Letter received today from the Home Affairs Dept:

Dear Mr PINK,

G.N. 32 – Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370)
Construction of Cycle Parking Area nearYung Shue Wan Ferry Pier, Lamma Island

Case No. 106

I refer to your email dated 6 March 2012 to the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) regarding the construction of cycle parking area (CPA) near Yung Shue Wan Ferry Pier, Lamma Island under the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370) and the email from THB to you acknowledging your objection to the project. Please note that your objection has been referred to this Office for reply.

To facilitate follow-up action, we have assigned your case as Case No. 106. Please quote this reference number in future correspondence.

The proposed construction of a CPA near Yung Shue Wan ferry pier, Lamma Island is to meet specific and pressing local needs and to alleviate safety risks arising from the large number of illegally parked bicycles on the catwalk of the pier. The Islands District Office (IsDO) of the Home Affairs Department is the lead department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) is the works agent.

Location

The current location of the proposed CPA is in line with the planning intention and zoning of the area and is within the Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). It has also long been the subject site for the proposed CPA for consultation with the local community. The subject site is therefore proposed for use as a CPA.

Design issues

As regards issues relating to the design of the CPA, please be advised that the design of the layout of the proposed CPA (e.g. the clearance between bicycle stands, road marking, traffic signs, etc.) is in accordance with the Transport Planning and Design Manual published by the Transport Department (TD). We have also consulted TD to confirm that the proposed CPA design is technically acceptable from traffic engineering point of view.

Please rest assured that the detailed design of the CPA, including the choice of materials, has not yet been finalized. We would continue to listen to the views of various stakeholders. Landscape architects, maintenance agents and professional engineers will also be further involved in the detailed design of the proposed CPA with a view to striking a balance among various factors such as functionality, implications on further maintenance, aesthetic considerations and coherence with the neighbouring environment.

Environmental impact

As regards your concerns about the impact of the proposed CPA on the environment, you may wish to note that a Preliminary Environmental Review (PER), supplemented by a marine ecological survey, has been carried out by a consultant appointed by CEDD to assess the environmental impact of the project. Two options of the construction of the CPA, namely a reclamation option and a pile-supported deck option, were considered and compared in the PER. The pile-supported deck option was recommended in the PER as it can reduce ecological impact and impact on water quality. Under the pile-supported deck option, about nine circular piles are proposed to be used to support a deck structure. Based on the suggestion obtained during the consultation with green groups in preparing the PER, the northeast side of the existing footbridge near the library will not be covered by the deck in order to further reduce the ecological impact.

Moreover, landscape and visual impacts have been considered in the PER. It is expected that after the proposed CPA comes into operation, the existing condition in which bicycles are parked on both sides of the catwalk of the ferry pier will be improved, thereby leading to positive landscape and visual impact.

In addition to the assessment of the structural options of the CPA as well as the landscape and visual impact of the CPA, assessment in other aspects, including air quality, noise, water quality, marine ecology, fisheries, waste management and cultural heritage, was also covered in the PER. It was concluded in the PER that the construction and operation of the proposed CPA were considered environmentally acceptable.

Conclusion

We hope that the above information could address your concerns and should be grateful if you would consider withdrawing your objection. Please complete the attached reply slip to confirm withdrawal of your objection.

We would like to invite you to a meeting for further discussion with us. The meeting is scheduled to be held at 9:30a.m. on 13 August 2012 at the Islands District Office Conference Room, 20/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong. Upon receipt of your reply, we shall contact you to confirm the date and venue of the meeting. When you or your representative(s) attend the meeting, please bring along a copy of this letter for identification purpose.

Please send the completed reply slip to us by post, by fax (2815 2291) or by email (joe_cc_hui@had.gov.hk) by 2 August 2012.

If you have any further enquiries, please contact Mr Joe HUI at 2852 4336 or Mr Ricky LEE at 2852 4337.

Yours sincerely,
Joe HUI
for District Officer (Islands)

Encl.

The authorities know better what is best for you.

Please complete the attached reply slip to confirm withdrawal of your objection….

get back and line up!

Several people who made formal objection have received identical letters.
Though I haven't, yet, I expect I will.

Fairly obviously it's just ticking a box before they rubberstamp the project and start pouring concrete.

The bureaucrats have no intention of examining whether the plan makes sense, or listening to what anyone aside from Yu Lai Fan and her friends say, none of them are at all interested in cyclists, pedestrians, or anything else except whose turn it is to get a piece of the action, and we're standing in the way.

I stopped reading after they referred to the pier as a "cat walk"....

_________________
Sabe 1

I just received my copy.
Only difference is the date.

I've already been to a half dozen meetings with them, and separately Yu Lai Fan.,

I still have the bruises on my forehead from beating my head on the table.

