Advertisement
Opinion | Why Hong Kong’s Kai Tak monorail plan needs to be revived
- The area is ill-served by the existing transport system, even as more residential projects are coming up
- A state-of-the-art sports stadium is expected to draw crowds to the area soon. A solution to current and future traffic problems must be found
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
In 2021, a survey of over 2,000 residents of Kai Tak carried out by my office found that 81.7 per cent were in favour of a monorail project for the area. The existing transport system is simply inadequate in terms of the service options and convenience it provides to those who commute to, from and around Kai Tak.
Advertisement
While there are alternative modes of transport such as water taxis, they are not operated at a level that can ameliorate the traffic congestion in the area. Depending on which part of Kai Tak you live in or commute from, the nearest transport could be a 15-17 minute walk away. Kai Tak itself is too large for walking to be the main mode of traversing it, and bus stops are few and far between.
The area has great potential for development, with a state-of-the-art sports stadium expected to be partially completed and drawing crowds as soon as next year. Thus, not only must we find solutions to the current traffic problem, we must also prevent future problems.
A monorail serving Kai Tak and the surrounding areas of Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong had been under discussion within the Kai Tak outline zoning plan since 2007, and later came to be referred to as the Environmentally Friendly Linkage System. Yet during the 2020 policy address, the monorail plan was shelved in favour of a “multi-modal” transport network. Officials were concerned about overall project costs, as well as the traffic arrangement and fire safety in Kwun Tong.
At present, the “multi-modal” transport network comprises little more than a system of bridges and buses which fail to provide adequate transport options to those getting around Kai Tak and those going to Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong nearby.
Advertisement
A monorail could deliver on four objectives: it is an alternative mode of transport, it is a befitting eco-friendly choice for an up-and-coming business district, it provides options for those in Kai Tak, and it better connects surrounding districts.
Advertisement