tenant of Jingtian Village, who made a special trip to the bus stop of Hetian Village, was utterly embarrassed by the sudden heavy rain. He described that the bus terminal was not even covered and he was worried that the elderly and children would not be able to withstand the sweltering weather and would suffer from heat stroke. Moreover, the bus lines in the housing estate were quite limited. As he works on Hong Kong Island, he can only walk on foot. The situation has not improved, only to change jobs.
Hotan Village and Ching Tin Village are far away from the MTR station. The nearest MTR Siu Hong Station to the two villages is a 26-minute walk from Hotan Village. There are currently two bus loops going to and from Tuen Mun MTR Station and Tuen Mun City Centre respectively. . Some prospective residents are worried that when most of the residents of the two new villages in the two new villages are occupied, the pressure will double and the supply of bus lines will be in short supply. In addition, there are no markets in the two villages, which means that residents will have to rely on connecting transportation when they go out to buy food in the future. Go to other areas and further increase the traffic load there.
Residents cross the hurdles in the corner of Queen’s Hill
On the other hand, our reporter went to the Queen’s Hill Village in Fanling to inspect the village. Although the village has a covered bus terminus, the reporter visited the scene on rainy days and directly pointed out that many citizens suspected that the crossing was too far away and took risks in order to save time. Cross the road over the railing and run to the bus stop opposite. In just 5 minutes, more than 10 people “crossed the hurdles”. Some old man with a white head was lazy and a car was driving at a high speed. He held an umbrella with one hand, and then stepped over the one-meter-high railing with one foot. If you accidentally fall, the consequences will be Worry.
Not only that, the overhead garden bridge connected to the bus terminus does not cover the crossing. In rainy days, citizens must use umbrellas to cross the road and return to the estate. In addition, part of the bridge is hollow, so when it rains heavily, the rainwater will be in the middle. It poured down like “The House of Dancing Water”. Residents had to open their umbrellas to keep out the rain.
Tian Beichen, a member of parliament who has been concerned about supporting the two villages in Tuen Mun, pointed out that the bus company can build the station cover at any time. However, it is known that the Transport Department has already approved the site selection, but due to the delay in coordinating with other departments, the “construction permit” has not been approved, resulting in the delay in starting construction. He admitted that the situation is unacceptable, and he asked the relevant departments to complete the construction of the superstructure within this year; There is a lack of markets for new public housing estates involving a large population, and the department is also looking for land to build. He pointed out that the government should prepare supporting facilities when planning.
A spokesman for the Housing Department pointed out that the bus terminus near Hotan Village was designed and constructed by other government departments. The ground entrance and exit of the Queen’s Hill Public Transport Terminus is busy with heavy traffic, and it is not suitable to add a crossing. Residents can use the ground crossing to cross the road, or use the covered “overhead garden bridge” connecting the second floor of the Queen’s Hill Shopping Mall to the traffic terminal on rainy days. A spokesman for the Transport Department pointed out that KMB, Citybus and the MTR Corporation have been approved earlier to operate three full-day and three peak-hour service routes to serve the residents of Wa Tin Village and Ching Tin Village. The bus company is responsible for the construction of bus stop facilities, including passenger waiting covers. It is expected that the relevant works will be completed gradually from October this year to the first quarter of next year.
