Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley tomorrow (January 9). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure
     
     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp outside Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Vehicles from eastbound Queen's Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen's Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen's Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen's Road East.
     
     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions
     
     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen's Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic on southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site.

     The Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the Youth Music Marathon from 2pm to 5.30pm on Saturday (January 12) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza C. About 500 youth musicians from six ensembles of the Music Office and the Kagoshima University Wind Orchestra from Japan will perform a diverse repertoire of Chinese, wind and string music, offering a music-filled afternoon for the audience.
 
     The performing groups from the Music Office include the Music Office Youth Brass Band, the Kowloon Youth Symphonic Band, the Island Youth Strings, the Kowloon Youth Strings, the Island Youth Chinese Orchestra and the New Territories Youth Chinese Orchestra.
 
     The programme consists of the Chinese orchestral pieces "Festive Dance" and "Jasmine"; animation music from "My Neighbour Totoro" and "Frozen"; and well-known classical music of Brahms, DvoÅ™ák and Schubert and more.
 
     Admission to the Youth Music Marathon is free. For enquiries, please call 2598 8335 or 2582 5334 or visit the website www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/communityprogrammes/2019_ym_marathon.html.

     The Government released today (January 8) the Report of the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service which was submitted by the Committee to the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, on December 31, 2018. 
 
      In commenting on the release of the Report, Mrs Lam again expressed her deep appreciation to the Committee's Chairman, the Honourable Mr Justice Michael Victor Lunn, and members Mr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen and Professor Lo Hong-kam for their dedicated work. 
 
      "I have personally studied the Committee's report which has comprehensively covered the various aspects relating to bus safety. I have asked the Transport and Housing Bureau to oversee actions by the Transport Department and other relevant parties to ensure that the Committee's recommendations are thoroughly examined and expeditiously implemented where appropriate. The Government will take proactive steps in ensuring a safe and reliable franchised bus service in Hong Kong," Mrs Lam said.
 
     The Report is released in full, except that, after seeking legal advice, a part of a sentence in the acknowledgement chapter of the Report is redacted to ensure a fair trial of the ongoing criminal proceedings. It can be accessed online at www.irc-bus.gov.hk/eng/report.html. The Government will release the full Report after all relevant criminal legal proceedings have been concluded.

     The Chief Executive in Council today (January 8) endorsed the review outcome of the Fare Adjustment Arrangements for franchised buses (FAA), and approved that the factors which make up the FAA should remain intact, while the Productivity Factor value used in the supportable fare adjustment rate formula and the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) should be adjusted. The Chief Executive in Council also approved, with the mitigating effect from the Franchised Bus Toll Exemption Funds under the two franchisees, overall weighted average fare increases of 7.0 per cent and 5.6 per cent for passengers of Citybus Limited (Franchise for Hong Kong Island and Cross-Harbour Bus Network) (CTB(F1)) and New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) respectively. The new fares will take effect on January 20 this year.
      
     As regards the review of the FAA, under the current mechanism, the Government will take into account a basket of factors in assessing a bus fare adjustment, which include:

(a) changes in operating costs and revenue since the last fare adjustment;
(b) forecast of future costs, revenue and return;
(c) the need to provide the operator with a reasonable rate of return;
(d) public acceptability and affordability;
(e) the quality and quantity of service provided; and
(f) the outcome of the formula for a supportable fare adjustment rate. The formula is only for reference and the fare level will not be adjusted automatically according to the formula outcome.
     
     "The Government has looked into the existing FAA and considered that it can basically strike a balance between the sound operation of franchised bus services as well as public affordability and acceptability. The Executive Council approves that the factors which make up the FAA be kept intact and that these factors continue to be considered holistically. At the same time, based on the updated financial market data, the Government updated the Productivity Factor value used in the formula for a supportable fare adjustment rate from zero to +0.3 per cent per annum, as well as updated the WACC from 9.7 per cent to 8.7 per cent so that any profit achieved by a franchised bus operator exceeding the rate of return on average net fixed assets of 8.7 per cent shall be shared on a 50:50 basis between the franchised bus operator and passengers through fare concessions. The new arrangement will apply to all franchised bus operators with effect from today," a Government spokesman said.
      
