Lantau Island protest halts traffic
The villagers, mostly from Tai O and Sha Lo Wan, were upset about the government’s new scheme to open up previously restricted roads to some private cars for leisure purposes and “reneging on pledges” to widen roads.
A group of Lantau Island villagers staged a protest along the island’s Keng Shan Road yesterday, bringing traffic along the two-lane carriageway to a momentary halt.
The villagers, mostly from Tai O and Sha Lo Wan, were upset about the government’s new scheme to open up previously restricted roads to some private cars for leisure purposes and “reneging on pledges” to widen roads.
Police received reports shortly before noon yesterday of serious traffic congestion near Shum Wat, on a section of Keng Shan Road, the long, winding mountain pass that connects Tai O to the island’s southern reaches.
Both north and south-bound sections of the road were blocked off by dozens of villagers, some on bicycles, for nearly half an hour. After a minor confrontation, police persuaded them to gather on just one side of the road.
Slope works nearby made the bottleneck in weekend traffic worse. By late afternoon police said the road was still operating one a “one- lane, two-way traffic” mode. Most of the villagers dispersed by about 3pm.
“We totally support development on Lantau Island and we welcome it, but they should also help solve the existing problems here, which have accumulated over decades,” a Sha Lo Wan villager said.
