Someone wrote:

YSW Ferry has two floors and a roof. Except for the arrival/departure area on the ground floor, the space on first floor and roof remain unused.

But the YSW ferry pier does not have two floors, only one.

We could perhaps surmise that unless this person was drunk on lamma island and seeing double we can assume that they mean't the YSW ferry pier at Central.

It is unusual to see space wasted in HK. I am suprised nobody is making a buck out of it. A coffee bar, restuarant or even a McDonalds, all with fantastic views of Kowloon through the grey 'haze'.

So it seems we are stuck with the same slow uncomfortable and unhealthy ferry service. I wish they would seal off the passenger areas from the exhaust fumes, lessen the engine noise, clean the windows and improve the seating. (on the old ferries) I am sure most of their patrons would not mind paying extra for a better service.

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Age. Fac ut gaudeam

The government don't understand that by not keeping the public informed creates much contempt for the authorities. The Hong Kong government has a poor track record for listening to peoples views so what came about were the voted in rural/urban committees which were to help with this issue. Did it work? Did it fu*k!

And the struggle goes on......

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CLICK TO SEE: http://homepage.mac.com/nickshearman/PhotoAlbum8.html

This mysterious poster has just appeared on the Democracy Wall. The Chinese doesn't say anything more than the English. The website is in Chinese only.

What does this poster "invite" us for? Where? What? Why?

Can somebody enlighten us, please?

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Chinese version
and Babelfish translation

LegCo Transport Meeting and Protest on 16th May, Friday
五月16日星期五，立法會交通事務委員會會議于請願

Legco Transport Panel will discuss ‘Outlying Island Ferry Services’ again on Outlying Island Ferry Service on 16th May.

This meeting is for legislators and administration to further discuss the matter after the representatives from the public have expressed their views during the meeting of 25 April, representatives of the general public will not be speaking in this meeting. Please call Legco 2869-9399 to listen in at the meeting.

立法會交通事務委員會將于5月16日再討論‘離島渡輪服務'
這次會議爲議員于官員就上次4月25日，各市民/團體代表表達意見後的討論，將不會有市民/團體代表發言。可致電立法會2869-9399留位旁聽。

Agenda
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr07-08/english ... ag0516.htm
會議議程
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr07-08/chinese ... ag0516.htm

There will be a protest to Eva Cheng, Secretary for Transport and Housing before the meeting
Date: 16 May 208
Place: Transport and Housing Bureau, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central
Time: 1500 (gather at the main entrance, G/F, Murray Bldg)
會議前向運輸及房屋局局長鄭汝華 請願
日期：2008年5月16日﹝星期五﹞
地點：中環 美利大廈 運輸及房屋局
時間：下午3時﹝美利大廈 地下大門集合﹞

Further ferry retender information (biligual) available at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10042377387

Some further information:

Legislator Alan Leong Kah Kit and some other legislators questioned the Secretary of Transport and Housing Eva Cheng today during the regular LegCo meeting on ferries, Eva Cheng's answer is not very different to that Transport Department official who was bombarded by us a few months ago on the football pitch.

5月14日立法會會議
梁家傑議員將向運輸及房屋局局長提出有關離島渡輪航線的質詢

14th May Legco meeting
Hon. Alan Leong Kah-Kit questions the Secretary for Transport and Housing on Outlying Island Ferry Service

http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr07-08/english ... tg0514.htm
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr07-08/chinese ... tg0514.htm

這次立法會會議視像連結，請選擇5月14日的會議，梁家傑議員質詢部分約在1小時28分時段開始
http://www.rthk.org.hk/special/legcolive/
(the meeting can be reviewed on the above link, however, only Chinese version is available, alternatively, you may search for the recording of the meeting here: http://drs.legco.gov.hk/public/search/search.html Hon. Alan Leong Kah Kit’s questioning starts around 1hr28min into the meeting)

Tjungarayi wrote:



So the roaches are OK?

Head flushing arrangements perfectly hygienic, with recycled paper provided?

Staff attitude to passengers always courteous and cheerful?

Boat construction stable, not too top-heavy in choppy waters?

Night-time lighting always strong enough to read by?

Air conditioning always effective, especially in the pier waiting zone?

Perfectly OK that no Octopus re-charge available, even though standard when voyaging to such remote and exotic locales as Peng Chau and Chi Ma Wan?

I name the next ferry Sea My-Ass.

quote from concern group
------------------------------------
As Legco Councilor Leung Yiu Chung heard,
The New World First Ferry is uncompromising, insists for a 30% fare rise. The ferry fare for fast boat on Sunday reach HK$4.
Most probably the situation would be the same for HKKF.
Where the tender will be disclosed? Nobody knows.
Will the disclosing date be related to Miss Cathy Chu, Deputy Secretary for Transport and Housing? She is going to leave for West Kowloon project in 2 weeks.

New World First Ferry lost the bid for the Central-YSW route and we'll remain with HKKF. The results have just been announced, according to the bilingual Facebook group Concern for Lamma Ferry Service, run by our long-time forum member Gisela (also interviewed on TV about the ferries a few weeks ago):


Increase of 9.2% for the monthly ticket, 28.2% for single journeys compared to current slow ferries (no more fast ferries!)

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$17.7 to SKW is insane. I would rather take Citybus 70 to Aberdeen and take the Chuen Kee Ferry from there.

$4.7+9.2 = 13.9

Unbelievable! We get the same/ worse service for nearly 30% more - and the government is going to spend $2 million to get schools, NGOs and community groups etc to visit Lamma for FREE.

