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Opinion | Hong Kong’s lack of direction goes beyond road signs
The absence of clearly visible signage on a newly opened section of the Central Kowloon Bypass is emblematic of wider issues in officials’ vision for the city
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The Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass has finally opened. That is no doubt welcome news to commuters heading west to east across Kowloon, with travel time cut from 30 minutes to just five. That is definitely something to celebrate.
We still need to wait for the Kowloon Bay section to open in 2026 to complete the bypass, but Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan hailed the project as a testament to the “Hong Kong spirit”, given the complex construction process.
While the new transport corridor is only 4.7km (2.9 miles) long, it took an enormous amount of work to cut out a path across Hong Kong’s most densely populated area. Chan said “the construction process was immense”; the engineering work was a feat in itself, involving elevated flyovers, deep-sea work and complex tunnel blasting that crossed seven MTR lines.
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Chan is right to call it an exemplar of the Hong Kong spirit. It shows the city’s “can do” attitude despite the many challenges and constraints.
However, the new section of the bypass has fallen short when it comes to one simple thing: signage. If we can perform marvellous feats of engineering, failing on something so simple isn’t great.
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Granted, this is Hong Kong, where people are used to a lack of clear directions and signage. Tourists who have to navigate the city would no doubt agree. Earlier this month, I was left stumped while trying to show a childhood friend and his husband around town. There are signs that point you in the right direction but, often, the last bit of guidance is missing. And that’s when you need it most.
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