Road widening takes place near East Dam, Sai Kung to relieve transport congestion – but is it legal?

_{The rough concrete poured at the side of Man Yee Road to provide extra taxi parking space Photo: Christine Fong}

East Dam of High Island Reservoir, Sai Kung is crowded with tourists most weekends and especially on holidays. The parking area reserved for taxis is currently small and this leads to congestion. The Water Supplies Department has started work on widening the lay-by on Man Yee Road yesterday (23/4). According to news media reports the taxi industry praised the government for its appropriate arrangements.

Sai Kung Councillor Christine Fong commented on social media that in order to improve the traffic at the East Dam of High Island Reservoir, the Commissioner of the Sai Kung District Office had earlier held an inter-departmental meeting with several government departments, including the Tourism Commission, the Transport Department, the Wong Tai Sin and Sai Kung Police, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and proposed a number of key tasks.

However from the photos emerging online all that seems to have happened is some rough concrete has been poured over the footpath, much to the consternation of a number of BUZZ readers. Some have questioned whether such work is actually legal as it looks as though no notices of the work or public tenders have been made.

Also to help alleviate the congestion, the Transport Department will further enhance the 9A minibus service, including increasing the frequency on weekdays and diverting one minibus per shift; the police have pledged to assist in traffic management, maintain orderly queues at minibus and taxi stands, and crack down on “black taxis”. In addition, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will deploy additional staff on duty