Reclamation work cuts Star Ferry sailings by 25pc
The journeys are longer and in rougher water conditions
Norma Connolly
30 May 2005
South China Morning Post

http://www.pbase.com/ctfchallenge/image/18111268.jpg
Source : http://www.pbase.com/ctfchallenge/

The Star Ferry makes about 100 fewer trips a day across Victoria Harbour from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui than it did a year ago because of the harbour reclamation, the ferry company has revealed.

The cut has saddened Winston Chu Ka-sun, adviser to the Society for the Protection of the Harbour, who said he was not surprised the reclamation had affected the ferry service so dramatically.

"When visitors pass through the reclamation area, I see some people crying. We are losing a harbour and the Star Ferry pier. It is just too terrible," he said.

The service between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui has been reduced from 384 trips on weekdays to 281, a drop of about 25 per cent. Each journey now takes two minutes longer.

But passenger levels remain "stable" at 53,000 a day, Star Ferry's assistant general manager Johnny Leung said.

The reclamation work in front of Edinburgh Place Pier in Central means the ferry can no longer take a straight course across the harbour, but must go around the reclamation site. Each trip now covers 1.56km instead of 1.5km, and takes nine minutes instead of seven.

Since November, the frequency on the route has decreased from every four minutes to six minutes in peak hours, and from every six to 12 minutes to eight to 12 minutes in off-peak hours.

Mr Leung said: "The patronage remains at a stable level of about 53,000 passengers a day. Patronage level is only one of the factors triggering any fare-increase application, and we have no imminent need at this stage to apply for a fare increase."

Weekends remain busier - on Saturdays the boats cross the harbour between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui 293 times, and 312 times on Sundays and public holidays.

Mr Leung said rougher water conditions - the narrower harbour has increased turbulence - had not affected maintenance costs.

The move to the new Star Ferry pier - tentatively scheduled for March - will knock 300 metres off the trip.

And, according to a consultant's report commissioned by Star Ferry, the move will also knock between 7 and 13 per cent off the number of passengers using it.

Mr Chu said when changes were made to the ferry piers on both sides of the harbour passengers would have to walk a lot further to reach them and may choose to take the MTR, bringing a further blow to the fortunes of the historic ferries.

"The pier at Central will be demolished next year and the new one is half a kilometre from Statue Square. People will have a very long walk if they want to cross the harbour," he said.

Mr Chu said the Star Ferry was to Hong Kong what Buckingham Palace and the White House were to Britain and America.

"Tens of millions of people have travelled on the Star Ferry. It's a major tourist attraction," Mr Chu said.

He had noticed crossings were getting rougher and docking took longer.

"One old lady could not get off the ferry because it was bouncing up and down so much. She was really upset," he said.

will they replace the star ferry boats with modern air-conditioned ones?

Star Ferry has air-conditioning. It's in the front part of the top deck.

"When visitors pass through the reclamation area, I see some people crying. We are losing a harbour and the Star Ferry pier. It is just too terrible," he said.




wahahahaahahhah this is so funny.... Crying for the reclamation? Gimme a break!

Such a drama queen..

i am laughing when i see pics of reclamation!! good for HK!! ;-)

They need to do something about the rough waters, though. I hope the last bits of landfill will help smooth it out.

one of the ways to reduce wave is installing wave-reducing sea walls around the harbour. I know some parts of west kowloon shoreline has it. Not sure about other parts of victoria harbour.

Don't know why, but last time I was there, Victoria Harbour IMO, looked more like a river than a grand harbour.

Don't know why, but last time I was there, Victoria Harbour IMO, looked more like a river than a grand harbour.

That's due to "reclamation". Personally IMO, I don't think reclamation was necessary in the harbour. They should have stopped before they reclaimed that ugly irregular shaped piece of land that the ferry docks and 2 IFC are.

Shame on reclamation.

Mr Chu said when changes were made to the ferry piers on both sides of the harbour passengers would have to walk a lot further to reach them and may choose to take the MTR, bringing a further blow to the fortunes of the historic ferries.


Will they never learn? They already made this mistake with the KCRC East TST station, and with the placement of the Canton Rd. station. :bash:

FEATURE-HK's Star Ferry surrenders to urbanisation
By Susan Fenton

HONG KONG, July 13 (Reuters) - The fabled green and white Star ferry service is one of few relics from Hong Kong's past to have survived the territory's modernisation.

But soon, the ferries will leave their downtown terminal and move to new premises on Hong Kong island, making way for land reclamation and construction of a road bypass.

Swish new terminals on either side of Victoria Harbour with shopping and dining facilities will make the ferries a bigger tourist attraction, says the government.

Residents are, however, up in arms and say the main ferry service between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon on the mainland will no longer be a convenient form of public transport.

"I won't take the ferry any more, it'll be too far. I'll have to take the MTR (underground railway) and that takes a lot longer," said Leo Lam, an accountant who now takes the nine-minute journey daily to work in Kowloon.

The ferries, established by a prominent Parsee businessman in the 1880s, rate as one of the territory's biggest tourist attractions, offering visitors the best view of one of the world's most spectacular harbours.

But locals make up 70 percent of the 75,000 people who travel each day on the ferries, last year voted the city's most reliable form of public transport.

At rush hour, office workers stream off the boats, elbowing past leisurely tourists, on their way to work in the Central business district on Hong Kong Island.

Once the terminal moves 300 metres away however they face a 15-minute walk to work or connecting transport -- a move that the Star Ferry Company estimates will cut passenger numbers by 13 percent.

On the Kowloon side, the government plans to relocate a bus terminus away from the ferry terminal and build landscaped gardens. That may attract more tourists but would cut passenger numbers by another 20 percent or so, according to Star Ferry Co.

