Car-Free Day Hong Kong Style

Trams are still going by while booths occupy both sides of the roads

I was looking forward to checking out NGO Clean Air Network's event called "Very DVRC" or "Very Des Voeux Road Central", with the promises of removing cars from a 200-metre stretch of the busy thoroughfare from 10am to 4pm.

The idea came about 16 years ago from the Institute of Planners, who had suggested the entire area from Western Market to Pedder Street be completely car free. But in execution, Clean Air Network had to severely scale back and try it out with a small area, from Western Market to Wing On department store.

Some guys having a mini soccer match on a side street

I had visions of perhaps Occupy 2.0, large free spaces to roam around on the streets. However when I got there, people couldn't really walk on the roads because the middle of the street was occupied by trams that were still moving along the tracks, though at much lower speeds for safety reasons, and they were cordoned off.

The sides of the roads that vehicles would have used were occupied by booths, some 40 of them, ranging from making arts and crafts to fitness clubs, making mini Chinese flower banners, planters out of plastic bottles and even a mini soccer pitch.

There were musicians performing songs and one spot had colourful beanbags to sit on, and even a group that advocates giving hugs for 21 seconds.

I talked to a young enthusiastic woman called Winnie who said there was scientific research that said if people hug for 20 seconds then it helps release hormones to reduce stress. She also hoped the exercise would help people have more physical encounters rather than on social media. The extra second? Just to make sure your embrace definitely long enough.

The roads were carefully cordoned off for safety reasons

Former lawmaker Paul Zimmerman was also there and was pleased to see the event a reality and watched how people reacted to the carnival-like atmosphere. It's too bad he didn't get voted in, but he is someone who is always advocating for Hong Kong to be a more people-oriented city, to make it more accessible by walking rather than driving.

He feels that when a city is more walkable, people have more chances of bumping into people they know, and that in turn creates more dialogue and debate, and hopefully in the end makes people happier.

But there seems to be more cars on the road -- is it because there is a larger group of wealthier people who can afford them? Is it because public transport like the MTR are frustrating commuters so much that they don't have the patience to deal with it? Or is it because public transport doesn't adequately service the areas they live in?

Signs like this reminded people to watch for cars...

These questions need to be answered -- not with more roads, which is what the government likes to do. The current big infrastructure project is the Central to Wan Chai bypass that is taking years to build and will even cut into Victoria Park, something that the public didn't find out until it was too late to stop it.

Today's experiment was interesting, but perhaps it was too crowded a space, or the area wasn't quite right. Or maybe I'm just nostalgic about the occupation of Admiralty almost exactly two years ago when thousands of people converged on the bypass and created an ad hoc friendly community.

Are those days gone forever?

Experiencing a Car-Free Zone

How would you like part of Des Voeux Road Central to be a car-free zone?

We're looking forward to September 25, when part of Des Voeux Road Central will be blocked off from vehicular traffic. Perhaps it will get people nostalgic again when the Occupy protests blocked Admiralty for 79 days and spontaneously created a warm, selfless community.

This event though is not a protest, but part of the Clean Air Network's plan to showcase the vision of urban planners on how to convert the busy thoroughfare into a pedestrian-friendly public space without crippling traffic or causing major inconvenience to residents.

The organizers also hope it will persuade Hong Kong people into supporting their ultimate goal of permanently rezoning the main road into a car-free zone.

This is what Clean Air Network envisions for the district

On that Sunday from 10am to 4pm, Des Voeux Road will be blocked between Morrison Street and Man Wa Lane. The area will feature booths, stalls, and even a mini football pitch, and another area will be for artists to perform or exhibit their work.

Trams that go along the line will still be allowed to go through, but at slower speeds, and there will be some 400 volunteers acting as marshalls to ensure pedestrian safety.

Clean Air Network didn't have an easy time persuading the Transport Department into granting the group a temporary traffic arrangement permit. And then the group had to deal with the police and Fire Services Department, who were concerned about potential blockage of emergency vehicular access to the area.

The NGO also had to talk to other stakeholders, like the public transport companies, as about 20 bus routes would be affected.

Winnie Tse of the Clean Air Network hopes the plan won't just be for weekends, when traffic is 40 percent lower, but become a permanent one.

"We want to change people's mindset and we know this is not going to be easy," she said. "A lot of roadside vendors we talked to agreed pollution was serious in the area, but they held a general perception that this is part of life."

Professor Ng Mee-kam, director of Chinese University's Urban Studies Programme, is supportive of the plan.

"I believe people are smart enough to adapt -- remember the Occupy protests?" she asked.

"I'm for non-motorized transport and walking experience. Pedestrianizing the area will help people interact with each other on the streets, gaining inspiration and boosting our social capital," Ng said.

Sounds like a plan!