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Naomi Lee

TUEN MUN Highway will partly reopen this morning, but new traffic arrangements designed to reduce the chronic jams of last week are likely to cause congestion in Tsuen Wan.

 The plan approved yesterday by Tuen Mun and Yuen Long district boards will open a section of the Kowloon-bound carriageway, although access will be limited to buses from 6 am to 9 pm.

 Kowloon-bound vehicles will switch to the Tuen Mun-bound carriageway at Siu Lam Interchange, travelling in two-way traffic before switching back at the Sham Tseng Interchange.

 Castle Peak Road, which was open only to buses, will largely be back to normal.

 Officials believe the plan will reduce congestion in New Territories west and northwest, but Commissioner for Transport Lily Yam Kwan Pui-ying warned that Tsuen Wan may suffer in the move to solve the worst of the problems.

 'I must stress that the implementation of the plan cannot completely solve the traffic congestion we experienced in the last few days,' she said.

 And Assistant Commissioner for Transport Alan Lui Sung-yee said he believed there would be no more two or three-hour delays, although it was difficult to say how much matters would improve.

 But the news is likely to provoke anger in Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi where resentment was already brewing after the transfer of ferry services to Tuen Mun.

 The depth of feeling over the jams, caused when the highway was closed last Thursday because of dangerous slopes, was made clear to Secretary for Works James Blake when he visited Tuen Mun yesterday.

 More than 30 residents barracked Mr Blake as he attempted to leave the Tuen Mun District Board office. And he had to be escorted by police to his car after receiving 1,200 petition signatures.

 Mr Blake said he understood the difficulties faced by residents, some of whom claimed it was taking eight hours to travel to work, and he pledged to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

 Meanwhile, Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi residents claimed their welfare was being sacrificed because of a government blunder.

 Tsuen Wan District Board member Cheng Wing-kay was angry as the Government had not consulted them about the new traffic arrangements.

 'We will monitor the extent of traffic congestion and will oppose the plan if there is any serious disruption to traffic in Tsuen Wan,' he said.

 A district board meeting would be held tomorrow to review the situation, he said.

 Residents groups in Tsing Yi have also staged protests, including one outside Government House yesterday, against the cancellation of ferry services between the island and Central and Tsuen Wan.

 But Mr Lui, claimed that Tsuen Wan would only be affected in 'really critical situations'. And he suggested people use other means of transport, such as the MTR, which not available further into the New Territories.

 Details of the revised arrangements are: Castle Peak Road will be reopened in both directions.

 Tuen Mun Highway Kowloon-bound between Wong Chu Road and Sham Tseng Interchange, will be open to buses only from 6 am to 9 pm except Sundays and public holidays.

 The Siu Lam and Sham Tseng interchanges will remain open to all vehicles on Tuen Mun Highway New Territories bound.

 The New Territories-bound carriageway of Tuen Mun Highway between Siu Lam and Sham Tseng will revert to two-way operation, with a speed limit of 50km/h.

 Special traffic arrangements will be carried out at Au Tau roundabout on the New Territories Circular Road.

 Part of the plan also involves the implementation of extra ferry, bus, and mass transit services:  Tuen Mun-Central catamaran services will be boosted from three to 10 vessels, with sailings from 6.30 am to 11.30 am at 12-minute intervals.

 Tuen Mun-Central hoverferry services will run from 6.30 am to 8.30 pm, with sailings every five minutes during peak morning hours. To help cut queues, the service will operate from a new pontoon outside Miami Gardens near the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier.

 A special Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan ferry service will continue at 10 to 15-minute intervals between 6.15 am and 9 pm.

 The suspension of Tuen Mun-Wan Chai hoverferry services and Tsuen Wan-Tsing Yi-Central ferry services will continue.

 Kowloon Motor Bus will operate an additional 60 or more departures on Tuen Mun and Yuen Long routes subject to traffic conditions.

 The Light Rail Transit will run a feeder bus service between Tuen Mun town centre and Tuen Mun ferry pier while MTR and KCR services will be enhanced as needed.



Highway set to partly reopen