Hong Kong is a special administrative region located on the southeast coast of China with a population of over 7 million people. It has a very mountainous terrain, with less than 25% of the land developed. Due to its limited land resources, Hong Kong has invested heavily in public transportation infrastructure like the MTR subway system and an extensive bus network to help reduce traffic and support its dense population. The MTR in particular is renowned for its safety, reliability, and efficient operations, serving millions of passengers daily across nine rail lines. Hong Kong has also implemented land use and urban planning policies to encourage walking and sustainable development.

1. 1 Hong Kong
Hong Kong is located in Southeast China on the Pearl River Delta. It has four general
areas, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Lantau Island and the New Territories. It is
approximately 429 square miles, around the size of Los Angeles. It has a population of 7
million, of whom 93% of people are of Chinese descent. Its terrain is very mountainous
with many steep slopes which prevent building in many areas of the country, so the
population is generally confined to areas around the Pearl River Delta and Victoria’s
Harbor, named after Queen Victoria of England.
Until 1851, Hong Kong was controlled by the imperial Chinese dynasty, of which the
Qing was the last in control. In 1841, the First Opium War occurred and Hong Kong became
controlled by England. Under English control it experienced tremendous growth. In 100
years the population increased from 8000 to 1.6 million. England retained control until
1997 when China regained sovereignty. However, Hong Kong remained its own
government and became a special administrative region, or SAR. The national government
of China handles the foreign affairs and national defense of Hong Kong, but the rest is
handled by Hong Kong’s own government.
Hong Kong is located on the outskirts of mainland China. The surrounding sea has
been the foundation of Hong Kong’s development as an international sea market. The
geographical layout is extensively mountainous regions. Less than 25% of the land is
developed. Country parks and nature reserves make up about 40% of the land. The
combination of shortage of land and increasing population is an ongoing conflict in the city.
Land reclamation, the process of creating new land from ocean or lakes, has been and is
becoming more widely used to accommodate the rapidly increasing population. Most urban

2. 2 Hong Kong
areas in the more dense parts of the city, typically closer to the ocean in Kowloon and New
Territories connected to the mainland. Interestingly, Hong Kong Disneyland and Hong
Kong international airport were built on reclaimed land.
Due to the geography of this city, land use policies can be very extensive. Hong Kong
encourages the development and use of railways especially in the metropolitan and
topographically-confined areas. They aim to avoid routing major roads through existing air
pollution “black spots” as well as the promotion of balanced land use to minimize the need
to travel. Noise levels from surrounding infrastructure cannot exceed acceptable limits.
Natural resources are regulated, protected and managed.
Building heights are controlled to avoid the congestion of tall buildings and to
protect the views of natural landmarks. Monotonous development is highly discouraged,
however, Hong Kong aims to avoid any out-of-context “sore thumb” development. The
amount of land use policies is overwhelming at first. Most of the policies are developed
around the pedestrians and how they view the city both physically and mentally. A high
quality of life and living is Hong Kong’s main goal.
The vision of the Transportation Department of HK is to “provide the world's best
transport system which is safe, reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly and satisfying to
both users and operators.” Hong Kong’s topography consists of steep and hilly terrains,
which proposed many challenges to city planners. Other factors such as small developed
land and high density further minimized open spaces dedicated to roads and parking areas.
Thus, the transportation department of Hong Kong set goals and objectives in order to cope
with these challenges, through planning strategies that encourage walking and the use of