"On the Hong Kong side we'd like to stay where we are, the new terminal is out of the Central business district," said Frankie Yick, managing director of the Star Ferry Company. "Hong Kong people are always in a rush, they want to get to places quickly."

TURBULENT HISTORY

Land reclamation has seen Victoria Harbour shrink in recent years and many people say it is spoiling the city's natural beauty and ruining its biggest natural asset, the harbour itself. They lament the ferries' departure from their downtown location as the end of an era.

"It's a dilemma for Hong Kong," said Edwin Chu, an investment consultant, who also plans to switch to alternative transport when the ferry moves. "We'll miss the ferry but we also need to ease traffic congestion in Central."

Established by businessman Dorabjee Nowrojee to transport his workers, the ferry service has weathered Hong Kong's often turbulent history, including a general strike in the British colony in 1925 when only the Royal Navy kept the ferries running.

When Japan invaded the colony in 1941, locals crammed on to the ferries amid shelling in the harbour to try to escape. The service was suspended for 44 months during the occupation.

Today, at HK$1.70 (22 U.S. cents) a ride on the lower deck, the cross-harbour trip is a rare bargain in one of the world's most expensive cities -- partly because attempts to raise fares are routinely met with protests.

During widespread social unrest in the territory in 1966, a plan to raise the fare by 5 cents sparked four days of riots.

The ferry terminal on Hong Kong Island, once a waterfront landmark, is now dwarfed by skyscrapers and looks run down. Some ferries are 50 years old but that has not dimmed their appeal.

One Dutchman was so impressed by a ride on one that he opened a Star Ferry cafe in Amsterdam last year modelled on a replica green and white ferry.

As tourism has become an increasingly important contributor to the local economy, accounting for 6-8 percent of gross domestic product, the government is keen to build the ferries up as a tourist attraction.

The new terminals will house replicas of the clock towers at the existing terminals as well as floors of shopping and dining facilities, with a rooftop beer garden on the Kowloon side and a Star Ferry exhibition on the island side.

Revenue from those facilities will help subsidise the ferries. But Yick said fares might have to rise if passenger numbers drop too much.

One thing that won't change are the ferries themselves.

"No one would want that," said Yick. "They are an icon." (US$=HK$7.8)

I can't imagine having to take the ferry to work every day.. I mean.. the views each and every day :drool:

About fare raises.. $1.70 HKD.. I mean come on! It's so cheap! Double that would still be a good price, IMO.

wahahahaahahhah this is so funny.... Crying for the reclamation? Gimme a break!

Such a drama queen..

I don't cry, but everytime I see the reclaimation works I do shake my head.

They are merely exaggerating in my opinion.

I think $1.7 is too cheap. How on earth could they operate?? I sure don't want to see the Star Ferry disappear. Like the trams, they help HK shape its unique character.

Petition launched to save Star Ferry Pier and clock tower
18 July 2006
South China Morning Post

Conservationists launched a petition yesterday to save the Star Ferry Pier in Central and its clock tower from the wrecking ball.

The pier, built in 1958, is to make way for a massive shopping centre that has been dubbed the horizontal version of Hong Kong's tallest building, Two IFC.

Heritage critic Patsy Cheng Man-wah urged the Civil Engineering and Development Department to put the demolition plan on hold.

"The government thinks the pier is too old to accommodate modern needs but it also thinks it is too young to be preserved."

Under the plan for the Central waterfront, the Star Ferry dock will be moved west to join the cluster of piers from which ferries take passengers to the outlying islands.

The existing pier will then be demolished, forming part of land designated for the "groundscraper" building, which town planners and harbour activists say is too big.

The plan also includes destruction of the historic Queen's Pier to make way for a road linking Sheung Wan and Wan Chai. The Conservancy Association is negotiating with the government on the possibility of preserving the structure of Queen's Pier.

"The Star Ferry clock is the city's last outdoor mechanical clock," Ms Cheng said, noting that the clock tower at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier was electronic. "It plays musical notes every 15 minutes and has become part of people's lives."

Star Ferry general manager Johnny Leung Tak-hing said the pier's future was up to the government. "The pier is a historical building, we understand the public wants to preserve it. But the pier is a government property," he said.

Lee Ho-yin, programme director of the University of Hong Kong's architectural conservation programme, said heritage should not be judged simply by age. "The government should also look at social and cultural significance."

A spokesman for the Civil Engineering and Development Department said: "The existing piers will be demolished under Central Reclamation Phase III project. However, the Star Ferry icon will be recreated at the new Central Waterfront.

"The design of the new piers has adopted a historical heritage approach using the external appearance of the Star Ferry Pier in the year 1912 as the blueprint. Tentatively, the ferry services will move to the new piers in the third quarter of 2006. The existing piers will be cleared thereafter."

Star Ferry pier to be demolished
Leslie Kwoh
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, July 27, 2006

Members of the government-advisory Harbourfront Enhancement Committee have been forced to say a reluctant farewell to the Star Ferry Pier, after officials refused to back down on plans to demolish the site.

A heated debate over the famous landmark began Wednesday after the administration reiterated its promise to launch in September a review of the existing plans for the Central reclamation area.

But while members had earlier accepted the review would not include the controversial Tamar development project, they were reluctant to see the 50-year-old icon also slip through their fingers.

"The government says it wants to conduct a study of the area, but it has already decided the fate of the pier before we've even reached a consensus," said Vincent Ng Wing-shun, vice president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. "What is there left to be studied?"

Despite a public outcry, the famous landmark is scheduled for demolition later this year to make way for a coastal trunk road and low-rise shopping center. A new terminal, expected to open in the third quarter, is being built 200 meters away, and reclamation works will begin early next year.

