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The Police will implement special traffic arrangements and crowd safety management measures in Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay on New Year's Eve (December 31) to help facilitate New Year celebrations.
(A) Lan Kwai Fong
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As a large number of people are expected, a queuing system will be implemented in Lan Kwai Fong. Once the system is implemented, people wishing to enter the area will be required to join the queue and may have to wait an undetermined time to gain access. They are advised to allow adequate time to arrive at their venues.
Members of the public are urged not to bring or discharge aerosol spray in the vicinity as it may be hazardous to people nearby. Parents are advised not to bring small children into the area.
To cope with the congregation of crowd, the following roads will be closed in phases on December 31:
Phase I (from 6pm)
- D'Aguilar Street between Wellington Street and Wyndham Street;
- Lan Kwai Fong;
- Wing Wah Lane;
- Wo On Lane; and
- Wellington Street between Wyndham Street and D'Aguilar Street.
Phase II (from 8pm)
- Road closure in Phase I;
- On Lan Street;
- D'Aguilar Street between Queen's Road Central and Wellington Street;
- Wyndham Street between Glenealy and Queen's Road Central;
- Stanley Street between DĄŻAguilar Street and Pottinger Street; and
- Wellington Street between DĄŻAguilar Street and Pottinger Street.
After the completion of traffic diversion, crowds will be directed to queue up along Wellington Street, Pottinger Street, Stanley Street, D'Aguilar Street and Queen's Road Central. The whole of D'Aguilar Street will be closed to vehicular traffic.
(2) Suspension of parking spaces
All on-street parking spaces, including motorcycle parking spaces and metered parking spaces, along Stanley Street near D'Aguilar Street, On Lan Street and Wyndham Street between Arbuthnot Road and D'Aguilar Street will be suspended from 5pm on December 31 to 6am the following day.
(B) Causeway Bay Area
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To help facilitate midnight countdowns at Times Square and World Trade Centre, and the JadinesĄŻ Midnight Gun Ceremony, the following traffic arrangements will be implemented on December 31:
(1) Road closure
From 5pm:
- Russell Street between Percival Street and Canal Road East; and
- Matheson Street between Sharp Street East and Russell Street.
From 6pm:
- Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
- Sharp Street East;
- Matheson Street;
- Canal Road East between Hennessy Road and Sharp Street East;
- Tang Lung Street;
- Yiu Wa Street;
- Yun Ping Road between Lan Fong Road and Kai Chiu Road;
- Kai Chiu Road;
- Pak Sha Road;
- Foo Ming Street; and
- Jardine's Bazaar.
From 7pm:
- The slow lane of westbound Hennessy Road between Jardine's Bazaar and Canal Road East;
- The slow lane of eastbound Hennessy Road between Percival Street and about 50 meters east of Canal Road East; and
- The western kerbside lane of Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Lockhart Road.
From 8pm:
- Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Gloucester Road;
- Canal Road East between Gloucester Road and Lockhart Road;
- Lockhart Road between Canal Road West and Cannon Street;
- Jaffe Road east of Canal Road West; and
- Cannon Street.
From 11pm:
- Canal Road West between Sharp Street West and Hennessy Road;
- Sharp Street West;
- Lee Garden Road between Hennessy Road and Lan Fong Road;
- Cheung Woo Lane;
- Wan Chai Road between Morrison Hill Road and Canal Road West; and
- Bowrington Road.
(2) Traffic diversion
From 8pm:
- Vehicles on westbound Gloucester Road cannot turn left to southbound Canal Road East; and
- Vehicles on northbound Canal Road West cannot U-turn to Canal Road East.
Depending on the crowd condition, Hennessy Road may be closed for all vehicular traffic and the following traffic diversions will be implemented:
- Vehicles on eastbound Hennessy Road will be diverted to southbound Fleming Road or northbound Marsh Road;
- Vehicles on northbound Tin Lok Lane will be diverted to westbound Hennessy Road;
- Vehicles on westbound Causeway Road will be diverted to westbound Leighton Road;
- Vehicles on westbound Leighton Road cannot turn right to Pennington Street; and
- Vehicles on Pennington Street will be diverted to eastbound Yee Wo Street.
(3) Suspension of parking spaces and lay-by
From 4pm on December 31 to 2am the following day:
- All metered parking spaces on Lockhart Road east of Marsh Road;
- All metered parking spaces on Jaffe Road east of Marsh Road;
- All metered parking spaces on Lung King Street; and
- The car parks at Times Square and Leighton Centre.
The lay-by on Victoria Park Road outside Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter will be suspended from 9pm on December 31.
(C) Victoria Park
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To facilitate the 48th Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo held at Victoria Park, the following traffic arrangements will be implemented on December 31:
(1) Pedestrianisation
Lockhart Road east of Cannon Street, East Point Road, and Great George Street west of Paterson Street will be pedestrianised from 4pm.
(2) Road closure
From 6pm:
- Sugar Street;
- Great George Street between Paterson Street and Gloucester Road;
- Westbound Kingston Street between Paterson Street and Gloucester Road;
- Paterson Street between Kingston Street and Great George Street;
- Southbound Gloucester Road between the ramp leading down from Victoria Park Road flyover and Causeway Road; and
- Northbound Gloucester Road south of Kingston Street.
