The long-standing battle over traffic jams in Central has worsened because of an increase in 'bosses' cars', district councillors say.
Drivers routinely clog main roads and narrow footpaths during peak hours while they wait for their employers, the councillors say, while traffic policemen either turn a blind eye or are nowhere to be seen.
'They park in places where it's convenient for them to pick up their bosses,' said Wong Kin-shing, chairman of the Central and Western District Council traffic and transport committee.
Every day, lanes are blocked by drivers who sit in their cars with the engine running while they wait for their employers, Wong said. The problem is particularly apparent on busy roads such as Queen's Road Central, Ice House Street and Pedder Street, where congestion is common.
Another Central and Western District councillor, Cheng Lai-king, said the problem is serious.
'They shouldn't do it. They are denying other drivers their right to use the road. But many of them don't care about getting a ticket as the penalty is just a few hundred dollars.'
At lunchtime on a Tuesday afternoon, there were six cars waiting outside New Henry House in Ice House Street. The cars, with engines idling, occupied half of the two-lane street, slowing traffic coming from Queen's Road Central and Mid-Levels.