Making Hong Kong a walkable city, one step at a time

Ian Brownlee says the success of events creating car-free areas is a case for more pedestrian-friendly zones, and the new South Island MTR line could be an added catalyst

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Wheels of a very different kind have the right of way on Des Voeux Road Central as visitors enjoy public space freed up by the “Very DVRC” event on September 25. Photo: David Wong

Published: 12:16pm, 16 Nov 2016Updated: 8:41pm, 16 Nov 2016

The opening of the South Island MTR line next month will mean that, for the first time, people from the south of Hong Kong Island will not be totally reliant on road transport. Travel patterns will change away from road traffic, making it the perfect time to make more space available for people to walk.

Making cities more walkable is a focus throughout the world. In early October, Hong Kong hosted the international conference called “Walk21”, featuring wide-ranging presentations about walkable cities and the benefits, implementation problems and processes.

The Ocean Park Station of the MTR’s South Island line under construction last November. Photo: Edward Wong

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In Hong Kong, huge numbers walk as part of their daily commute but that walk is often unpleasant. It is crowded and pedestrians lose space to vehicles.

Just prior to Walk21, a number of NGOs organised the first public event on Des Voeux Road Central. The event, “Very DVRC”, closed about four blocks and diverted traffic from 10am to 4pm. It was used for relatively low-key public activities, including street games, music, learning and pure fun.

The area selected for the event has been identified by the Institute of Planners as the first stage of permanent pedestrianisation of Des Voeux Road Central. This experiment showed how traffic could be diverted, and helped understand how a pedestrian scheme could be modified to make everything work.