From 8pm:
- Kingston Street;
- Paterson Street between Kingston Street and Gloucester Road;
- Cleveland Street; and
- one lane of westbound Gloucester Road service road between Victoria Park Road flyover and Cannon Street; northbound Tai Hang Road flyover; Hing Fat Street between Causeway Road and Lau Sin Street; Electric Road between Yacht Street and Lau Sin Street (except for franchised buses and vehicles of residents of Park Tower); and Tsing Fung Street (except for franchised buses) will be closed at short notice if necessary.
(3) Traffic diversion
Traffic from Victoria Park Road flyover will be diverted to westbound Gloucester Road service road from 6pm. Lau Li Street may be re-routed to one-way westbound when Electric Road between Yacht Road and Lau Sin Street is closed.
(4) Suspension of public car parks and metered parking spaces
- Between 3pm on December 31 and 2am the following day, Hing Fat Street public car park will be suspended except for motorcycle parking spaces near the exit of the car park and disable parking spaces;
- Between 6pm on December 31 and 4am the following day, access to public car parks at Great George Street(Windsor House, Park Lane Hotel and Hang Lung Centre) will be prohibited. Vehicles parked in these car parks will not be permitted to leave until the closed roads are re-opened; and
- Between 5pm on December 31 and 4am the following day, all metered parking spaces at Tung Lo Wan Road between King's Road and Wun Sha Street will be suspended.
(5) Learner driver prohibition
Between 6pm and 11.30pm on December 31, learner drivers will not be permitted to access the following roads:
- Eastbound Leighton Road;
- Tin Lok Lane;
- Tung Lo Wan Road;
- Hing Fat Street;
- Electric Road between Wing Hing Street and Yacht Street;
- Northbound Morrison Hill Road;
- Hennessy Road east of Marsh Road;
- Tin Hau Temple Road between Fortress Hill Road and Causeway Road; and
- Causeway Road.
During the period of road closure, hotels may make use of the bus stop outside Sino Plaza on Gloucester Road to pick-up and drop-off guests taking the Airport Shuttle.
(D) Wan Chai North
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To facilitate Pyrotechnic Display for New Year 2014, Expo Drive, Expo Drive Central and Expo Drive East will be closed from 9pm while Convention Avenue between Fenwick Pier Street and Fleming Road will be closed from 11pm on December 31.
All metered parking spaces on Expo Drive and Expo Drive East will be suspended from 4pm on December 31 to 2am the following day.
(E) Central
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From 11.59pm on December 31 until the end of the countdown, traffic along eastbound Man Kwong Street cannot turn right to Man Yiu Street; traffic along eastbound Man Po Street cannot turn right to Man Yiu Street; and traffic along northbound Man Yiu Street will be held up at the junction of Man Yiu Street and Man Cheung Street.
Depending on the prevailing crowd situation, the following traffic arrangements may be implemented in any combination from 6pm on December 31:
(I)
- The leftmost lane of eastbound Man Kwong Street outside Central Pier 4 to 7 will be closed.
(II)
- Man Po Street; Man Yiu Street between Man Kwong Street and Man Cheung Street; eastbound Man Kwong Street, and Man Kwong Street east of Man Yiu Street will be closed;
- Traffic along Connaught Road West flyover heading for Man Po Street will not be allowed;
- Traffic along northbound Man Yiu Street heading for Man Kwong Street must turn left to Man Cheung Street;
- Traffic along Man Cheung Street heading for northbound Man Yiu Street must turn right to southbound Man Yiu Street; and
- Traffic along eastbound Man Kwong Street heading for Man Yiu Street must make a U-turn to westbound Man Kwong Street.
(III)
- Man Kwong Street; Man Chiu Street; Man Fai Street; Man Yiu Street between Man Kwong Street and Man Cheung Street; Rumsey Street flyover extension leading to Man Po Street; and Finance Street will be closed;
- Traffic along Connaught Road West flyover heading for Man Po Street must go straight to eastbound Connaught Road Central;
- Traffic along northbound Man Yiu Street heading for Man Kwong Street must turn left to Man Cheung Street;
- Traffic along Man Cheung Street heading for northbound Man Yiu Street must turn right to southbound Man Yiu Street;
- Traffic along eastbound Connaught Road Central heading for Man Kwong Street will not be allowed; and
- Traffic along eastbound Chung Kong Road heading for Man Kwong Street or Man Fai Street must proceed to eastbound Connaught Road Central.
All on-street parking spaces, disabled parking spaces and motorcycle parking spaces on the Cotton Tree Drive slip road (near Lower Peak Tram Terminus) will be suspended from 5pm on December 31 to 2am the following day.
(F) Chater Road Pedestrian Precinct
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The Chater Road Pedestrian Precinct will be put in place from 8pm on December 31 until 11.59pm the following day. The following roads will be closed during this period:
- Chater Road between Pedder Street and Jackson Road; and
- Ice House Street between Des Voeux Road Central and Connaught Road Central.
Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the special traffic arrangements may be towed without prior warning and may be subject to multiple ticketing.
Police appeal to members of the public to exercise patience and to follow Police instructions at scene.
Police Report No. 283
Ends/Friday, December 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:28
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