Despite being under British rule until 1997, Hong Kong has one of the world’s most sophisticated public transport systems and the highest percentage of daily journeys made by public means in the world. One of the most innovative methods of transport is the Central-Mid-Levels escalator. The escalator, built to combat the steep, hilly terrain of Hong Kong Island, is 800 metres long with a vertical climb of 135 metres. Without walking to speed up the journey, a trip from one end to the other takes 20 minutes. The escalators run downhill from 6am to 10am and uphill from 10. 30am to midnight, to aid people going to and from work. Hong Kong, of course, has some of the more traditional modes of public transport. Its efficient tramways date back from the turn of the 20th century and now feature exclusively double-decker trams. The bus systems runs a predominantly double-decker service, with five companies operating a franchised service. There are also public light buses available which can go to areas the larger buses cannot reach. Similar to minibuses, these contraptions can hold 16 passengers and are often more frequent, more direct and quicker than the standard bus lines. The public transport system was greatly aided in ‘97 by the introduction of the Octopus Card. This card was the first contactless payment system in the world and was initially used to make quick payments for transport tickets; it has now been rolled out for use in supermarkets, at vending machines and restaurants among other shops. The mass transit railway consists of ten lines with a total of 82 railway stations and 68 light rail stops. Eight of these lines act as regular train services while the other two offer direct services – one to Hong Kong Disneyland and the other to the airport – ideal for those leaving the country and for those who have just arrived on flights to Hong Kong. People do also own their own cars, with around half a million in Hong Kong. Most cars can be found in the newly developed areas near the Chinese border as there are few public transport options available. Per capita, the number of cars in Hong Kong works out as half that of Singapore and a third of Taiwan’s figure. Because of the previous British rule, cars in Hong Kong are right hand drive models. Ferries are also prevalent because of Hong Kong’s many islands, as well as external trips linking Hong Kong to many of the nearby islands.
Posts Tagged ‘Transport’
The Public Transport of Hong Kong
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010Public Transport Versus Private Tranpsort – And The Winner Is…
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010With fuel prices rising, road tax on the increase and the astronomical cost of living continually emptying the nation’s transport funds – why aren’t people using public transport more? Convenience, cost and efficiency are just three of the reasons that so many people opt to stay in their cars, when they should be the reasons to jump on the train or bus.
For the most convenient form of transport, most people will say that driving alone in your own car cannot be beaten. However, there will be times when this is not the case and public transport will be more suitable. Living in London means that the tube can often be the best way to get from A to B and in the quickest possible time.
For those living outside of the big cities and even larger towns the case is more often than not that public transport isn’t frequent enough and costs too much. Depending entirely on where you live and where you need to go to, it can rarely be argued that public transport is the better option. A forty minute drive to work for me costs twice as much and takes three times as long on the train. So why would I ever consider not driving for this journey?
Convenience is regularly the first thing that commuters will look for when deciding which mode of transport to use. With this in mind, it would seem that there needs to be a major shake-up before people in more rural areas opt to jump on a bus or train rather than drive themselves to work and back.
The cost of petrol (and diesel), road tax and car maintenance continues to rise as the credit crunch is felt across the country. As the nation begins tightening its belts a little further, cost of commuting to work will play an even more important role in choice of transport method.
Driving into London can be expensive, with congestion charges and road tax added to the already hefty fuel costs and car insurance. Commuting to London by train seems to be the sensible option with the tube offering a pretty good service for getting around central London quickly and easily. But this cannot be said for so many other towns around the UK where bus and services are often infrequent and require multiple changes.
So, for those of us that don’t work in London and will not consider car insurance as part of the cost of getting from A to B, is the cost of driving really as expensive as we are told? Fuel prices have shot up dramatically in the last year, rising by about 30 per cent all over the country. Even then, I am still saving a substantial amount of money every week by driving to work despite the protestations of the government who keep trying to persuade us to opt for public transport.
