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■政府計劃在全港18個山坡興建電梯，但被立法會議員批評進度慢。圖為中環至半山的自動電梯。資料圖片
政府建議於全港18個山坡興建自動扶手電梯及升降機系統，並按個別地區的情況評審優次，首10個地點將率先進行可行性研究，需時8至12個月，預計2至4年完成建造工程。有立法會議員批評工程進度太慢。運輸及房屋局局長鄭汝樺昨回應，由於人手及資源有限，須訂先後次序。
運輸署於08年委託機構研究在上坡地區興建自動扶手電梯及升降機系統，根據周邊環境、效益及可行性等因素計分，在20個建議地點中選定18個，排出優先次序名單，其中慈雲山行人通道排首位；而名單中有8個地點位於葵青區，其他選址包括中環樓梯街、九龍城窩打老道、黃大仙竹園北邨及觀塘月華街等。
立法會交通事務委員會早前討論有關建議。工聯會立法會議員王國興在會上表示，雖然大部分扶手電梯選址葵青，但仍不足夠，因為該區很多公共屋邨建於山上。另外，會上有議員質疑優次評審不公平，導致人口嚴重老化的地區，短期內無法興建扶手電梯及升降機；亦有議員不滿政府將18個工程分兩批進行，擔心第2批工程的落實時間無期。
鄭汝樺表示，由於人手及資源有限，故需按先後次序進行。她稱，當局會按優次落實餘下的工程，但未能交代何時完成所有工程，須視乎個別可行性研究結果而定。
Legislators Criticized Slow Progress of Elevator Projects on 18 Slopes
The Government has proposed installing escalators and elevators on 18 slopes across Hong Kong. These projects are prioritized after the specific conditions of the areas concerned have been assessed. The Government will begin with feasibility studies for the first 10 priority locations, which takes 8 to 12 months, and it is estimated that construction work will complete within 2 to 4 years. Some legislators were critical of the slow progress of the projects. Ms Eva Cheng, Secretary for Transport and Housing, responded by saying that there was a need of prioritization due to constraints of manpower and other resources.
The Transport Department commissioned a study on the installation of escalators and elevators on hill slopes in 2008. Hill slope areas were rated according to factors such as surroundings, effectiveness and feasibility. Out of 20 proposed locations, 18 sites were selected and then prioritized. On top of the list is the travelator to be constructed in Tsz Wan Shan. Also in the list are 8 sites located in the Kwan Tsing district while Ladder Street in Central, Waterloo Road in Kowloon City, Chuk Yuen North Estate in Wong Tai Sin and Yuet Wah Street in Kwun Tong are also included.
The transport panel of the LegCo met to discuss the proposal. Although Kwai Tsing has been given a larger share, Legislator Wong Kwok-hing of the Federation of Trade Unions did not think that the number of escalators proposed for Kwai Tsing is enough because many of the public housing estates there were built on hill tops. Other legislators questioned the fairness of prioritization, saying that it might cause short term delays in installing escalators and elevators in some districts with serious aging population problems. Some legislators also showed disapproval of splitting the 18 projects into two batches as they worried about the indefinite start-up time of the second batch projects.
Eva Cheng pointed out that prioritizing is necessary because manpower and other resources are limited. The authorities will proceed with the other projects according to their priorities. The exact completion time of these projects is now undetermined because it depends on the results of their respective feasibility studies, she added. ■Translation by開明
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