**********************************************************
The Police will implement special traffic arrangements and crowd safety management measures in Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay on December 31 (Wednesday) to help facilitate New Year celebrations.
(A) Lan Kwai Fong
(1) Road closure
Phase I (from 6pm on December 31)
- A section of D'Aguilar Street between Wellington Street and Wyndham Street;
- Lan Kwai Fong;
- Wing Wah Lane;
- Wo On Lane; and
- A section of Wellington Street between Wyndham Street and D'Aguilar Street.
Phase II (from 8pm on December 31)
- Road closures in Phase I;
- On Lan Street;
- A section of D'Aguilar Street between Queen's Road Central and Wellington Street;
- A section of Wyndham Street between Glenealy and Queen's Road Central;
- A section of Stanley Street between DĄŻAguilar Street and Pottinger Street; and
- A section of 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 section of D'Aguilar Street will be closed.
(2) Suspension of parking spaces
All on-street parking spaces along Stanley Street near D'Aguilar Street, a section of Wyndham Street between Arbuthnot Road and D'Aguilar Street, and On Lan Street will be suspended from 5pm on December 31 to 6am the following day.
(B) Causeway Bay Area
To help facilitate midnight countdown at World Trade Centre and the JadinesĄŻ Midnight Gun Ceremony, crowd safety management measures and the following traffic arrangements will be implemented on December 31:
(1) Road closure
The following roads will be closed from 8pm onwards:
- A section of Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Gloucester Road;
- A section of Canal Road East between Gloucester Road and Lockhart Road;
- A section of Lockhart Road between Canal Road West and Cannon Street;
- A section of Jaffe Road between Canal Road West and Cannon Street;
- Cannon Street; and
- A section of Jaffe Road between Canon Street and east of Jaffe Road near the World Trade Centre.
(2) Traffic diversion
The following traffic diversions will be implemented from 8pm:
- Traffic along Gloucester Road cannot turn to Canal Road East;
- Traffic along northbound Canal Road West cannot turn to Canal Road East; and
- Traffic along westbound Gloucester Road cannot turn to Percival Street.
Depending on the crowd condition, Hennessy Road may be closed for all vehicular traffic and the following traffic diversions will be implemented:
- Traffic along eastbound Hennessy Road will be diverted to southbound Fleming Road or northbound Marsh Road;
- Traffic along northbound Tin Lok Lane will be diverted to westbound Hennessy Road;
- Traffic along westbound Causeway Road will be diverted to westbound Leighton Road;
- Traffic along westbound Leighton Road cannot turn right to Pennington Street; and
- Traffic along Pennington Street will be diverted to turn right to eastbound Yee Wo Street.
The lay-by on Victoria Park Road outside Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter will be suspended from 9pm on December 31.
(C) Victoria Park
To facilitate the 49th Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo held at Victoria Park, the following traffic arrangements will be implemented on December 31:
(1) Pedestrianisation
The following roads will be pedestrianised from 4pm onwards:
- A section of Lockhart Road east of Cannon Street;
- East Point Road; and
- A section of Great George Street between Paterson Street and East Point Road.
(2) Road closure
From 6pm:
- Sugar Street;
- A section of Great George Street between Paterson Street and Gloucester Road;
- A section of westbound Kingston Street between Paterson Street and Gloucester Road;
- A section of Paterson Street between Kingston Street and Great George Street;
- A section of southbound Gloucester Road between the ramp leading down from Victoria Park Road flyover and Causeway Road; and
- A section of northbound Gloucester Road south of Kingston Street.
From 8pm:
- A section of eastbound Kingston Street between Gloucester Road and Paterson Street;
- A section of Paterson Street between Kingston Street and Gloucester Road;
- Cleveland Street; and
- If necessary, one lane of westbound Gloucester Road service road between Victoria Park flyover and Cannon Street; northbound Tai Hang flyover; a section of Hing Fat Street between Causeway Road and Lau Sin Street; a section of 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.
During the period of road closures, 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.
(3) Traffic diversion
From 6pm:
- Traffic from Victoria Park flyover will be diverted to westbound Gloucester Road service road.
From 8pm:
- If vehicles are prohibited to use the section of Electric Road between Yacht Street and Lau Sin Street (except for franchised buses and vehicles of residents of Park Tower), Lau Li Street will be re-routed from one-way eastbound to one-way westbound.
(4) Suspension of public car parks and metered parking spaces
- Between 10am and 11.59pm daily until January 6 (except for disabled parking spaces, 10 parking spaces and motorcycle parking spaces near the car park exit), and between 3pm on December 31 and 2am the following day (except for motorcycle parking spaces near the car park exit and disable parking spaces), Hing Fat Street public car park will be suspended;
- Between 6pm on December 31 and 2am the following day, access to public car parks at Great George Street will be prohibited. Vehicles parked in these car parks and Park Lane Hotel will not be permitted to leave until the closed roads are re-opened; and
- Between 5pm on December 31 and 2am 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;
- A section of Electric Road between Wing Hing Street and Yacht Street;
- Northbound Morrison Hill Road;
- Hennessy Road east of Marsh Road;
- A section of Tin Hau Temple Road between Fortress Hill Road and Causeway Road; and
- Causeway Road.
(D) Wan Chai North
To facilitate Pyrotechnic Display for New Year 2015, crowd safety management measures will be implemented at Wan Chai Promenade, Expo Drive, Expo Drive Central and Expo Drive East. In addition, the following roads will be closed in phases:
Phase I (from 9pm)
- Expo Drive;
- Expo Drive Central; and
- Expo Drive East.
Phase II (from 11pm)
- Road closures in Phase I;
- A section of Convention Avenue between Fenwick Pier Street and Fleming Road; and
- First left lane of northbound Fleming Road between Convention Avenue and Harbour Road.
All metered parking spaces, on-street parking spaces (including motorcycle parking spaces) and car parks on Expo Drive and Expo Drive East, Lockhart Road east of Marsh Road, Jaffe Road east of Marsh Road, and Lung King Street will be suspended from 4pm on December 31 to 2am the following day.
(E) Central
The following road closures may be implemented if necessary:
- Between 8pm on December 31 and 11.59pm the following day, a section of Chater Road between Pedder Street and Jackson Road will be closed;
- Between 8pm on December 31 and 11.59pm the following day, a section of Ice House Street between Des Voeux Road Central and Connaught Road Central will be closed; and
- Between 9pm on December 31 and 1am the following day, a section of Man Kwong Street outside Pier No.8 will be closed.
All parking spaces at the slip road outside Lower Peak Tram Terminal will be suspended until 7am on January 2.
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.
Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic conditions in the area. Police appeal to members of the public to exercise patience and to follow Police instructions at scene.
Ends/Monday, December 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:06
NNNN