Discovery Bay developer turns down request for extra taxi stands
Developer turns down residents' call to increase number of designated stands, just months after cabs were permitted to enter through tunnel
A proposal for additional designated taxi pick-up and drop-off points in Discovery Bay has been rejected by the developer, HKR International.
The suggestion, floated during a residents’ meeting in December, came little over a month after urban and Lantau taxis were first allowed to enter through the Discovery Bay Tunnel free of charge on October 26 last year.
But they are currently restricted to picking up and dropping off passengers at the North Plaza, near the Auberge Hotel.
Island District Councillor Amy Yung Wing-sheung, who also attended the meeting, said some representatives had proposed setting up an additional pick-up and drop-off point near the tunnel roundabout.
“Residents felt that since taxis are now allowed in, they could not oppose it any more,” Yung said. “Apart from making it convenient for hotel guests, it should also be made convenient to the residents.”
A spokesman for HKR International said there were no plans to change the existing arrangement, including the location of pick-up and drop-off points, which the Transport Department approved.
“It would be more appropriate to give it a little longer before proposing any further changes,” he said.
This will come as a relief to the many residents who told the South China Morning Post they want to see cabs restricted to one place.