I drive alternate weeks with a work colleague and we halve our fuel consumption as well as sneaking forty winks when it’s own turn to be the passenger. Car share schemes seem to be popular amongst drivers for these reasons, as they still offer convenience, value and for those green-thinkers among us is a little better for the environment.
If you drive to work then this is a fantastic option for driving down fuel costs, while doing a little bit for the environment. Another choice for drivers is to avoid busy town centre traffic and the problems of parking by jumping on the park-and-ride service that is sometimes provided. By parking just outside of the town centre, you can pay a small fee and park for the whole day with only the small inconvenience of a short bus ride. A fantastic choice if a parking space is both costly and a rare commodity.
As a regular driver I find travelling by train or bus to be both inconvenient and a little too expensive to tempt me to hang up my keys. But with the cost of fuel rising every week I have been tempted to at least consider the possibility of not driving so often, as well as driving with more efficient fuel consumption in mind.
If fuel prices continue to rise as expected, public transport may become a more viable option as cost plays a bigger role than convenience or efficiency. So, if the nation decides to ‘go public’, will the public transport system be ready for the increase in popularity? Judging by the numbers of standing passengers commuting to London, it would appear to be very doubtful at best.
Car Hire, An Alternative To Public Transport In England
Thursday, December 17th, 2009With the ever rising prices and poor links contained in the public transport system in England, car hire is becoming an evermore realistic option for travel. A recent survey has come to the conclusion that the connectivity of the transport network is not up to scratch, seemingly trains do not connect well enough with buses making travel stressful and time consuming. Subsequently car hire has become a popular option as it allows the traveller to take the direct route in comfort and at their leisure.
This view of public transport in England is not a new phenomenon, for many years the English have complained about their trains and buses but it seems as modernity increases so does the demand for a reliable public transport network. The issue of reliability is a major one, passengers are forever being told that a train is either late or cancelled, meaning for people that need to arrive at their destination punctually car hire is the only option.
For families touring England a hire car is the only feasible way of getting around, having to lug suitcases on to the platform, on to the train then onto a bus is hardly the ideal start to a holiday. A hire car allows stress free travel and ensures you arrive for your holiday ready to relax and enjoy yourself. A trip on the public transportation network just leaves everyone drained by the time of arrival.
The price of public transport makes car hire services an increasingly appealing option for travellers. The cost of buying tickets for a party of four is extortionate; especially when travelling any real distance. A far more cost effective method for four adults to travel around England is to put money together and hire a car, the train is just too expensive.
Train companies claim that prices must be raised to improve services; a recent price increase saw a jump of eleven percent for some passengers. This extra money in many cases seems to be wasted on such things as station decor and re-branding of the company; surely the money would be better spent putting more trains on.
If entering rural England; which is strongly advisable for any tourist, car hire is a necessity. In many parts of England rail links are non existent while buses are irregular and anything but direct. It is preferable not to traipse on public transport when traversing the beautiful scenery of the English countryside when you can hire a car and take time to stop for fine lunches in the quintessential English villages.
The reason the train network is so strained is due to its Victorian infrastructure. The majority of the system was built a hundred years ago and that is beginning to tell. The system was never intended to deal with the volumes of passengers that it now faces. More investment is needed in the system but privatisation has left this course of action as unrealistic; the drive for profit negates any desire to totally overhaul the dilapidated network.
Car hire will become evermore popular travellers due to the privatised nature of the public transport system. The fact that you can use numerous companies during a journey means that often the service you receive from each company varies greatly. Without a uniform set of principles it is seemingly down to luck if you get a good company or a bad. That is not to say that the national railway was any better, but as it was not private, the pressure was reduced.
In England, the travelling public have forever complained about the state of their railway and bus links. Car hire will be increasingly utilised as a cost effective alternative when travelling in groups. If the poor connectivity between bus and rail companies continues public transport will be used less and less, and the car will become dominant. In a culture where we are supposed to use public transport instead of driving, the transport companies are doing little to coax people from their cars.