Nightmare on pontoon
WHILE the Hong Kong Ferry Company basks in the glory of the opening of its new ferry terminals, could they please spare a thought for the pram-pushers of Lamma.
The floating pontoon one has to jump on to when arriving at the new pier is annoying to say the least. But for those with the job of pushing a stroller with children or a trolley, it's a nightmare, not to mention a potential danger to both driver, child and property. From Lamma, people with push chairs and trolleys board the lower deck, unless the owners are prepared to carry their loads up the rickety old staircases.
However when disembarking at the new glorious HKYF Ferry pier, we are forced to manoeuvre up a dangerous and narrow flight of stairs (this time not rickety but rocky from the floating pontoon). When we do eventually make it to the top we then have to carry out strollers as the exit ramp is so crammed with 'slip bumps' than it is impossible to push anything anyway.
Surely the authorities could have foreseen a need for a ramp for those with pushchairs or trolleys? If one is planned then hopefully it will be designed in such a way as to make disembarking and boarding easier, let alone safer. While we're talking of design could someone tell me why we need to keep jumping on to a pontoon anyway? Couldn't the ferry tie up against a solid structure? Don't tell us we have to wait for the whole building to be completed before we can disembark safely.
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