Proposal: Optimizing Taxi Services in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong (Part I)

Note to readers: this is a bit off topic for this blog, but is a handy place to put some thoughts on an issue that's being discussed in our normally car-free Discovery Bay. It's in the public realm, so I put my thoughts here for convenience. Please excuse. 

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For VOC members: I asked AI to consolidate the jpgs sent to us by our Siena One VOC chair. If you have any comments, I'd be happy to add them to the bottom, either with your name or anonymously. Just send to my email. 

Full disclosure. I'm in favour of the proposal. It does not affect me either way, but I think it will help many of our fellow residents with extra convenience. If there's a vote at any stage, then I'll vote in favour. 

AI said: 

"Here is a cleaned-up, consolidated, and properly structured version of the document based on the provided text excerpts and images. I've organized it into a logical flow, removed repetitions, fixed typos/OCR errors, improved formatting, and presented it as a coherent proposal document."

For reference and discussion. Note: I haven't included the Appendices. My discussion is at Part II here. 

Proposal: Optimizing Taxi Services in Discovery BayEnhancing Community Accessibility
Prepared by: Hong Kong Resort Company Limited (HK Resort)PurposeThis document introduces to residents the proposal by Hong Kong Resort Company Limited (referred to as "HK Resort") to:

• Revoke the existing taxi prohibited zones in Discovery Bay
• Establish four new taxi stands within the area
• Comprehensively upgrade road safety management, including the latest AI-equipped monitoring systems

The goal is to improve taxi services, address the lack of point-to-point public transport, and better meet residents' daily transport needs — while soliciting valuable community feedback.Background

1. The Discovery Bay Tunnel officially opened on 27 May 2000. Since then, public and private buses, goods vehicles (light, medium, and heavy), articulated vehicles, and government vehicles have been permitted to enter Discovery Bay from Cheung Tung Road via the tunnel.
2. Since 26 October 2014, urban and Lantau taxis have been allowed to enter the Discovery Bay North Yi Pak area via the tunnel. This arrangement has operated smoothly. Records from 2020–2025 show approximately six minor traffic incidents involving taxis per year in Discovery Bay, with no serious injuries or fatalities reported.
3. With ongoing community development and an aging population, residents' transport needs have increased significantly. Taxis have become an indispensable mode of public transport for many residents and visitors.
4. However, the current limitation — with taxi stands located only in Discovery Bay North — requires passengers to walk long distances or transfer to local buses to reach other areas. This creates major inconvenience, especially for:
   • The elderly
   • People with mobility difficulties
   • Caregivers with children
   • Travellers with large luggage
   • Late-night commuters
   The community has raised these concerns for many years. Representatives from Discovery Bay, Peng Chau, and Nim Shue Wan have collected approximately 4,000 citizens' signatures urging the government to improve taxi services and provide better point-to-point public transport options.

Response to Community NeedsIn response to these urgent needs, HK Resort has:

• Proactively engaged relevant government departments to explore feasibility options
• Commissioned Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited (the "Consultant") to conduct a professional Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Report
  (Summary of key points → see Appendix A in original document)

Key Proposals(i) Revocation of Existing Taxi Prohibited Zones in Discovery BayPermission will be granted for urban taxis and Lantau taxis to enter additional areas of Discovery Bay and provide point-to-point pickup and drop-off services. Passengers will be allowed to board and alight at any permitted location within the expanded access area.In view of the expanded access, it is preliminarily proposed to extend the maximum taxi waiting time from the current 45 minutes to 60 minutes.(ii) Establishment of Four New Taxi StandsIn addition to the existing taxi stand in Discovery Bay North, four new taxi stands will be introduced in phases in Discovery Bay South at the following locations:

1. Adjacent to the Discovery Bay Fire Station
2. Nim Shue Wan KaitO Pier
3. Discovery Bay Golf Club
4. Discovery Bay Multi-Recreation Centre (under construction)

(Proposed locations shown in Appendix B of the original document)Both urban and Lantau taxis will be permitted to wait briefly at these stands, similar to the current operation at the Discovery Bay North stand.This proposal was positively discussed at:

• Discovery Bay North City Owners’ Committee meeting – January 2024
• Discovery Bay City Owners’ Committee meeting – March 2025
• Discovery Bay Passenger Liaison Group meeting – March 2025

(iii) Comprehensive Road Safety Management and AI Monitoring SystemDiscovery Bay Services Management Limited (the "Management Company") continues to strengthen traffic management to meet growing community needs.

• Since Q1 2025, AI-equipped monitoring systems have been installed on major traffic routes in Discovery Bay to detect in real time:
  • Speeding
  • Illegal overtaking
  • Illegal parking
  • Other dangerous driving behaviours
• In response to the expanded taxi access, the Management Company will:
  • Deploy additional security personnel
  • Implement 24-hour duty shifts
  • Conduct patrols of main roads at least 6 times daily
  • Perform speed checks 4 times daily
  • Use AI monitoring to enable rapid response (personnel can arrive within minutes of detecting violations)
• For traffic violations (e.g. dangerous driving, careless driving, illegal parking causing obstruction, speeding, crossing double white lines, etc.):
  • Verbal and written warnings will be issued
  • Records will be kept
  • Repeated violations will be forwarded to the Police for follow-up
• Under current rules:
  • 2 violations within any 3-month period, or
  • 3 violations within any 12-month period
    → The vehicle (including taxis) will be banned from entering Discovery Bay for 12 months
• The Management Company will maintain close cooperation with the Police, adopting a dual-track enforcement strategy to rigorously combat violations and safeguard road safety for all users.