3. 3 Hong Kong
public transit system. The main goal is to reduce private vehicle use and encourage the use
of other modes of transportation, thus, reducing traffic congestion and minimize emission
from vehicles. This results in providing a healthier environment and improving local air
quality, which are also concerns of HK Transportation Department.
HK Transportation department set objectives in order to approach its goals; such as
improving the transport infrastructure, promoting the use of public transit through
improving their quality, managing land and road use, reduce traffic congestion, promote
safety, and achieve for efficiency. One of Hong Kong’s remarkable achievements in the
transportation system is the MTR; it is design to accomplish passengers’ safety, efficiency
and reliability.
The MTR Corporation which carries an average of 4.9 million passengers every
weekday was established in 1975 as the Mass Transit Railway Corporation. Its mission is to
construct and operate an urban rail system to help meet Hong Kong's public transport
requirements. The Company was re-established as the MTR Corporation Limited in June
2000 after the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government sold 23% of its
issued share capital to private investors in an Initial Public Offering. MTR Corporation
shares were listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on 5 October 2000.
MTR is one of the best railway system all over the world for its safety, reliability,
customer service and cost efficiency. It comprises nine railway lines serving Hong Kong
Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. In addition, a Light Rail network serves the local
communities of TuenMun and Yuen Long in the New Territories while a fleet of buses
provide convenient feeder services. MTR also has an Airport Express, a fastest connection

4. 4 Hong Kong
to Hong Kong International Airport and the city's newest exhibition. From Hong Kong,
passengers can travel easily to major cities in Guangdong province China mainland of China
by MTR.
Perhaps the most important advantage of MTR is its reliability. Its operation is
unaffected by traffic conditions, so passengers could always get to their destinations on
time, avoid the influence of severe weather conditions to some extent. Also its accessibility
is also outstanding. It can almost arrive at every place in Hong Kong. Its operation period is
very long; MTR trains run about 19 hours a day, 7 days a week, from early morning (5:30
am - 6:00 am) to 1:00 am the next morning.
To guarantee its safety, MTR has automatic signal control and protection systems.
This system can regulate the distance between trains, determine the optimal rates of
acceleration and braking, and the coasting speeds on different sections of a line. In addition,
to ensure the performance of a smooth, uninterrupted service, the MTR maintains a close
contact with both the Government and the emergency services in all operational aspects of
the Railway. Also regular exercises are conducted in simulated emergency situations to
ensure a close coordination between the staff members of the Corporation's emergency
services for efficient recovery of regular passenger service in the event of accidents.
MTR is proud of its high quality in service. The planning of the service timetable is
based on passenger demand, taking into account the morning and evening peak hours on
normal working days. In 2011, in order to improve travel environment and service
efficiency as well as facilitate passenger flow, MTR has implemented various plans to
improve its existing facilities. To maximize the commercial value of space within station,

5. 5 Hong Kong
the MTR builds kiosks and banks at the concourse levels. That not only increases the
income of MTR but also facilitate passengers.
Control and maintenance of the Railway is carried out 24 hours a day by 3 major
departments. The job of Operations Department is to provide service for passengers within
train and station. The Rolling Stock Maintenance Department is to maintain trains. The
work of Infrastructure Maintenance Department is the maintenance of structure, tracks,
and other fixed installations along the railway lines.
The bus system has a large accessibility in developed area and this has increased the
demand for buses in Hong Kong. In the 2000s the city started to replace the current buses
with a new design to increase the capacity. This design featured lower buses with a double
deck and a new capacity of 115 passengers.
There are three types of bus systems in Hong Kong; franchised, non-franchised and
public light buses or minibuses. The franchised buses include 5 different bus companies
with over 700 routes. The non-franchised buses had 7206 registered vehicles as of 2003.
Furthermore, the minibuses have a capacity of only 16 passengers and a law was passed
that limited the amount of them to be in service at a time to 4350. All of the bus companies
have very useful information technologies. Each service has a website and mobile
application on which riders can plan out their traveling and can locate bus stops and routes
with ease.
Hong Kong has a high density of people. The best way for these people to maneuver
around is by public transportation and also by foot. The city is comprised of mountains

