The Transport Department has come up with a novel approach to win over objectors to its crazy plan of building an underground car park in Stanley.
It has written to residents and asked them to support the project. In so doing, it has regurgitated the same arguments that made little impression last year. This includes the odd argument that as the car park is not an additional tourist attraction, it won't attract additional traffic.
The Stanley Residents Concern Group adopted a more conventional approach to the project and commissioned a traffic study to assess the effect of the car park on traffic levels, which concluded that it would increase traffic congestion and diminish the environment and safety in the area.
The Transport Department has, shall we say, been less than transparent on the question of traffic studies. After it referred to its "traffic study" at a meeting, the residents asked to see it. The department declined and was rapped on the knuckles by the Ombudsman. After this, the department admitted in a letter to the residents that it had not conducted a "traffic study" as such but had done an "assessment", but said since it only contained "raw data and figures as well as technical jargon not intended for public consumption".
For all its enthusiasm for the project, the department has yet to reveal the cost. However, having looked at the plans, 's construction sources say it would probably cost HK$50 million.
The other silly aspect of this project is the proposal to turn the metered car parks on Stanley Beach Road into coach drop-off points, further despoiling the area with emissions from idling engines.