Ng said while he understood the site needs to be vacated, he felt the public would prefer to see the structure preserved. He suggested the government consider moving the terminal and accompanying clock tower to another location, as it has done previously with the Murray Building from Central to Stanley.

"I believe the government can make adjustments. It's just a matter of whether it is willing to or not," Ng said.

However, officials remained firm, saying the demolition of the pier was "justified" in light of the pressing need for a new road. The government was already making a concession, Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Robin Ip Man-fai went on say, in preserving the old clock, which would be disassembled and displayed inside the new terminal.

The debate over the famous terminal also had some members questioning the need for reclamation, and whether the proposed trunk road meets the "overriding public needs test" requirement laid out by the Court of Final Appeal.

Roger Nissim, of the Business Environment Council, told the committee he remained unconvinced that reclaiming the Star Ferry pier site was "the last resort."

He said: "A lot more work needs to be done before we blindly go ahead and assume there's a need to reclaim.

"I have the uneasy feeling assumptions are being made. Be prepared for a judicial review."

If the government pushes ahead with reclamation without exhausting all other alternatives, members of the public could easily find holes in the government's argument, Nissim warned.

For example, one 2002 study found that the government could virtually eliminate traffic jams by increasing tolls from HK$20 to up to HK$80 for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel - the most congested of the three cross-harbor tunnels - during peak hours.

Under such a scheme, harbor activists say, there may not be a need to build the Central-Wan Chai bypass and other surface roads - thus dismissing the need for reclamation.

"The government must follow the correct sequence of events. If you haven't even tried varying toll prices before you gazette the bypass, how do you know there is a need?" Nissim asked.

Transport officials dismissed the study, arguing that it had already been presented to the committee's expert panel on traffic - which nevertheless concluded last year there was a need for new roads.

Resolving traffic problems would require a "basket of measures," said Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Thomas Chow Tat-ming, and varying tunnel tolls could not be a solution in itself.

"We are in unchartered territories and we are subject to challenge, so it is vital that our process is robust, transparent and can stand up to scrutiny," said property surveyor Nicholas Brooke. "It's not enough to say the study is too old, or that we've heard it before. It it's not on the record, we are vulnerable."

新天星碼頭復古
30/08/2006
太陽報

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060830/img/sn10083004_big.jpg

【本報訊】近一個世紀前的天星碼頭舊貌，再次在維港展現！中環新天星碼頭七及八號碼頭的興建工程經已竣工，政府將於未來數天內將新碼頭交予天星小輪公司進行為期兩個月的內部裝修，碼頭將於十一月正式啟用。新天星碼頭的外貌採用了一九一二年時期的碼頭及鐘樓設計，盡顯維多利亞式建築的懷舊感覺，至於內部裝潢則以不遮擋維港的無敵海景為大前提，實行將新天星碼頭打造成集消閒及旅遊元素於一身的新地標。

玻璃間隔營造通透感
即將於十一月啟用的新天星碼頭共設有七號及八號兩個停泊碼頭，航班分別前往尖沙咀、尖東和紅磡，兩個碼頭之間以大樓連接，大樓最頂層是天星小輪公司重新購置的一組電子操作的銅製吊鐘，以取代舊碼頭的鐘樓。至於天星碼頭的外觀設計，就採用了一九一二年時的維多利亞式建築及鐘樓設計、屋頂斜尖及綠白相襯的外牆顏色。

土木工程拓展署高級工程師鄧錦輝表示，新天星碼頭的地面將不設商舖，盡量保持開揚的環境，騰空地方作為市民及遊客休憩之用。所有商舖將會設於新碼頭連接大樓的一樓，該層採用開放式的設計，商舖間隔以玻璃為主，以營造出通透的效果，讓市民無時無刻都能觀賞到海景。

而二樓公眾觀景台的天花則採用具有吸熱效能的玻璃，利用天然日光作照明，在兩個觀景台上亦將分別設有餐廳及小型咖啡室，八號碼頭地面層更設有酒樓。

Architects hit out at Central pier design
Edwardian-style design lacks essence and spirit of the original and 'looks like a set from a film studio', critics say
30 August 2006
South China Morning Post

Architects and conservationists yesterday took aim at government plans for the new Star Ferry pier in Central, attacking the mock Edwardian design for looking like "a set from a film studio" and likening it to dressing up a modern person in historical costume.

At the request of the Star Ferry Company, the complex has been built to mimic the existing Edwardian design but with a 21st-century interior.

The three-storey complex has two piers connected by a clock tower with a new electronic clock that chimes every 15 minutes.

The building, which will replace the existing pier, has a harbour view stretching from the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai to West Kowloon.

Civil Engineering and Development Department senior engineer Tang Kam-fai said the new building was rich in history and culture, environmentally friendly and offers the public an unobstructed harbour view.

But Vincent Ng Wing-shun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said the new complex was like "a modern person putting on historic clothes".

"I'm not going to say it is ugly but it looks like a set in a film studio. It is impossible to rebuild a historic building. The new complex has the appearance of the old Star Ferry pier but it doesn't have the essence and the spirit.

"To make it work, it needs the right materials, craftsmanship, details and proportions. It requires very detailed architectural records of the old building. Mimicking by just referring to old pictures is not going to work. "

Mr Ng said he was sad to see the old pier being demolished.

"Conservation is about preserving an old building, not about rebuilding an old building," director of the University of Hong Kong's architectural conservation programme Lee Ho-yin, said.

"If we're building a new structure, it should be in the form of contemporary architecture because architecture is a reflection of a society's taste, culture and technology," Dr Lee said.

