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SCMP Reporter

The Tourism Commission has initiated a plan to 'beautify' the area in front of the Star Ferry concourse in Kowloon. In doing so, it has placed in jeopardy the future of one of Hong Kong's best-loved tourism icons.

A proposal to scrap the bus terminal there and replace it with an Italian-style piazza is now at an advanced stage. At first glance, the idea seems an attractive option to upgrade the area; in harsh reality, removal of the terminal holds an ominous  potential for the ferry operators.

Wharf Group's chief manager for external relations, Frankie Yick Chi-ming, says the plan could have devastating effects on the commercial viability of the Star Ferry.

Coupled with scheduled plans to move the piers on the Hong Kong side of the harbour, caused by impending reclamation, shifting the bus terminal would place the future of the beloved ferry service in real jeopardy.

Mr Yick is careful to avoid any suggestion that the famed green-and-white fleet will disappear from the Fragrant Harbour, where it has served the public since 1888. But the financial facts he presents are compelling.

At present, the ferry service just about breaks even.

For a century, it was a vital commuter and travel link but its importance purely as a transport service diminished because of the MTR and cross-harbour bus services.

For tourists, a trip on a Star Ferry is a landmark of their Hong Kong holiday. A Star Ferry crossing the harbour is one of our most cherished icons.

Moving the piers on Hong Kong Island will mean an additional 300-metre walk for people leaving the Mandarin Hotel to catch a boat over the harbour.

A survey of passengers carried out by a professional firm of traffic analysts commissioned by Wharf shows this would cut patronage by between 7 and 15 per cent. Moving the Kowloon bus terminal could mean a further drop in patronage of between 17 and 34 per cent, Mr Yick contends.

Under plans approved by the Transport Department, buses will park along Salisbury Road from the Space Museum down to the Cultural Centre. There will be a small taxi stand near the end of the road outside Star House. Private cars will not be able to pick up or unload passengers; this will have to be done on Canton Road, already  hell for motorists.

'There will be massive back-ups,' Mr Yick predicts. I agree. The entire plan seems badly conceived and the execution looks like being even more woefully handled. The end result will make it difficult for anyone, tourists and residents alike, to fight their way through the chaos to catch a ferry.

Commissioner for Tourism Eva Cheng Yu-wah  says removing the bus terminal, 'which is rather tacky and miserable', will improve the environment. 'The bus stop will be 140 metres away,' Ms Cheng added. 'Why wouldn't people still catch the ferry? It's not a long walk.'

She says Canton Road will be widened and private cars will be able to stop there, a suggestion that Yau Tsim Mong District Council member Wong Che-ming says is totally  unfeasible. Transport surveys show that at peak periods, 166 buses per hour will fight their way down Salisbury Road, pass a roundabout at the new piazza, and then head back the way they came.

That's almost three buses a minute stopping to load and unload passengers.

Add tourist buses and taxis queueing to get to the limited cab rank and you have a situation that screams gridlock.

That shrill call does not penetrate the Tourism Commission, nor the Transport Department, but it is heard loudly in the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, where chairman Henry Chan Man-yu says it is impossible for the government to persuade members that the 'beautification' plan is a good idea. He notes the Star Ferry is free for the elderly. But the transport changes mean many old people may not be able to reach the wharves.

Mr Yick points out that the average fare is $2. 'We carry 80,000 people a day,' he explains. 'A 5 per cent drop in patronage means we lose money. If we lose up to 30 per cent, as the professional analysts suggest, it would be disastrous.'

He says the last resort would be a fare rise, something the company is loathe to consider. 'We are not against a piazza or beautification,' Mr Yick said. 'But it must come with an overall, workable transport solution. What we've got is government tinkering. There's no comprehensive plan. What is certain is massive traffic jams.'

He's dead right. That outcome is as certain as a $10 bet on Silent Witness.



kevin sinclair's hong kong