Lawmaker criticizes gov’t for lack of preparation for city

The government in general has been lacking a long-term vision for major plans and projects, which could be seen in existing transport arrangements, lawmaker Che Sai Wang said in his written inquiry.

Che said that in creating plans for major projects for the city, the government has usually been unable to foresee problems. An example is the regular traffic congestion at New Urban Zone A and the Pearl of the Orient Roundabout.

He said that even without the 96,000 residents expected to live on the Zone, the road network has reached its limit with vehicles going to mainland China and Hong Kong.

Zone A is the connecting point for traffic between the main Peninsula and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Based on this, he expressed his concern that without well-rounded plans, future traffic at the Border Gate would also be congested as tourism activities resume.

Meanwhile, the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) East Line that will connect Taipa with the Border Gate through Zone A is being built. As per this plan, tourists and traffic will inevitably be driven to the Border Gate when the East Line becomes operational.

In 2011, the government commissioned a company to research planning for the Border Gate and its neighborhood. Seven years later, the government commissioned another research on the same area and topic, but no result has been available.

Besides criticizing the lack of planning for the Border Gate and its neighborhood, Che asked the government about progress on the research. He also asked when the government would explain the delay of the research to the public.