"Fifty or 100 years down the road, a new building will become an old building and those in the future will have a glimpse of our culture and society by seeing the building. I wonder what people will get by seeing the new Star Ferry building 50 years later."

Lynne DiStefano, former director of the HKU's conservation programme, said the Edwardian period referred to a cluster of styles that reached maturity during the reign of Edward VII (1902-1910).

"It was an important period for English architecture because the architects tried to find a national style, a form that was uniquely English. The preferred material was stone because it was solid, long-lasting and immovable.

"The Legco building is a superb example of the Edwardian style. It is elegant and sophisticated," she said.

Passengers will board ferries to Tsim Sha Tsui, Hunghom and Tsim Sha Tsui East on the ground and first floors of the new complex. The building will also house shops, a restaurant, a café and two bars. Glass walls will ensure customers have a harbour view.

After the ferry moves to the new complex at the end of this year, the existing pier will be demolished to make way for a road and shopping complex. The Star Ferry Company declined to comment yesterday.

Ferry terminal a step closer to history
Leslie Kwoh
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

http://thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20060830/star-ferry.jpghttp://thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20060830/star-ferry2.jpg

Hong Kong's world-famous landmark, the 49-year-old Star Ferry pier in Central, moved one step closer to demolition Tuesday when the government announced completion of external works on the replacement terminal.

Unveiling the new terminal, chief engineer of the Civil Engineering and Development Department Fung Kit- wing said the Star Ferry Company would start fitting out the terminal immediately, with work taking about two months.

The terminal will open in November, and the old landmark will be demolished three months later.

But while the exterior of the terminal - modeled on the 1912 version of the terminal - might fool a local or two, old-timers will be able to tell the difference upon hearing the sound of the imitation bells ringing from the electronically operated clock tower.

The bells, which sound every quarter of an hour, lack the rich and resonant quality of the their authentic counterparts. "The bells may sound slightly different but, overall, they're quite similar," Fung said.

While the government initially looked into the possibility of transplanting the original clock, a brief investigation found that the parts were no longer manufactured, which made the clock difficult to repair, he said.

Responding to criticism that the new terminal was inconveniently located, Fung admitted passengers would have to walk farther to the new terminal, which is located 600 meters further out in the harbor from the old site - roughly a 10-minute walk. Passengers coming
from the direction of IFC2, on the other hand, would now be closer and faced only a five-minute walk, he said.

The Star Ferry Company has complained that the location change, coupled with plans to relocate the public transport interchange at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier, will result in a loss of a third of its passengers, or roughly 25,000 passengers a day.

The new three-story terminal, located next to the existing Central ferry piers, boasts a 270-degree sweeping view of Kowloon, as well as Hong Kong island. In an effort to keep with the theme of authenticity, the building is almost entirely open-air, cooled only by harbor breezes and electric fans.

Natural lighting, including skylights, is also in keeping with an eco- friendly approach, Fung said.

The bottom two floors of each of the two "finger piers" will serve as boarding and waiting rooms, while the top floors will feature a public viewing deck, a canteen-style restaurant and a cafe. The Star Ferry Company has also applied to set up a bar in one area of the top floor with views of the Central business district, Wan Chai and the Kowloon coastline, the department said.

In recent months, the public has rallied around the old landmark, some calling for its complete preservation, with others suggesting it be relocated.

Fueling the government's desire to demolish the terminal is a proposed six- lane road, which will require 16 hectares of reclamation directly in front of the existing terminal.

Institute of Architects vice-president Vincent Ng Wing-shun, leading the debate in the government-advisory Harborfront Enhancement Committee, warned that the government's penchant for building roads was destroying the territory's heritage.

"If the government moved the road a little bit to the left or right, then we could save the pier," he said.

Star Ferry will operate services from the pier to Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom. Hoi Yue Ferry Company will run ferries to Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Relocated Star Ferry 'will be left with just heritage role'
Commuters will desert service after move to distant pier, says academic
11 September 2006
South China Morning Post

The Star Ferry is likely to lose its role as a form of public transport and become a tourist attraction like the Peak Tram after its pier moves, an academic says.

Hung Wing-tat, associate professor of civil and structural engineering at Polytechnic University, said moving the Central pier to near the outlying islands piers would discourage use of the ferry to cross the harbour.

"The current pier in Central is convenient. It is connected to taxis, buses and minibuses, and close to major offices towers, such as Jardine House and the Prince's Building," Professor Hung said.

"It has a big catchment area. The new pier is far away for both pedestrians and vehicles. It is not particularly close to IFC. Moving to a new pier will hit the ferry badly."

He said the ferry was still attractive to low-income people as it was the cheapest way to cross the harbour and its present convenient location helped it meet fierce competition, particularly from the MTR Corp. It would lose that edge with the move.

Professor Hung cited a Transport Department study in 2002 that said the average person did not want to walk for more than seven minutes to catch public transport. The government has estimated it will take 10 minutes to reach the new pier.

The ferry service, which has been operating since 1888, faces serious challenges, including the move to the new pier, forced by the Central reclamation, and the looming removal of bus stops and a taxi stand from its Tsim Sha Tsui pier.

But Professor Hung said the Star Ferry would take on a role similar to that of the Peak Tram.

"It has heritage value. No one wants to see a bus, but everyone wants to see and experience a ferry ride across Victoria Harbour," he said.

"Whether it will follow in the footstep of London's Routemaster depends on the determination of the ferry's management."

The Routemaster - a double-decker bus with the entrance at the back - was officially withdrawn from service last December. Two heritage routes between tourists spots in London have kept the buses in action.

Star Ferry managing director Frankie Yick Chi-ming agreed it was inevitable that the Star Ferry's role would change.

