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become the first region in the Hong Kong development history that could
see citizens working in the same neighbourhood as their residence.

As mentioned in our first Research Report, only a small portion of
the population works and lives in the same area. Specifically, only 9% of the
working population in Tung Chung works and lives in the same area. Prev-
alent cross-district commute brings about high transportation costs, heavy
traffic and air pollution. Close employment-residence connection on Lantau
can contribute to a carbon-neutral commute and save personal and family
time for commuters.

However, the prerequisite of such a rosy picture is an efficient in-
tra-district transportation network within the Lantau region, particularly that
between the airport island and Tung Chung. Local stakeholders of Tung
Chung and the Airport almost unanimously reflect that the existing net-
work of public buses and roads fails to connect the two said locations effec-
tively and efficiently. Indeed, whilst the distance between Tung Chung city
centre and the HKIA is 4 km, similar to that between Central and Causeway
Bay, the travelling time between the former is 30 minutes, which is three
times that of the latter (10 minutes) (Table 8).

Table 8: Commuting on Lantau and in urban areas
Lantau Island Urban area
From Asia World-Expo Distance Travel time
Travel time
Distance
From Central to
Tung Chung 4 km 30 mins 10 mins
Causeway Bay
From Central to
Yat Tung Estate 6 km 45-60 mins 13 mins
North point
From Central to
Disneyland 14 km 50-60 mins 20 mins
Ocean Park
Source: Press reports.

The current predicament stems from that the North Lantau High-
way, the primary transportation artery linking Lantau and the city, is not
connected to the residential hubs of Tung Chung New Town. Consequently,
public buses travelling to and from Tung Chung New Town and the airport
island, i.e. the employment hubs, are currently taking fairly indirect routes,
making the journeys much more time-consuming than they should be
(Figure 35).

Figure 35: Three major bus routes connecting the airport island and Tung Chung residence

Sources: Citybus and Kowloon Motor Bus.

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