6. 6 Hong Kong
with high concentrations of interests around the mountains and along the water. This
allows many people to reach their destination by foot because it can be located so close.
Hong Kong keeps their pedestrians protected by creating pedestrian friendly streets,
which is a unique system compared to other countries. Since 2000, the city has been
encouraging people to walk and today it is one of the most pedestrian oriented cities in the
world.
Streets were designed based on a problem the city had with the sidewalks being
overcrowded in concentrated areas and people would pour onto the street, making it
dangerous for walkers, bicyclists and drivers.
There are three different types of pedestrian streets in Hong Kong: full time, part
time and traffic calming. Maps are available online for unfamiliar people to distinguish
them. The full time pedestrian streets are used by pedestrians only. There is no access for
vehicles at any time of the day or week, except emergency vehicles. The part time
pedestrian streets are available to vehicles during specified periods. These periods are
usually during off-peak hours and are available for delivery trucks that need to gain access
to businesses. There is also no on street parking allowed in these areas. Traffic-calming
streets are streets used to reduce vehicle traffic. They have wide footpaths, narrow roads,
limited on street parking and curbs. They also have sharp turns in the roads to reduce the
speeds of the cars.
Another way Hong Kong used to manage traffic and to promote walking by
constructing the first and longest escalator and walkway system. The escalator and
walkway system was opened in October 1994 in order to cut down excessive traffic that

7. 7 Hong Kong
was increasing due to the steep and narrow streets. The escalator system is 800 meters
long; it connects the Mid-Levels, which is a residential area, to the business district in
Central. The main purpose is to provide a reliable, efficient and safe mode of transportation
to workers; thus, for convenience, the escalator travels in the downhill direction from
6:00am to 10:00am to bring people to their workplaces, and goes in the uphill direction
from 10:00am until midnight. There are stairs adjacent to the escalators to be used if
someone is going in the opposite direction of the escalators. The escalator is heated during
the winter, cooled during the summer, and lit during service hours; this ensures comfort to
the user.
In Hong Kong government, the leader is an elected official called the Chief
Executive, who acts as a mayor to the entire city. Underneath him are many bureaus and
departments that work with each other in order to make the city function. The
Transportation and Housing Bureau, which until 1978 were two separate bureaus,
encompasses organization of transportation modes and land use within the city.
Underneath the Bureau, comes the Transportation Department. The Transportation
Department covers four main areas; administration, planning, traffic management, and
management of the public transportation modes.
The Octopus card is used to pay for public transportation fares in Hong Kong city. It
is also accepted at retail stores, supermarkets, fast food outlets, and 7-11s, which Hong
Kong has the highest density of them in the world. It may not be available for some taxi
and public minibus services. Similar to the Oyster Card in London, or the Metro Card in
New York, it is designed like a credit card where you just swipe the card over the scanner

8. 8 Hong Kong
and once the transaction is approved, it will display the remaining balance on the screen,
keeping you informed of when you should refill it. Money can be added to the card at any
transportation service center, MTR Station, and some convenience stores.
There are different versions of the cards; some for seniors, students, etc. all with
different colors. However, all the cards have an eight or infinity symbol displayed in it. The
number eight is considered a lucky number in the Chinese culture and the infinite symbol
resembles that the card has infinite possibilities for traveling.
This card first debuted in September 1997 and today the company has issued over
20 million cards, which is almost triple the population of people who live in Hong Kong.
There are also about 11 million transactions per day. These large numbers can show how
successful and user friendly the card is. It also has multiple purposes. Many schools will
use the card to keep track of attendance.
There are many advantages to this card. It is quick, lightweight and easy to use. It
only takes a couple of seconds to swipe and read your balance. This allows many people to
board in a short amount of time. By using the card, it eliminates the need to lug coins
around and therefore a passenger has less weight to carry on them. Since the Octopus card
is used similarly to a credit card, something everyone is familiar with, it is easy to adapt to.
This is important for tourists or people who are unfamiliar to traveling around Hong Kong.
A system that is easy to figure out how to use will create an easy flow of traffic, which can
be beneficial to the travelers and all the businesses involved.