"Before the Cross-Harbour Tunnel was completed in 1972 and the MTR offered cross-harbour services in 1985, the ferry was the only important transport to take people across the harbour," he said. "Now people have many choices. Ferries need a pier but we can't build piers everywhere; it is our restriction."

He said the company planned to add new elements to the pier in an effort to draw people who were not catching a ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui.

"I have been thinking how to change the ferry's role," Mr Yick said. "With more space at the new pier, we will provide more activities. Hopefully there will be monthly and weekly activities to attract visitors.

"Level three will be a public viewing deck; visitors will be able to enjoy panoramic sea views there. We are thinking about offering space to artists, tertiary institutes and non-profit organisations to be their exhibition and performance venue."

Meanwhile, the Transport Department said it had not decided when to move the Tsim Sha Tsui bus terminus away from the ferry pier or details of bus services from the new terminus to the pier.

The plan is to move the bus terminus to near Wing On Plaza in Tsim Sha Tsui East, while the taxi stand will move to Canton Road. The parking bays for tour coaches and shuttle buses will be moved to an area outside the Cultural Centre.

No more to unnecessary reclaimation, we need a big harbour to beautify our skyline

i was shocked by how small singapore's harbour is, and i don't want the harbour to be compacted to such a small size for hk at all

the ferry service is a heritage, it adds flavour to an otherwise mundane busy lifestyle of hk, whocares about whether it makes money, it ain't that expensive to operate it

KEEP ON FERRYING ! $1.7 ain't even expensive, compared to the MTR or tunnel fees or bus fees, we need to maintain a good ferry service

Panel votes to save Star Ferry tower
Leslie Kwoh
21 September 2006
Hong Kong Standard

A nonbinding motion urging the government to retain the 49-year-old Star Ferry clock tower passed unanimously Wednesday in the Legislative Council's planning, land and works panel.

Drawn up by Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit and independent Kwok Ka-ki, the motion asked the government to reverse its decision on the tower, which is scheduled for demolition early next year after the opening of the replacement Star Ferry terminal.

Officials have argued the tower must be demolished in order to make way for a proposed trunk road.

The motion was passed by all four legislators present during the vote, including Leong, Kwok, independent Albert Chan Wai-yip and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Choy So-yuk. The other 13 panel members were either absent from the meeting, or left before the vote was taken.

``This sends out a clear message to the government, but whether it will listen or not, I don't know,'' Kwok said. ``No matter how good an issue might be for the community or the environment, the government has a history of refusing to listen.''

Choy also said she was ``not optimistic'' the government would abide by the motion, but urged officials to consider postponing the date of demolition.

``All we're asking is that we sit down and discuss alternative ways.We believe minimum changes can be made to the current plans to preserve the tower,'' she said.

According to the layout of the area, the site around the tower will have 11 hectares of open space.

Kwok and Choy also said they approached Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and planning chief Michael Suen Ming-yeung earlier in the day during a luncheon for legislators, but received disappointing responses.

Kwok said Tsang questioned the historical significance of the tower, while Choy said Suen treated her plea for preservation ``like a joke.''

At the panel meeting, Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Robin Ip Man-fai reiterated the need for new roads to reduce traffic congestion. He also defended the government's decision to demolish the clock tower and terminal, saying the structure's historical significance was not recognized by the Antiquities Advisory Board.

Traffic and transport arrangements after relocation of Edinburgh Place ferry pier
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Government Press Release

People are advised today (October 26) that the Central berthing points of the four ferry services currently operating at the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and a berth at Edinburgh Place outside City Hall will be relocated to Central Ferry Pier Nos 7 and 8 with effect from November 12, 2006, to tie in with the Central Reclamation Phase III Project. Details of the changes in berthing points are as follows:

Route Pier in Central
------ ---------------

The “Star” Ferry Company Limited

Central – Tsim Sha Tsui Central Pier No.7
Central – Hung Hom Central Pier No. 8 (western berth)
Harbour Tour Central Pier No. 8 (western berth)

Hoi You Ferry Limited

Central – Tsim Sha Tsui (East) Central Pier No. 8 (eastern berth)

In connection with the change in berthing points, the timetable of the above ferry services will remain unchanged. However, the Central terminal points for bus routes 15C (Central – Garden Road Peak Tram Station) and 629 (Central – Ocean Park) will be relocated from Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier to Central Ferry Piers from their first departures on November 12, 2006. In addition, the Central terminal point for bus route 15 (Central – the Peak) will be relocated from Exchange Square Bus Terminus to Central Ferry Pier from 10am daily. Such a change of the bus terminal points will make it more convenient for ferry passengers. They can interchange with about 38 bus routes and 11 green minibus routes serving in the vicinity of the new piers.

Transport Department will take the following measures to ensure smooth pedestrian and vehicular traffic after the relocation of ferry services:
- Provide and modify more than 100 directional signs for guiding pedestrians and drivers to and from the new piers; and
- Closely monitor the traffic around the new piers, and in conjunction with the Police, implement necessary traffic control measures, such as adjusting traffic lights and road markings to enhance traffic flow.

Transport Department and public transport operators will notify the public of the above information through different channels including the setting up of exhibition boards at ferry piers, distributing leaflets, broadcasting message at radio station, issuing press release and setting up an enquiry hotline.

Transport Department's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will monitor the traffic and transport situation during and after the relocation of the ferry berthing points to Pier Nos. 7 & 8.

People, especially ferry passengers, are advised to acquaint themselves with the ferry berthing point changes and connecting transport services in the pier vicinity.

I will miss the current Star Ferry...

