Editorial: Hong Kong Island Traffic Congestion

An ongoing theme at the daily police press conferences is of the Umbrella Movement causing traffic chaos. Road traffic on Hong Kong Island has been a veritable mess from long before the Umbrella Movement started. A prime cause is the police’s failure to enforce Hong Kong road traffic laws, and with drivers knowing the police aren’t going to ticket them they flout the law with impunity.

How often have you seen vehicles entering road junctions when they know they can’t get out the other side – and so blocking all traffic, leading to excessive use of horns to the annoyance of residents and all around. Not to mention bus drivers stopping diagonally across two or three lanes completely blocking a road for several minutes.

If the police started to enforce the exiting road traffic laws, issued tickets – with meaningful fines. Then, very quickly drivers would start remembering the rules of the road, and traffic would flow more smoothly and the roads would be a lot quieter.

An example from today just before noon – the junction of Hennessy and Luard Roads where a car, a van and an empty taxi on Hennessy Road heading towards Central decided to block the junction and stop vehicles on Luard Road moving when the light turned green. There were police on the far corner who did nothing. Yellow box junctions, a favourite choke point – yet even with motor-cycle cops stationed there during busy periods for traffic management. Buses and cars enter the yellow box with no chance of exiting… and the police sit idly bye.

Mr police commissioner, the street protests may be causing some inconvenience to road users but the police’s failure to enforce the traffic laws has been causing far more congestion across the SAR’s roads for many years.

Umbrella Movement Images: One Month – 28 October, 2014

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649511674&k=xcXX6M6

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649506887&k=rGvMJ8D

One month after police fired 87 rounds of tear gas at peaceful protestors across Hong Kong, all across the territory Hongkongers, at the exact moment the first round was fired, opened umbrellas for 87 seconds to decry the use of violence by the police.

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649756260&k=gbx4ZZD

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http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649471335&k=XsXQzD8

Click on the photos to see more

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649490424&k=mSNRXgw

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-28-October/45293558_gBrHBt#!i=3649484315&k=ZvphnJ7

Umbrella Movement Images – 27 October, 2014

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-27-October/45256483_jB7TFs#!i=3644957294&k=fCbMBjS

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http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-27-October/45256483_jB7TFs#!i=3644968471&k=Z7hTM4X

Click on the photos to see more

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-27-October/45256483_jB7TFs#!i=3645044593&k=qCCZm74

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http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-27-October/45256483_jB7TFs#!i=3645072370&k=724Mttt

A Letter to Hong Kong’s Parents: Why We’re Arguing With You

Often when I ask a student at one of the protest sites “What do your parents think?” the answer is “They don’t know I’m here.” Why are students not telling their parents, one reason is that they don’t want them to worry. Another is articulated here by Cherish and illustrated by @jasonli. The original letter was published in Chinese here www.inmediahk.net/node/1027439

A Letter to Hong Kong Parents

Umbrella Movement Images: 26 October, 2014

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642922357&k=scMDzbN

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642929447&k=4xXvtDV

 

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http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642931227&k=WnrTsZH

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642935946&k=kTHPj9Z

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642938005&k=qbHWjxg

Click on the photos to see more

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642939740&k=DBFK889

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-26-October/45238571_3DSShh#!i=3642940080&k=2gK2k7T

Umbrella Movement Poll – Vote Adjourned

The Hong Kong Federation of Students, Scholarism, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, Pan-democracy Legislators and other representatives of the Umbrella Movement announced the decision to adjourn the poll in the Umbrella Square late afternoon on the 26 October, 2014. The reasons for the adjournment were outlined in a brief joint statement. Beyond doubts behind the questions and aims of the poll, amid voter confusion that the poll was about ending the current protests. There were also worries that the wifi vote system would be unable to handle the numbers of intending voters.

Joint Statement: Adjournment of First Poll in Umbrella Square

In view of the different opinions regarding the format, motions and effectiveness of the first poll that was scheduled on 26th and 27th October in Umbrella Square, we have decided to adjourn the poll after thorough discussions and careful consideration. We believe a mass movement should act according to the will of the people and we apologize to the public for the lack of discussion among the participants before making the previous decision. Still, we call for citizens to go to the three occupied areas today to exchange ideas on the future directions of the movement and how we can gather and consolidate the opinions of the supporters in order to strive for genuine universal suffrage together.

Details of the original vote http://www.bcmagazine.net/2014/10/26/umbrella-movement-poll-details-26-27-october-2014/

New Year Civil Referendum – 1 January, 2014

www.popvote.hk

“Occupy Central with Love and Peace” (OCLP) have commissioned the Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong and the Centre for Social Policy Studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to organize a “New Year Civil Referendum”, which looks to encourage members of the general public to express their views on the principles of CE Election. It’s also designed to get the public familiar with the e-voting and raise awareness of the “civil authorization” of future CE Election proposals.

The “New Year Civil Referendum” is scheduled to be held on 1 January (Wednesday) 2014, and the topic of referendum is “Principles of CE Election”, with a total of 3 propositions. The results will be announced at the Civil Human Rights Front’s Post New Year Rally Gathering.

Propositions

Proposition 1: The representativeness of the Chief Executive Nominating Committee should be increased.

Proposition 2: There should not be pre-screening mechanism in the Chief Executive nomination process.

Proposition 3: Chief Executive nomination process should include element of civil nomination.

Voting arrangements

Online voting
Voting time: 1 January 2014 01:01 – 18:00
Website: “PopVote” (http://popvote.hk)
Verification information: the HKID number of the voter in full, and a cell phone number for sending SMS

Smartphone Application voting (Smartphone App)
Voting time: 1 January 2014 01:01 – 18:00
iOS users: please download the “PopVote” application in the App Store
Android users: please download the “PopVote” application in Google Play
Verification information: the HKID number of the voter in full, and a cell phone number for sending SMS

Polling station
Voting time: 1 January 2014 13:00 – 18:30
Location of polling station: Bandstand, Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Verification information: HKID card

For more details and the exact voting process:
www.popvote.hk
http://hkupop.hku.hk/english/release/release1092.html