Lai See | SF Express thinks it's OK to occupy Wyndham Street

A number of readers have complained to us about the activities of the courier company SF Express and its irritating habit of cordoning off large areas of our streets to conduct its parcel sorting business.

One of its favourite areas of activity is near the bottom of Wyndham Street, where its trucks and workers happily put out barriers and block off half the street. This, of course, reduces the traffic flow from two lanes to one, adding to the traffic congestion in Central. Needless to say our ever alert traffic wardens and excellent police force are far too busy to ever tell this outfit to move on. It should be noted that SF is one of the mainland's two biggest courier companies, but hopefully this not a reason they are able to conduct their business unimpeded in the city centre.

Using the street is infinitely cheaper than buying or renting office space. The company also has an outlet in Wan Chai, but as our picture shows it is not averse to spreading its activities around our public spaces.

When we questioned the company about this illegal activity, it said that the prolonged use of locations such as Wyndham Street was "mainly due to the occasional increase in parcel quantity on the busiest working days". It cheerfully admitted in its letter to us that "we load our parcels between 8.30am and 9.00am as well as other regular intervals on every working day. This may coincide with the peak periods when the highest number of people pass by Wyndham Street, one of the main parcel loading areas in Central".

The company apologised for the inconvenience, but how is it, we wonder, it can take it for granted that it is OK to use the street in this way? Perhaps other courier companies should pile in as well, until the police recognise there is a job to be done here.