Star Ferry may have to raise fares after move
Company anticipates drop in passengers as a result of 10-minute walk to new pier
27 October 2006
South China Morning Post

The Star Ferry could make a decision before the end of the year on whether it needs to raise its fares to compensate for revenue losses as a result of the shift to its new pier in Central next month.

Managing director Frankie Yick Chi-ming said a month would be long enough to assess the impact of the move.

Mr Yick was speaking hours before the Transport Department officially announced that the ferry service would move to its new Edwardian-style pier on November 12.

The company has estimated it will lose as much as 13 per cent of its passengers because of the 10-minute walk from the present pier to the new one.

The Star Ferry's Central to Tsim Sha Tsui service has a daily passenger flow of 53,000 people.

Transport officials said it was too early to say whether the Star Ferry would suffer, but the MTR and buses had the capacity to carry ferry passengers to cross the harbour without making public transport more crowded.

"With new facilities and barrier-free access for the disabled, passengers will be better served in the new pier," said Carol Cheung Lin-yung, the department's chief transport officer.

The Star Ferry will organise a charity farewell ride on November 11 with four ferries taking 1,800 people to Tsim Sha Tsui as the clock strikes midnight.

Tickets, to be sold at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier from 11.30am on Saturday, will cost HK$88. The proceeds will be donated to the Community Chest and other organisations.

Those who want to pay the regular HK$2.20 or HK$1.70 fare can try to catch a ferry leaving for Tsim Sha Tsui at 11.30pm.

The first ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui from the new pier will leave at 6.30am the next day.

But the public will have to wait until early January before the viewing deck, cafe and restaurants at the new pier are ready to use.

"The government wants us to move as soon as possible as it needs to secure the [present site] for reclamation," Mr Yick said.

After the move, the trip between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui will be 300 metres shorter, but Star Ferry general manager Johnny Leung Tak-hing said the journey time would be the same because strong currents at the new pier meant berthing would take longer.

Repeated reclamation in Central is forcing the Star Ferry to move for the fourth time.

Three bus routes - 15, 15C and 629 - will stop outside the new pier to take passengers to Admiralty, Wan Chai, The Peak, the Peak Tram station and Ocean Park.

But passengers wanting to travel to Kotewall Road, MacDonnell Road, Lower Baguio Bay, Bowen Road, Pok Fu Lam Garden and Stanley will have to go back to the old pier at Edinburgh Place.

Buses 13 and 260 as well as minibuses 1A, 8, 9 and 22 will continue to use the existing stops at Edinburgh Place.

Is the relocation of Star Ferry Bus Terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui confirmed? Haven't heard anything about this for long. I hope it won't happen; otherwise, it's going to be worse for Star Ferry.

By %u6D5A-118P from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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Source : http://www.pbase.com/bono

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Hundreds seek a sentimental ride on last Star Ferry from Central pier
29 October 2006
South China Morning Post

Hundreds queued yesterday to buy tickets for the last Star Ferry services from Central pier.

Tickets, priced at HK$88, went on sale at 11.30am at the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, with the proceeds destined for charities.

Early birds began queuing before 7am. An elderly woman named Mrs Cheung, who was the first in the queue, arrived at 5am.

By 10am, the queue had nearly reached the Cultural Centre, so Star Ferry staff decided to move the queue to a vacant pier. They began selling tickets 30 minutes early.

Each person was allowed to buy up to five tickets. The Star Ferry company had 1,800 tickets for sale yesterday. The last rides will take place on November 11, with four ferries taking passengers from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui as the clock strikes midnight. Ticket proceeds will be donated to the Community Chest and other charities.

People who bought tickets said they wanted to reminisce about the many memories they had of the old pier.

Fifty-year-old retiree Mrs Cheung tried hard to hold back her tears as she recalled the many romantic trips she took with her late husband.

"It was around 1970. We took boat trips together often. It was very romantic and the fare was cheap. I think it was only about 20 cents," said Mrs Cheung, who bought five tickets. "But my husband has passed away. This pier reminds me of him."

"I was on the lower deck and I saw a woman jumping off the boat trying to kill herself. I was only eight. That memory still haunts me," said Ms Hung.

Ms Chan, who bought one ticket for herself, said the demolition of the old pier was like a mother leaving her son. The 70-year-old has been living in Hong Kong since she was 13.

There were also many young people queuing. Form One students Li Ka-ho and Lee Kwun-sing bought three tickets and said they felt sad the old pier was to be pulled down. They said the government had left young people nothing of the old Hong Kong that they would have loved to learn about. "Old architecture should be kept so that we can learn about what Hong Kong was like and how it has evolved," said Ka-ho, 13.

Hong Kong On the Move Performance Art Project members performed at the Central pier to protest against the demolition.

The pier, built in 1957, will close on November 12 in preparation for its demolition to make way for a four-lane Central-Admiralty road link.

The man who fought a 5 cent fare increase and sparked riots in his defence
6 November 2006
South China Morning Post

So Sau-chung has an indelible place in the history of Central's Star Ferry pier and regrets its impending demolition - but has no intention of paying it a farewell visit.

Mr So, when he was a 25-year-old translator, staged a hunger strike on April 4, 1966, outside the Star Ferry concourse in protest at a ferry fare increase of 5 cents.

The service was then a vital link between Hong Kong and Tsim Sha Tsui. The unpopular decision drew protests from the Urban Council, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council.

Mr So was a pioneer of social protests in Hong Kong, where demonstrations rarely happened before early 1970s.

His actions drew sympathy from some members of the public and 11 young people joined the hunger strike.