9. 9 Hong Kong
Despite the connectivity provided by Hong Kong’s transportation system, low-
income groups can become isolated due to greater travel costs and distances. For the
elderly, the high cost of public transport can create a lack of mobility. This lack of mobility
weakens their social and family support networks, therefore isolating them from the wider
community.
As mentioned earlier, the bus routes and subways are well connected; however, this
can cause a lot of confusion when choosing a route of choice. Finding an interactive map
with all possible route choices can be difficult. Instead, there is a website that will give you
all possible bus routes within a 400 meter radius. This will provide the pedestrian with
nearby bus routes, times of operation, and fees associated with each route. At first glance,
this can be overwhelming to new comers, which is a drawback considering the fact that
Hong Kong operates as an international city.
Another problem is sign pollution and congestion. Business owners are often trying
to out-do one another with bigger and flashier signs, which can cause confusion for
travelers who are attempting to locate road signs. According to the South China Morning
Post, there is frustration encountered when trying to read the street signs. “Motorists are
fed up with not being able to read road signs easily because there are too many in one spot
or the signs are parallel to the road.” (Hongkie Town) Most of the street name signs are not
visible until after they have been passed.
The future of Hong Kong transport is based on its version of future planning. Hong
Kong’s version for future is the quality of life of citizens. Thus they want to build a safe and

10. 10 Hong Kong
efficient living environment. From the perspective of transportation, they need to further
improve the efficiency of movement including four aspects.
The first aspect is integrated approach between land use and transport planning.
The development in the vicinity of transport nodes can optimize the capacity of public
transport, ensure efficient use of land and facilitate mobility. But the space is limited; they
need to provide creative ideas to solve it.
The second is to plan for more jobs closer to where people live. According to the
consultation with the public, this proposition is welcomed, but its feasibility is being talked
about. Moreover, even if a job is provided at one’s doorstep, it does not imply that he has
the capacity to take up the position. The fact that people might change jobs over time and
that there are many families with dual breadwinners would also make it difficult to
guarantee success of implementing such a concept.
The third is continuous adoption of public transport. Currently about 90% of daily
trips in are taken by public transport, with about 36% of passengers handled by rail. Hong
Kong will continue to adopt this mode as the backbone of passenger transport system. This
would cut down the amount of emissions by motor vehicles and be beneficial to sustainable
development.
Finally, the pedestrian environments will continue to be improved. Walking, as a
healthy and environmentally friendly mode, will be further promoted. Good pedestrian
environments could enlarge the use of MTR and thus reduce the need for road-based
transfer.The compactness of Hong Kong’s development pattern is already conducive to the

11. 11 Hong Kong
promotion of walking, but it is through the provision of comfortable, safe and interesting
pedestrian environments that Hong Kong can become a truly walkable city.
As discussed here, Hong Kong has become an incredibly connected city with large
usage of its public transportation systems. The light rail system and bus system integrate
very well with each other in order to allow users to get from one end of the city to the other
with relative ease. However, no city is perfect and Hong Kong is just the same. There is still
much work to do to continue to improve the transportation network within the city. Still, in
this day and age, Hong Kong has a incredibly advanced transportation system.

12. 12 Hong Kong
References
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“Hong Kong: Octopus Card.” Trip Advisor.TripAdvisor. October 2012.
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“Octopus Card.” Hong-Kong Travel. Hong-Kong Travel. October 2012.
<http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/Octopus/>
“Bus services in Hong Kong.” Wikipedia.Wikipedia. December 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_services_in_Hong_Kong>
Transport Department.Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.Web.
October 2012. <http://www.td.gov.hk/en/home/index.html>
Transport and Housing Bureau.Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Web. October 2012. http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/index.htm
Hongkie Town.Road Signs in Hong Kong Suck, February 2011.
<http://hongkietown.com/2011/02/road-signs-in-hong-kong-suck.html>