On the noticeboard in the village there is a notice about a new Emergency Vehicle Access. Only had a brief glance at it but it looks to be the size of the Tolo Highway. Follows the route of the main path to the power station road but also branches off up to the village school past the western side of the fire station.

Yes, it's amazing. There is also a list of dozens of properties to be partly resumed to make way for it.

The loop goes from the police box along the path to Tai Peng, then seems to break new ground going below the fire station, to the basketball court and then back to the main path. Why that is necessary at all I don't know, as there is a wide road just above it.

Widening the main path in many places is well overdue, but this looks suspiciously over-engineered for the always stated reason of "emergency vehicle access". After a few years here you learn that there is always a hidden agenda in any, especially large, construction project. Possibly it is related to the new channels to be built in September in Yung Shue Long, as this would give better access for construction vehicles for the building boom that is undoubtedly planned there when the valley is drained. Goodbye to that spot of greenery next to Main Street.

Unfortunately these concrete paths seem inevitable, what would make them seem more bearable would be if they cleaned up after themselves. Better yet, as well as taking away their concrete mixers, they did a bit of landscaping, some bushes or something. That would make up somewhat for the loss of aesthetics on the whole.

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I've updated <a href="http://lammapaths.cjb.net/"> my site</a> on this wonderful Lamma autobahn. Not much there as yet, but I have made a map showing the exact routes. Save Lamma is taking an interest in the issue too, so we may see some activity. But I am disappointed that absolutely <I>none</I> of those living in the valley cares enough to raise a protest or even comment (aside from the landowners who will be counting their profits from being compensated for having the government improve access to their lots).

I know a Chinese young couple living in the valley. When I mentioned the project to them, they did not show much interest on it - even though their house is having a 180-degree view of the fields.

<img src="http://admiralty.pacific.net.hk/~sargent/ltpath/ysl/yslroad.gif" width=430 border=1>

From the look of this map (thanks Alan) it seem that this new route would provide pretty good emergency access from the fire station to the village, certainly more direct than the current routes, which either go through Tai Peng or arround that steep sharp corner after the basketball court, it also seems to run along established paths except by the basketball court.
If it gets built I would certainly like to see the builders clean up after themselves, I cant imagine a more perfet breeding ground for dengue fever than an abandoned cement mixer...

No, it doesn't. As I mentioned on my site, there is <b>NO LINK</b> from the fire station to the YSL loop, though it passes a few metres below. The pathway straight down from the station there now has stairs. If it did have anything to do with fire vehicle access, making a straight run from the fire station to Main Street would be a priority, don't you think? The fire trucks and ambulances will still have to go via Tai Peng or Tai Wan and the Beach Road.

PS: my site is at <a href="http://lammapaths.cjb.net">lammapaths</a>, and the full size map is <a href="http://admiralty.pacific.net.hk/~sargent/ltpath/ysl/yslroad.gif">here<a>.

Yes, Alan is right, no access at all to the fire station, whose EVs still need to use the current, narrow road to get to the new ring road.

I've just seen the very detailed plans from Save Lamma and will post them in my "Lamma Grand Prix Ring" feature in the e-zine this Sunday, incl. more descriptions and calls to lodge objections to the Highways Dept. who has the power to resume any land it wants for this road, no objections from owner possible as this is sold as an EVA.

I went through the large-size map drawings with Save Lamma this morning in great detail. Quite an eye-opener!
This will become the next big issue for Save Lamma, after the reclamation, I think.

This is a massive development and Alan was right calling it an Autobahn! Dozens of metres wide in many place, 3.5 wide road, incl. the huge roadside developments, drainages and several huge slopes' shotcreting. A substantial part is NEW roads, cutting through agricultural land, forests and even existing buildings. Basically, it looks like building a massive road; wide, strong and safe enough for city buses. Insane!

For any more details on these plans, talk to Liz Gower who's amazingly knowledgeable about most details, locals affected and their initial reactions, which Banyan trees will probably be cut down, etc.

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Mr Lam of Home Affairs and Mr Liu of Highways Dept will make a site visit to Lamma this coming Friday, 6th June.

I think the time is about 10:30 AM. Will confirm later.

Anyone who wants to come, please do so and follow up here.

Site visit is now supposed to be 10:30 AM, Kam Shan Terrace (after Brothers if you come from the village) where there's a sign saying the North Lamma government school.

The site meeting was held on Lamma on 6th June 2003 at which several concerned residents met with government officials and engineers. There is <a href="http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/news_detail_frame.cfm?articleid=39411&intcatid=1">a report in <i>The Standard</i> by Paris Lord.</a>

One very interesting fact came up: the original plan called for the (obvious) connection of the Fire Station with the existing road below (making the new road cutting below the station to the basketball court even more redundant). However, this was somehow vetoed after "objections by residents" as it might disturb grave sites.

How these residents were informed of the plan years before any others knew of it is not clear. Also, walking the path one sees these graves could easily be avoided, and in any case are funeral urns, not actual graves.

It is very clear this plan's function is to enable real estate development, not enhance safety, as speeding up traffic will definitely make this a more dangerous place.