The news was on the TV news yesterday evening and on many other media today. It all sound quite reasonable, such small increases, well below 10%, but it's just playing with figures and the reality is quite different.

What really bugs me is that the Transport Dept. claims that "For the Central-Yung Shue Wan route, the fares will increase by 5.5 per cent", which is an outright lie and playing with numbers, but it was quoted by all the media, except the Lamma-zine.

The actual figures are 22.9% increase for weekday sailings and 28.2% for weekend ones, as listed in the comments in the detailed announcement at
http://www.td.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/UTIL_UARTICLE_WN/paper%20(eng).pdf

It's only 5.5%, as widely quoted on TV and other media, if you compare the average cost of the current fast & slow ferries to the future slow-only ferries. It's kind of comparing economy and business class prices on flights. Using the current slow ferries only from July 1 and make them run a bit faster to save 5 minutes on the trip, as proposed, doesn't make them fast ferries!

The fact is that the slow ferries, all we'll be left with from July 1, will go up from $11.80 to $14.50 for adults, exactly 22.9%. Weekend slow ferries will increase from $15.60 to $20, a whopping 28.2%!

On the other hand, if you've favoured the fast ferries in the past, you'll actually pay a bit less for single trips from July 1, as the future slow-only ferries will be a bit less expensive ($14.50) than the current fast ones ($16.80).

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Using the current slow ferries only from July 1

I only hope you're right LG. The Central- YSW route is being taken over by an HKKF subsidiary, the same one that runs tours of the harbour/islands, mostly for mainlanders. Their boats are old, uncomfortable looking tubs. Given that HKKF is also taking over the Peng Chau route, I have an ominous feeling they'll be using our current slow ferries on that route, seeing that Peng Chau has a larger population than YSW and is therefore potentially more profitable

Interesting additional info, Foxy.

But if they'd be using any fast ferries for our route that would mean we'd actually pay LESS for the same fast ferry trip from July 1! I don't believe in Santa Claus any more...

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They aren't fast ferries.

And I remember being so upset when I found out Santa didn't exist, I had to take the day off work

I wonder about the schedule. Those fast ferries have a better turn around time and carry a lot of people at peak times. I hope they have done the figures to work out how many they will need. I can just see come July 1st a load of people not able to get on the ferry as it is full. That is just the kind of cock up I expect from this place

So what's the bet that the Peng Chau route gets our fast ferries for which they'll be charging $24-50!

I can't see our operators springing for any new ferries, so looking at the existing fleet, the present fast ferries Sea Supreme class can run at 22 knots and carry up to 388 passengers. The present slow ferries Sea Splash class run at 16 knots and can carry up to 410 passengers. The other smaller fast catermarans can only carry between 100-200 pax so they can't be used on the "rush hour" ferries.

So I predict we will have the present slow ferries running a bit faster (and I do mean a BIT faster!) but as they don't have enough of this class they will probably also use the Sea Star (the one they use for harbour tours) which runs even slower at 15 knots but can carry up to 300 pax, Problem is that it has the big open area at the back so pity us on those wet and stormy days!

Conclusion, we'll get the same crappy slow ferries for a 20+% increase, they won't be any quicker in reality and lets not forget that the timetable has not even been finalised "the detailed timetable will be adjusted after consultation with locals before finalisation".

Well sorry, but our last "consultations" didn't get very far did they!

Bah Humbug

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"There are old knights and there are bold knights but there are no old bold knights"

News from Gilman (Yu Lai-Fan's assistant) in the Chinese forum and from Gisela's Facebook group:

According to HKKF:

Our company understand the concern over the ferry service of Lamma Island. In general, there will be no reduction in the schedule, but some minor adjustments

In the new service, the service will be run by the current fast ferry but on a more economical speed to reduce the fuel cost and wear & tear of the vessel, the increase on fares and cost thus can be reduced. Therefore the headway will be slightly longer than the current , the schedule thus have to be slightly adjusted to meet the aim to reduce cost.

According to ‘Gilman’ at Chinese forum of www.lamma.com.hk , please refer to "scanned image of Sun / PH schedule"

榕樹灣航线 （星期一至六）
YSW route （Mon to Sat）
中環開 From Central

6:30 ,7:10* ,7:30* ,7:50 ,8:10*,8:30* ,8:50 ,9:10* ,9:30* ,10:10 ,11:00*,12:00,
1:00* ,1:45 ,2:30* ,3:15 ,4:00* ,5:00 ,5:20 ,5:40* ,6:00,6:20* ,6:40* ,7:00,
7:30* ,8:00* ,8:30* ,9:30* ,10:30* ,11:30* ,12:30

榕樹灣開 From YSW

6:20* ,7:00* ,7:20 ,7:40* ,8:00* ,8:20 ,8:40*,9:00* ,9:20, 9:40* ,10:00*,
11:00 ,12:00* ,1:00 ,1:45* ,2:30 ,3:15* ,4:00 ,5:00 ,5:30*,6:10* ,6:30,
6:50* ,7:20* ,8:00* ,8:30* ,9:30* ,10:30* ,11:30*

* 可載貨
*goods can be carried on board
<HR>

Click here to the scanned image of the future Sunday/Public Holiday schedule.

So they'll still be using the fast ferries, but at a LOWER fare for a single trip than we pay right now, and it'll be only a few minutes slower? I seem to have been wrong, so there IS a Santa Claus, after all? What sounds too good to be true, CAN be true, sometimes?

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