Tung Chung Road...

[mike]

Anyone have any scoop on what is happening with the new Tung Chung Road? Is it really going to open this month? How about permits, before we recieved letters stating that we would all be given permits to drive across the new road, but still haven't recieved any permit.. Are Lantau residents going to be allowed to drive across 24/7?

[Les Boy]

According to the Government's website, the road will open on 6th Feb 2009. Permits for South Lantau residents will be issued 2 weeks prior to opening so expect something in the post next week!

[Kawicott]

Am I right in saying that the prohibited times 8.00am - 6.00pm still stands when the new road opens, does anyone know?

[Buffalo Bill]

My understanding was that it would now have 24 hour access. That may have changed though.

[Kawicott]

Hmmm that's what I thought but on the government website where it has posted the notice regarding the opening of the road it directs you to their forms page. When you open the Closed Road Permit form it still has a box to tick if you wish to apply for a permit within the prohibited times. But no mention of a fee for this permit. So does that mean you have to apply for the permit as they are not automatically giving it out? I am alittle confused but to be honest it doesn't take much to confuse me especially when I read anything on the government website.

[tot]

Tel: 23992444

Give them a call and they'll explain exactly what's happening...

On the opening of the new road as long as we have the correct permit(s) then we are free to use it without any restrictions as and when we please 24/7.

[Meigom]

The Lantau taxi drivers are usually up on what is happening, and one of the guys told me last night that the road is still scheduled to open on the 6th, that if you have a permit you can indeed use the road without any time restrictions.

[Kawicott]

Taking advice from Tot, my husband called the transport depart and they confirmed the road will be opening at 10.00am on 6th Feb. :)

Any resident with a Closed Road Permit can apply free of charge for a prohibited hours permit which should be granted. But you need the Prohibited Hours Permit to use the new road between 8.00am - 6.00pm. The form currently on the website is the old type and abit confusing. If you ring them they will send you the new form.

[DarkMatter]

I drove on our grand new road for the first time last night. I've never seen so much concrete uselessly deployed. Massively overbuilt, incredibly ugly - and why did they have to close the old road?

[artemis]

I drove on our grand new road for the first time last night. I've never seen so much concrete uselessly deployed. Massively overbuilt, incredibly ugly

Yeah, it is a concretefest; but the views from it are absolutely stunning.

and why did they have to close the old road?
I assume so they don't have to pay for upkeep.
Now, how to get the old road re-opened...? Why? Not sure, but it just doesn't seem right to close it.

[Buffalo Bill]

I very much doubt it will be reopened. This obsession with risk aversion here will ensure such a 'dangerous' road would never be reopened.

I don't think I have ever seen so much signage as on the new road. 'Don't overtake when double white lines' signs - surely this is part of the highway code here? And I think I counted 20 signs around and near where the old inspection booth was located in Tung Chung. Not a chance you could read them all if travelling in a car at 30km/h.

And there is even a sign near the top that warns of imminent down hill....

[Meigom]

I originally thought that we would have two roads, which would mean lighter traffic on both. Now I've heard that the old road will only be opened in 'emergencies' (like maybe a land slide on the new road).

On a different note, for people who live in places like Tong Fuk, Shui Hau, etc., if you take a taxi from Tung Chung now, it is significantly more expensive. I live in Shui Hau and had to pay HK$15 more. Sigh...

[artemis]

And there is even a sign near the top that warns of imminent down hill....

I liked that, very funny, let's keep the comedy...

[tot]

I drove on our grand new road for the first time last night. I've never seen so much concrete uselessly deployed. Massively overbuilt, incredibly ugly

I am quite glad it's made of concrete as there were plans for it to be made of Paper Mache after Bamboo was thrown out... How did you expect it to be 'deployed'?

On a different note, for people who live in places like Tong Fuk, Shui Hau, etc., if you take a taxi from Tung Chung now, it is significantly more expensive. I live in Shui Hau and had to pay HK$15 more. Sigh...[/QUOTE]

But on the other hand everyone that lives East of the new road ie Mui Wo will have cheaper taxi fares... :eek:

It's a new road, with now unrestricted access, safer, smoother and quicker :D Why is everyone quick to whinge when HURRAH the road is finally open. I am sooooo very pleased the road is finally open.

[lantau1]

Yes, we may all enjoy the cheaper taxi fares and quicker journey however I too have some reservations about the new road and am in many ways saddened by this development.

The road has come at a huge cost both financially and to the environment. Better road access to south Lantau will also put greater pressure on the South Lantau habitat. I don't want to see it slowly disappear under a layer of concrete.

I remember visiting Sai Kung many years ago when it was considered a remote and secluded location. Now it is heavily built up with parking issues and daily traffic jams. I don't see this as a way forward in the quality of life and I see this new road leading us in that direction.

[SteveG]

Originally Posted by DarkMatter
I drove on our grand new road for the first time last night. I've never seen so much concrete uselessly deployed. Massively overbuilt, incredibly ugly

I am quite glad it's made of concrete as there were plans for it to be made of Paper Mache after Bamboo was thrown out... How did you expect it to be 'deployed'?

I don't think it was a comment on the building material, more a comment on how the material was used - overbuilt, ugly etc

[Meigom]

I agree that it is a relief, in a way, that the new road is finally opened after sooooooo many delays. But this is not necessarily cause for a hurrah.

And as for posts whinging, I was only lamenting the close of the original Tung Chung road, as I had hoped, as I mentioned, that it would remain open so that there would be lighter traffic on both roads.

[tot]

Originally Posted by DarkMatter
- overbuilt, ugly etc

Come on guys get real, it's a road! How do you over build a road? Its merely there to serve a purpose; to safely expedite the flow of traffic from one side of Lantau to the other not to win Road of the Year Beauty Pageant.
It's an improvement to the community stop moaning (you can't can you?) :rolleyes:

[HikerBiker]

If you've hiked to the top of it (which I did recently) you'll see that behind the barriers they have dug up the top of the old road completely so that traffic cannot use it. It WOULD have been good to have had a choice of roads to use though... also: I thought the old road was being kept as an ëmergency" second road ...which now looks unlikely due to top of road being unpassable ...

[DarkMatter]

Originally Posted by DarkMatter
I drove on our grand new road for the first time last night. I've never seen so much concrete uselessly deployed. Massively overbuilt, incredibly ugly



I don't think it was a comment on the building material, more a comment on how the material was used - overbuilt, ugly etc


And I stress overbuilt - very expensively built, over a very long time (a year past original deadline) by the same people who had to repair the Tung Chung side of the road within 12 months because of the imbecilic drainage system.

And no attempt whatsoever to ameliorate the visual ugliness. Look at the lump of raw concrete that is the taxi stand/car park on the sea side of the roundabout. OVer 18 months and millions of dollars, is it really so hard to plant a few trees?

LIke Buffalo Bill, I was also struck by the proliferation of signs around the old checkpoint. I counted about 40 signs within 30 metres of the new roundabout.

As ever, there's no thought of mitigating the visual pollution of this boondoggle.

[Meigom]

I'm sure many of you know, but perhaps due to the number of complaints or the fact that no one drove at the indicated 30kph, but the speed limit on the 'new' Tung Chung Road has been upped to 50kph. However, there is confusing signage over the crest (from the South Lantau side) in which both 30 and 50 kph is indicated.