<a href="http://www.savelamma.org/RingRoad.htm">The Savelamma.org website has an update on the Lamma Ring Road.</a>

There was a news story about the motorway in the South China Morning Post today (16/6/2003). Unfortunately you have to be an online subscriber (HK$249.00 per annum) to view it from their website.

Lamma residents fight ring road plan

After a three-year battle to stop a harbour reclamation project, Yung Shue Wan villagers are back on the warpath

by HEIKE PHILLIPS, Environment Reporter
Copyright SCM Post, June 16, 2003

Lamma residents have sent in a flurry of last-minute objections to a proposed ring road for emergency vehicle access they claim is "damaging and unnecessary".

Fresh from doing battle over a proposed reclamation project at Yung Shue Wan harbour, local campaigners said they had only just found out about the plan to build a $12 million ring road.

Submissions close today.

Bobsy Jureidini, a founding member of the Save Lamma Campaign and chairman of the ABLE charity group which lobbies for a better living environment on Lamma, said residents had been unaware of the proposal until an announcement last month.

"It just came out of the blue. When we saw the plans we just said 'oh no - not again'," he said. The project has been 10 years in development.

The Save Lamma Campaign group has been engaged in a three-year battle to stop the proposed reclamation of the island's picturesque Yung Shue Wan harbour.

Faced with widespread opposition from residents, tourists and local business people, the government decided to suspend the original plan in January. Discussions continue over an alternate proposal.

"We are not opposed to development - we are just opposed to bad development," Mr Jureidini said.

A spokeswoman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said almost 70 submissions had been received by Friday, up from just 11 a week earlier.

The 2.5 to 3.5 metre-wide road would take a year to complete. It will form a circle from Main Street through the Yung Shue Long Valley wetlands and forest and past Sha Po Village.

"We're not saying there is no need for some form of improvements," Mr Jureidini said.

"Certainly quite a few areas need widening. But this plan is badly designed. It does not tie in with future development plans."

He said it was ironic that the government had designated Lamma as a tourist attraction yet intended to build a road through some of the island's most beautiful areas.

Hung Sing-yip, senior engineer with rural road development at the Highways Department, said the aim was to improve access for emergency vehicles.

"We want to build proper access roads so we can use better emergency vehicles so we can save people's lives," he said.

Cecilia Chu Wai-sim, of the Save Lamma Campaign, said a recent meeting with government officials revealed the proposal was more than 10 years old and was therefore based on outdated priorities and population projections.

But Gavin Tse Chun-tat, senior engineer with the Home Affairs Department works section, said issues such as population growth had been taken into account and the department saw no need to change the original project.

Lamma resident Adam Luck said he failed to see the justification for the project, other than to benefit developers and as a "glorified job creation scheme".

"I have two small children and I am very disturbed about the safety implications of the road," Mr Luck said.

"Some of the village drivers are already quite irresponsible and speed on the narrow pathways. A wider pathway will just encourage them to go faster."

Ms Chu said the ring road seemed to have been planned without any reference to other projects in Yung Shue Wan, such as plans for a narrow promenade along the waterfront for pedestrians and emergency vehicles.

"The government needs to look at how this project interacts with other projects," she said.

Engineers for the Home Affairs Department and Highways Department both said the harbour reclamation proposal was a "separate project".

But in a separate response from the Home Affairs Department, a spokesman said the ring road project would form part of the pedestrian and emergency vehicle access system shown on the latest approved Yung Shue Wan Layout Plan.

The future development in Yung Shue Wan had been taken into account in the layout plan, the spokesman said.

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No one mentioned that before. Complete BS. What would be the point of "better emergency vehicles" that can't go anywhere except on this road, not to mention they can't even get to the fire station. Is the next step a new fire station on the reclamation?

The Citizens' Party has joined the fray. Alex Chan has sent in <a href="http://www.citizensparty.org/community/YSW_ring_road.htm">an objection.</a>

It will be very easy to put a connection from the fire station, particularly where the fire station exit is located. (Also already quite possibly shown on the engineering plans?)

Looking at the route it is hard to argue the overall strategy won't improve public safety through quicker response by FSD. Also remember a fire engine toppled and killed someone previously due to inadequate routes.

I agree that the plan should be challenged and the route optimised. But don't envisage it will go away with the population growth over the last few years.

No it won't, there are big slopeworks to be built there, cutting it off completely. Look at the <a href="http://www.lamma.com.hk/forum/images/e-zine/22/plan1-huge.jpg">works plan</a> linked from the last ezine.

The engineers said there had originally been a plan to upgrade the footpath down from the station, but it was vetoed because "residents" (relatives of the VR, none of the other residents heard about it till this April) complained it would go too close to a gravesite. So instead they want to build an emergency access road that bypasses the fire station. Which demonstrates the motivation behind the "plan".
No, it's very easy.
1. -- they won't get anywhere quicker anyway (not without endangering pedestrians)
2. -- VVs will go faster all the time -- a much greater risk.
Population hasn't grown recently. The main argument is over the YSL loop, where there are approximately zero houses. And where there has been a mushrooming of housing, the other side of the beach road, there is terrible access and no plans to improve it.

If they won't make a direct connection to the EVA then I agree much of it's function is lost, alongwith their argument. Good luck.

More bad news about objecting by email in <a href="http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/news_detail_frame.cfm?articleid=40154&intcatid=1">today's HK Standard.</a>