Roving exhibition on pedestrian schemes starts today

What is "pedestrianisation"?

You will figure it out and feel it after you walk across the pedestrianised section of Russell Street, Causeway Bay and take a look at a territory-wide exhibition staged by the Transport Department at the lobby of Times Square starting today (March 10).

The exhibition, also to be mounted in some other popular shopping centres, contains six specially designed panels and some other exhibits. It offers an overall introduction of the pedestrian projects which have been and will be introduced in Hong Kong. The exhibition also shows successful pedestrianisation examples in overseas countries.

Aiming at giving visitors a better understanding and a deep impression of the pedestrian schemes, the scripts of the panels have been written in simple words and the panels decorated in sharp colours with vivid pictures to show the street scenes before and after the pedestrianisation, said a spokesman for the Transport Department.

Among the display panels, the panel on Causeway Bay shows the neat scene of Russel Street with colourful paving; the panel on Central revealed the government's determination in creating a better and safer pedestrian environment in the center of the bustling commercial center; the panel on Wan Chai demonstrates the scale of the pedestrian scheme in the district and promises pedestrians a better environment in the future; the panel on Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui tells how the pedestrian zones have offered an escape to pedestrians in areas packed with both vehicles and pedestrians.

The display panels on UK, Germany, Denmark and Netherlands will be there to charm the Hong Kong visitors with their exotic styles, architectures and history.

"Pedestrianisation has become a topic universally acknowledged and we wish to enhance the public awareness of the trend and the green lifestyle aroused by staging such an exhibition," said the spokesman.

Sequentially, the exhibition will be held at Times Square, Causeway Bay on March 10-24; Harbour City New Extension, Tsim Sha Tsui on March 16-19; MTR Hong Kong Station on March 20-23, Hollywood Plaza, Diamond Hill on March 24-27 and the ground floor of the Immigration Tower from March 28 to April 12.

End/Saturday, March 10, 2001