     In order to update the data more frequently to reflect the latest market situation and operating environment of the franchised bus operators, the Government will review the FAA at a regular interval of, say, once every three years, focusing in particular on the updating of Productivity Gain and the WACC.
      
     As for the fare increase for CTB(F1) and NWFB, in vetting and approving the applications, the Executive Council has, based on the above-mentioned arrangement, considered the case holistically and fully considered the views of the Panel on Transport of the Legislative Council and the Transport Advisory Committee.
      
     "CTB(F1) and NWFB last increased their fares in June 2008. Since the commissioning of various railway lines, the patronage of the two bus operators has dropped. Their operating costs on the other hand have been rising due to the annual pay rise and increase in fuel costs. CTB(F1) and NWFB are both running a deficit. In 2017-18, CTB(F1) incurred a loss of $2.6 million while NWFB incurred a loss of $5.1 million. If the fare levels remain unchanged, the two bus operators will continue to run a deficit of a much larger magnitude in the coming years," a Government spokesman said.
      
     "According to the financial forecast of the Government, both CTB(F1) and NWFB will still incur losses even if the increase rate is at 12.0 per cent as proposed by the two franchisees. The Government acknowledges the importance of financial viability of a bus franchisee for providing proper and efficient public bus service. That said, we also need to balance the passengers' affordability and acceptability. Gradual fare increases would be more acceptable to the general public at large," the Government spokesman added.
      
     Having taken into account and balanced all factors under the FAA, the Executive Council approved that an overall weighted average fare increase rate for CTB(F1) and NWFB be 9.9 per cent. With the mitigating effect from the Franchised Bus Toll Exemption Funds announced by the Chief Executive in her 2018 Policy Address, the fare increase required to be borne by passengers after the mitigating effect brought by the Franchised Bus Toll Exemption Funds will reduce from 9.9 per cent to about 7.0 per cent for CTB(F1) and 5.6 per cent for NWFB respectively. The approved rates of increase are lower than the changes in the Composite Consumer Price Index (+34.20 per cent) and Median Monthly Household Income (+60.56 per cent) since the last fare increase, as well as the formula outcome of a supportable fare adjustment rate (+33.05 per cent) under the FAA. Should the financial situation remain weak after the fare increase, the two companies may consider, as necessary, to submit applications for another fare increase.
      
     At the same time, the Executive Council approved the fare of cross-harbour routes jointly operated by CTB(F1) and the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) be increased by about 7.0 per cent, and those jointly operated by NWFB and KMB be increased by about 5.6 per cent. The additional revenue generated from such fare increase by KMB would be saved under its Franchised Bus Toll Exemption Fund for reducing the magnitude of its fare increase application being processed. 
      
     Under the new fares, about 90 per cent of CTB(F1)'s passengers and 97 per cent of NWFB's passenger will either not be affected at all or will need to pay not more than $1 extra per trip. About 10 per cent and 3.3 per cent of CTB(F1)'s and NWFB's passengers respectively will have to pay more than $1 extra per trip. For KMB, about 94 per cent of KMB's passengers will not be affected at all while about 6.1 per cent of KMB's passengers will have to pay 20 cents extra or more per trip. Eligible persons enjoying a concessionary fare of $2 per trip under the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities will not be affected by the fare increase.
      
     The Government will continue to encourage all the franchised bus operators to take measures in the coming years to improve the financial situation through ongoing service improvement measures to increase patronage and continuous rationalisation of low-utilised bus routes. The Government will also continue to process fare increase applications in accordance with the established mechanism.

     A No. 3 alarm fire broke out at a vessel at Lamma Southwest Anchorage today (January 8) at 11.29am, and was upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 1.33pm.
 
     Firemen are now fighting the blaze by using four jets.
 
     A person was found dead at scene. Two persons were injured and were sent to hospital for treatment.