Park Island, Ma Wan, Hong Kong

Over the last month or so, more residents on Park Island have become aware of wrangling between the ferry service provider to Park Island, Park Island Transport Company Limited ("PITCL") http://www.pitcl.com.hk/eng/html/ferry.htm  and the Park Island Owners Committee regarding the ferry charges. For historical reasons, the raising of ferry charges in Hong Kong is a very sensitive issue. People unfamiliar with why this issue is sensitive may want to read up on what happened back in 1966 when the Star Ferry proposed raising prices: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1966_riots . PITCL is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited. It not only runs the ferry services but also the bus services to Park Island. There is no doubt that the bus services to Park Island are very profitable for PITCL. Some of the ferry trips are also profitable for PITCL, especially weekend ferry services and rush hour times, eg 7.30am to 9.30am and 5pm to 8.30pm. For times o...

Dear readers of the Park Island Blog. Some of you will have read my recent suggestion to the Hong Kong Transport Department requesting a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights between the Ma Wan village and the Primary School on Park Island to address the risk of speeding buses possibly hitting children crossing the road. That post is here: http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/2011/12/request-to-hong-kong-transport.html . I have now received a response from the Transport Department as follows: 22 December 2011 Dear Sir / Madam, Thank you for writing to the Transport Department on 21 December 2011, the Transport Department has replied as follows – "Thank you for your suggestions on slowing down the traveling speed of buses operating on Pak Lam Road. Regarding the suggested installation of speed humps, please note that such installation could be a hazard to passengers inside a bus. Under the normal circumstance, the geometric design of a road would be of a standard suita...

Dear Hong Kong Transport Department - please take steps to slow the speed of the buses on Park Island on the road that runs between the Park Island village and the Kei Wai Primary School. I suggest you install speed humps, or a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights between the school and the Ma Wan village. I am putting you on advance notice of this risk and request here on my blog Living on Park Island, Ma Wan, Hong Kong http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/ PLEASE TAKE THESE SUGGESTED STEPS. IF NOT, SOONER OR LATER, I PREDICT SOMEONE, PROBABLY A CHILD, WILL DIE OR BE SEVERELY INJURED AS A RESULT OF BEING HIT BY A BUS. Hong Kong Transport Department - feel free to post your response here or email me at parkislandproperty@gmail.com . I will also be sending this message directly to the HK transport department at their email address tdenq@td.gov.hk  provided on their website http://www.td.gov.hk/en/home/index.html .