Riots broke out after Mr So was arrested on April 5 for the protest. About 430 people were detained and Mr So was charged with causing "obstruction and disturbance". But the protest was effective because the Star Ferry later limited the fare rise to the first-class section and exempted children under 16 and students. Now a Buddhist monk, Mr So said the pier was doomed in the face of economic and urban development.

"Some of my friends have suggested erecting a plaque at the new ferry pier to tell the public about the hunger strike and the riots. But I think it's very unlikely the government and the ferry company would accept the proposal."

Mr So, now 65, said his protest had been inspired by the non-violent activism of Mahatma Gandhi in India.

"I am adamant my actions have emboldened many Hong Kong people to express their views publicly. Now the people's awareness of their rights is much higher than the 1960s."

The Star Ferry pier and nearby Queen's Pier will stop operations on Saturday and service will move to new piers at the eastern edge of the outlying island ferry piers.

An organisation devoted to sustainable development, See Network, will organise a vigil on Saturday evening at Edinburgh Place. Patsy Cheung Man-wah of the organisation said: "It is possible to preserve the pier as long as we keep campaigning."

By 2A_DL13 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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By 2A_DL13 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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The comparsion is awesome. The old one does look very crappy from outside.
But I still hope that we can preserve the old building as part of our history.

I wonder why the government always designs tacky buildings. I'd rather it has a cyber look...

I wonder why the government always designs tacky buildings. I'd rather it has a cyber look...

I guess it's b/c the architect think it is the way of preseving Hong Kong history. Murray House was moved from Central to Stanley... replica of the 1912(?) Star Ferry althought it is 1km off from where it was.

When the pier move to the new one, so as the bus stop of the route from my home to the pier will also move, i'll take more ferry than MTR, as it's much much cheaper~~

Laser scanning helps preserve detailed features of the Star Ferry pier
Friday, November 24, 2006
Government Press Release

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Detailed features of the old Star Ferry pier and the clock tower have already been recorded and stored as 3D images through an advanced laser scanning technology. The data and images collected enable the Government to consider how to incorporate some special features of these buildings in the design of the new Central harbourfront.

In addition to the digital method, relevant government department is taking photographic record for the pier which had served Hong Kong for decades.

Civil Engineering & Development Department's Chief Land Surveyor Dominic Siu said the department had used laser scanning to digitalise all detailed information before the demolition of the Star Ferry pier and the clock tower so as to help preserve people's 'collective memory'.

He said laser scanning can acquire huge amount of 3D points, or 'point clouds', in very short time.

"Through the 'point clouds', the scanning system can also measure distances and directions, and produce structural and cross-sectional plans, 3D models and computer flythrough animation, which can unfold concerned buildings from all perspectives.

"With a record of more than 150 million of measured points, details, features and even settings of the pier and the clock tower have been precisely stored in a digital way.

"Different substances have different degree of reflection intensity. Laser scanning can isolate colours, texture and co-ordinates of buildings. Such data can be saved in an electronic format which enable the Government to consider how to incorporate some special features of the clock tower and the pier in the design of the new Central harbourfront."

Mr Siu said the laser scanner worth about 2 million and was purchased by the Civil Engineering and Development Department in 2003. "It is primarily intended for use in landslip forensic investigation when the department bought it three years ago," he added.

As an added value, the scanner is also used for recording information of monumental buildings or objects to assist historical researches and study of the buildings, Mr Siu said.

Apart from the old Star Ferry pier, projects completed the 3D recordings included Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb, Tai Fu Tai Mansion at San Tin and the Fire Fighting Boat "Alexander Grantham".

Star Ferry tower bounces back at Lunar fair
13 February 2007
South China Morning Post

The demolished Star Ferry clock tower in Central lives on in Victoria Park - in the form of tens of thousands of inflatable replicas on sale at the Lunar New Year fair.

Architecture students have recreated the tower in the form of an air-filled "tumbler" toy to keep memories of it alive. And unlike the real one - now just part of the city's so-called collective memory - the replica is weighted at the bottom so it can never be knocked down.

"No matter how hard you hit our inflated clock tower, it quickly rights itself and stands up," Zhuhai College architecture student Ngai Fung, one of the designers, said.

"What we want to say is, 'the clock tower never falls - Hong Kong never falls!'. We developed the idea around September and October when society was having a heated debate about the fate of the tower. It took about five months to turn our design into a real product."

Collective memory of the tower may be priceless, but customers can take home a replica for HK$68.

City University architecture student Lai Fai said they hoped their creation would raise people's concern about heritage conservation.

"Most of us are architecture students and felt upset when the government insisted on demolishing the tower. We have the responsibility to tell the public we should cherish our culture heritage," he said.

And lest anyone forget the man ultimately responsible for heritage conservation, replicas of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen are on sale. Elsewhere it's pigs galore, as befits the start of the Year of the Pig, but even among these, the bow tie-wearing chief executive isn't forgotten.

About 20 Form Six students of Hong Kong Wah Yan College dressed up in white T-shirts with bow ties painted on the front to sell their range, including pig cushions, environmentally friendly shopping bags bearing a pig logo, and toilet roll covers in the shape of a pig's head with the paper coming out of the nostrils.

"Most tissue covers only can contain one roll of toilet paper, but two rolls can be fitted inside our tissue covers," product designer and Form Six student Alex Lau Yin-tung said proudly.

While dry goods stall operators have only just began doing business at the park, flower farmer Lau Hoi-tao said all his peach blossoms were sold yesterday. "The biggest one sold for about HK$60,000, about the same price as last year," he said.

The fair, which began yesterday, will last until February 18. Police reminded drivers that roads around the park, such as Cannon Street, Paterson Street, Great George Street, Sugar Street and Kingston Street, might be closed depending on the crowd and traffic situation between now and Sunday.

