Activists rally to convert a strip of road from Western Market to Pedder Street into a car-free zone
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 23 August, 2015, 2:25pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 23 August, 2015, 3:56pm
Petitioners rally from Western Market in Sheung Wan to Pedder Street in Central to save the tram. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A new plan has been floated to make a key road in Central a pedestrian and tram zone to counter a controversial proposal to remove Hong Kong's iconic tram from the district.
Around 10 people from green group Clean Air Network and lobby group Designing Hong Kong marched along Des Voeux Road Central from Western Market in Sheung Wan to the Central Roadside Monitoring Station near Pedder Street this morning to call for making that section of road a car-free zone.
Their proposal to save the tram comes about a week after the original proposal to remove it by retired town planner Sit Kwok-keung, who claimed that it was contributing to Central's congestion.
Tying two parallel green ribbons around their palms to symbolise the tracks and their will to keep the tram, today's protestors chanted: "Walk by the tram and make Central a pedestrian zone!"
The head of Clean Air Network, Kwong Sum-yin, dismissed concerns that creating a car-free zone would worsen traffic congestion in Centarl's business district, pointing out that Connaught Road Central and Queens Road Central have spare capacity.
"The proposal...can reduce air pollution and the Wan Chai-Central by-pass and new rail lines could divert the traffic too," Kwong said, adding that a number of overseas cities have made their city centre a car-free zone.
Kwong said they would submit the counter-proposal to the Town Planning Board soon for its consideration.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1851829/save-tram-petitioners-call-make-central-pedestrian
