10
MONDAY, MAY 20, 1985
ANOTHER PROMINENT FEATURE OF THE SCHEME WAS THAT THE NORTHERN FOOTPATH OF HENNESSY ROAD WOULD LINK UP WITH THE NORTHERN FOOTPATH ON YEE WO STREET AND THE SOUTHERN FOOTPATH ON GREAT GEORGE STREET. THE FOOTPATH, COUPLED WITH THE WIDER AND MORE DIRECT CROSSING FACILITIES TO BE INSTALLED IN PATERSON STREET AT A LATER STAGE, WOULD CONSIDERABLY EASE PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT IN THE BUSY PART OF THE CAUSEWAY BAY SHOPPING AREA.
FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE CAUSEWAY BAY STATION, THE TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTS WOULD BE CLOSELY MONITORED AND THE EXISTING SCHEME MODIFIED IF NECESSARY, MR COWIE SAID.
FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WHEN THE FOOTBRIDGE AT THE JUNCTION OF SUGAR STREET WITH YEE WO STREET AND PENNINGTON STREET WAS COMPLETED.
BY REOPENING LEE GARDEN ROAD TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, AN EXPERIMENT TO CLOSE JARDINE'S CRESCENT BETWEEN JARDINE'S BAZAAR AND KAI CHIU ROAD TO VEHICLES COULD BE CARRIED OUT BY DIVERTING TRAFFIC IN JARDINE'S CRESCENT TO LEE GARDEN ROAD. SUCH A CLOSURE WOULD IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION OUTSIDE THE MTR STATION ENTRANCE IN JARDINE'S CRESCENT AND COULD BE MADE PERMANENT IF NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS WERE CREATED.
THE WAN CHAI DISTRICT BOARD HAD ALSO SUGGESTED THE CLOSURE OF PATERSON STREET, KINGSTON STREET AND GREAT GEORGE STREET. CAREFUL CONSIDERATION WOULD BE GIVEN TO THE PROPOSAL AND TO FURTHER STREET CLOSURES, POSSIBLY ON A PART-TIME OR SELECTIVE BASIS, AFTER THE DEPARTMENT HAD MONITORED THE SITUATION FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE SCHEME.
PLANS WERE ALSO AFOOT TO WIDEN FOOTWAYS IN KINGSTON STREET, PATERSON STREET, GREAT GEORGE STREET, HENNESSY ROAD, YEE WO STREET, PERCIVAL STREET AND JARDINE'S BAZAAR.
MEANWHILE, THE DEPARTMENT HAD ALREADY TAKEN ACTION TO CLEAR ALL NON-ESSENTIAL ITEMS AND ACTIVITIES FROM THE FOOTWAYS IN THE AREA. MR COWIE SAID THAT THE CONGESTED AREAS OF CAUSEWAY BAY WERE PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY MOBILE HAWKER STALLS, NEWSPAPER VENDORS AND BUS QUEUES.
POINTING OUT THAT THE PEDESTRIAN AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME DID NOT PROPOSE ANY CHANGE TO EXISTING RESTRICTIONS ON LOADING AND UNLOADING ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA, MR COWIE, HOWEVER SAID THE SITUATION WOULD BE KEPT UNDER CLOSE WATCH AND ALTERNATIVE LOADING AND UNLOADING FACILITIES MIGHT HAVE TO BE PROVIDED TO ELIMINATE PERSISTENT PROBLEM AREAS.
/11