Country park road to be lit
The Highways Department's last-ditch effort to convince residents of Sai Kung that street lamps along an unlit area of the country park are necessary has failed, but it still plans to press ahead with the plan.
There has been a long-running impasse over the installation of the lights along a quiet, dark part of the country park where the department is attempting to erect 81 street lights along Pak Tam Road from Lady Maclehose Village to Uk Tau, at a cost of HK$800,000.
The project has been on hold for more than 17 months, although 41of the light poles are already in place.
A meeting at the end of last month ended with residents continuing to disagree with the plans. Another meeting with a resident will be held on Friday, but transport officials seem set to go ahead with the plans because they say members of the Rural Committee and village representatives are in favour of the lights.
The Highways Department says the lights are necessary for traffic and pedestrian safety reasons - a contention residents strongly disagree with.
A department spokesman said: 'There is little evidence that street lighting would cause significant impact to the local nocturnal wildlife.'