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Star Ferry protester guilty of criminal damage to canvas
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, May 12, 2007

A woman who damaged a canvas sheeting covering the Star Ferry pier clock tower, which was being demolished at the time, has been found guilty on a charge of criminal damage.

However, magistrate Adriana Ching Tse deferred sentencing until May 25, pending a community service report on Ho Loy, 42, editor of the Lantau Post.

In delivering her verdict, Tse said Ho had committed the offense in front of policemen and showed no respect for the law.

"I appreciate that you had a desire to preserve the clock tower. But you should have achieved your goal in a peaceful manner and a way that people will respect. You used violence during the incident and that was wrong," she said.

Tse also ordered Ho to pay HK$800 to the construction company within two weeks as compensation.

During the hearing in Eastern Magistracy, Ho conceded she had damaged the canvas covering the scaffolding of the fenced-off Star Ferry pier in Central during the protest on December 12, 2006.

The act was caught on a police video that was shown in court.

Samantha Chiu, counsel for Ho, said the defendant cut the canvas as she truly believed it was the only way she could protect the property, which Ho felt belonged to the people of Hong Kong.

Ho also said she was motivated by the fact the government had halted its bid to push through the Article 23 anti- subversion law when it was faced with a popular protest on July 1, 2003.

Senior government counsel Anthea Pang Po-kam said if Ho believed she could have saved the clock tower by cutting the canvas, she should have continued to uncover more of the tower. Instead, she spent only a moment cutting the canvas before staying a further 30 minutes near the scaffolding area.

"I put it to you the act was merely a gesture to express your disagreement with the demolishment," Pang asked Ho who shook her head in reply.

During the trial, two of Ho's supporters, a man and a woman, were asked to leave the courtroom on separate occasions after Tse said they showed no respect for court procedures.

The woman spoke loudly during the showing of the video, while the man grabbed a policewoman's arm and scolded her when the officer asked Ho to sit up straight in her chair.

天星小輪將申加價 搬遷後客量跌15％ 虧損逾200萬
(明報) 05月 31日 星期四 05:05AM

【明報專訊】中環天星小輪碼頭自去年11月搬遷後，小輪客流量於今年1月起下跌，跌幅約一成半。天星小輪有限公司常務董事易志明表示，新天星小輪由2月開始出現虧蝕，至4月底已虧損達200多萬元，數星期內會向政府提出加價申請。他昨日出席「尖沙嘴發展露天廣場工作坊」時表示，計劃需遷移巴士站，巴士客流量會減少，乘搭天星小輪的人次亦會隨之減少，小輪有加價壓力。

遷尖沙嘴巴士站 加價壓力增

以中環郵政總局為起點計，乘客較以往要多花8分鐘才可步行至新天星小輪碼頭，易志明表示，公司曾聘請顧問評估客流量變化，顧問報告指客流量有下降趨勢，故一直擔心有加價壓力。他說，公司亦用了1個月時間觀察客流量，「11月12日搬到新址，客流量到12月都沒改變，怎料1月的人次開始出現下跌，跌幅達14%」。

易志明表示，天星小輪營運一向不是以賺錢為上，眼看乘客量不斷下降，「要面對現實」，公司曾透過商業服務，如廣告收入減少虧損比率，但無助填補人流下降的虧蝕。

加幅未定 數周內提申請

現時天星小輪的乘客，有七成是本地市民，三成是遊客，問及票價加幅時，易志明則表示未有評估︰「現在公司頂唔住，要加價，至於加幅是多少，就要看公眾承受能力。」他表示，數星期內會向政府提出加價申請。

此外，為配合2009年尖沙嘴露天廣場發展計劃，尖沙嘴天星碼頭 對開的交匯處正逐步遷往尖東。他表示，計劃會直接加重尖東南部的交通網絡負荷，小輪公司已評估，隨巴士站搬離碼頭，尖東南部的巴士流量會因而上升23%，「評估報告指，如果巴士延遲5分鐘，會有四成人選擇不乘搭巴士，如果延遲10分鐘，就有六成人選擇不乘搭巴士。由於以往乘搭小輪的乘客，靠轉乘巴士往其他地方，若巴士客流量降低，小輪客流量可能下降8至11%，屆時或會再考慮加價。」

天星反對拆灣仔碼頭
31/07/2007
太陽報

【本報訊】港府除了將會清拆皇后碼頭以興建Ｐ２路之外，亦擬拆卸灣仔碼頭及搬遷鄰近的巴士總站，以便興建中環灣仔繞道，受影響的巴士線多達十多條。承辦灣仔渡輪服務的天星小輪總經理梁德興表示，反對政府擬搬遷灣仔碼頭，不排除稍後會向政府提交反對書，有區議員預計有關拆卸行動可能會觸發新一輪的角力。

擬於北面海堤重建
港府計劃斥資二百億元興建中環灣仔繞道，受主幹道工程影響，灣仔碼頭需要清拆，但會於現時位置的北面海堤重建，新碼頭佔地約二千二百多平方米，較目前的減少一百五十平方米，新碼頭設施與現時的七號及八號碼頭相似，並要符合傷殘人士條例。

天星小輪總經理梁德興表示，自中環碼頭搬遷後，由於位置不便，乘客量大減一成半，政府早前提出搬遷灣仔碼頭時，該公司已反映憂慮。他表示，政府上周五正式就灣仔第二期發展計劃刊憲，該公司不排除會提交反對書。

灣仔區議員盧健明表示，政府搬遷灣仔碼頭對乘客構成不便，渡輪公司的生意也受影響，擔心因此申請加價。運輸署發言人表示，搬遷巴士總部的計劃暫未有時間表，若落實會通知市民。