Community Issues

Lights in the Country Park

More Talk Needed

Previous story: Lights To Stay - unless you have your say

In answer to a question by Selina Chow in LegCo on Wed. 2 May 2007, Secretary of Environment, Transport and Works, Sarah Liao, stated that the Highways Department (HyD) had received requests from the local community for street lights “at selected locations….to enhance traffic and personal safety”. Evidently“after assessing their requests” the department concluded that “overall road safety would only be marginally improved if street lights were installed at selected locations only…it therefore proposed installing street lights for the entire middle section” and the proposal was approved in 2005. 

 

It’s interesting to hear that, according to this statement

Click map to enlarge

– the village representatives did not request the lights in the middle (uninhabited) sections of the road - it was the decision of the department.  This is a rather different interpretation than was given at the end of March meeting with residents and various government officials.

 

Since that meeting took place, it has been verified that the endorsement of the project by Kadoorie Farms, referred to by the HyD, was, according to a letter sent to the SCMP, quite the opposite. The one fatal accident which they mentioned had happened in the evening hours, had in fact happened before sunset.  Statistics provided to Explore by Police Senior Inspector, Mike Sharp, show very low crime rates along Pak Tam Road (only one crime has been noted in the section with no lighting in the last 6 years).

 

We understand, however, that the Country Parks and Marine Authority did approve the project, as stated by the department – a decision that appears to be contrary to its conservation mandate and to the statement that Sarah Liao made recently to the FCC (“We are committed to protecting our natural environment”).

 

Overall, however, it appears that the HyD continues in their attempt to justify a project which was started without sufficient research and understanding of the rural setting of Pak Tam Road.

 

Perhaps worn down by the controversy, the Chief Engineer/Lighting (Peter Chan) has taken early retirement. His replacement is Kwok Kwan NG and if you wish to make comments to the HyD, to the Chairman of the Country & Marine Parks Board and/or the District Officers involved - their contact details are below.