Every meeting I made the same points, they said they'd look into them, acted as if they'd never heard them before, despite my emailing them copies and giving them printed copies a dozen times. The next meeting, they hadn't done anything except move forward on Yu Lai Fan's platform, and a different flunky said they'd look into my suggestions. Repeat ad nauseam.


My response:

SNAP, got one too, no intention to respond to this at all, other than come up with a better design!

_________________
T. Clipper

nice response alan

The general gist of my reply was:

You have not consulted with the public, you have consulted with Yu Lai Fan who only has her own interests, and those of the local concrete company owners, at heart.

You have not seriously looked at other cheaper and more environmentally friendly options. You would rather pour more concrete into the harbour because that is what the people on Lamma who support this proposal will benefit most from. They do not want a cycle platform – they want the money that will come from building a cycle platform.

Maybe throwing a banana will work ?
Just make sure you miss the target.

In principle, yes. We need to do something get some publicity to shine a light on the whole corrupt procedure, since going through the official methods of appeal has proven completely pointless.

We send an objection to The Transport Department; they refer it back to HAD. We make an objection to the Ombudsman about the lack of true consultation in the process they refer it back to HAD and emit this bullshit:


So, Yu Lai Fan got several committees she is a member of to endorse her plan, and the government says that is "consulting the stakeholders".

The only "environment concern group" consulted was Green Lantau, who said it was a bad idea. No residents, no Lamma environmental groups, no cycling groups were consulted at all.

What can we do to have the press involved more to expose this whole corrupt procedure?

We're working on that.

It will be hard to get a hearing, as a bicycle parking area is a pretty unexciting kind of story, and when the Post came to report on the bike seizures at the pier a couple of months ago they just repeated Yu Lai Fan's spin and ignored everything we told them.

Anyway, we've heard from a bicycle parking expert in London, born in Hong Kong, who might be visiting soon who said he could help.

The letter proposed a date to meet. It's a great experience to meet with those officials, of course they will just keep on repeating what they wrote on the letter......

憲報公告第32號 ─ 道路(工程、使用及補償)條例(第370章)
南丫島榕樹灣渡輪碼頭附近興建單車停泊處

第52號個案

閣下在2012年2月29日，就根據《道路(工程、使用及補償)條例(第370章)》的規定在南丫島榕樹灣渡輪碼頭附近興建單車停泊處一事，電郵運輸及房屋局，該局以電郵回覆閣下，表示已接獲閣下就該工程提出反對。該項反對現交由本民政事務處回答。

為方便日後的跟進工作，本處把閣下的個案列為第52號個案，請在日後的通訊中引用該參考編號。

工程背景

擬議在榕樹灣渡輪碼頭附近興建單車停泊處，是回應當地特殊而具迫切性的需要，以及減輕因碼頭行人路大量非法停泊的單車所引致的安全問題。在該工程項目中，民政事務總署轄下的離島民政事務處是主導部門，而土木工程拓展署是工程代理人。

地點

現時建議的單車停泊處地點符合規劃意向及地區劃分，亦位於分區計劃大綱圖之內，而該地點亦一直以來是就擬議單車停泊處所進行的地區諮詢中所討論的地點，因此有關方面建議在該處興建單車停泊處。

地區諮詢

根據往常做法，在南丫島當地社區提出興建單車停泊處的建議後，本處就該項目多次諮詢有關持份者，包括離島區議會轄下的交通及運輸委員會、當時的南丫分區委員會、坪洲/長洲/南丫分區委員會、南丫島北段鄉事委員會及有關環保團體。諮詢的結果顯示，公眾普遍支持擬議興建的單車停泊處，認為是解決地區上迫切需要單車停泊空間的可行之道。而最近，在2011年7月25日舉行的離島區議會轄下的交通及運輸委員會會議上，有關方面報告了該工程項目的進展，委員支持該項目並敦促早日落實工程。我們日後會繼續就單車停泊處的設計詳情徵詢當地社區的意見。

設計及擁塞的問題

就單車停泊處的設計及有關擁塞的憂慮而言，現時該設施的布局設計(包括單車支架之間的空間、道路標記、交通標誌等)符合由運輸署公布的《運輸策劃及設計手冊》的要求。我們亦曾諮詢運輸署，以確定從交通工程的角度而言，單車停泊處的擬議設計在技術上是可以接受的。

我們亦請閣下放心，該單車停泊處的詳細設計工作尚未展開，包括選用物料的工作。待詳細的設計開展時，我們會再諮詢有關持份者。我們亦會聽取園境師、維修代理人及專業工程師的意見，務求在實效、未來維修、美觀及與附近環境的協調等方面取得平衡。

對環境的影響

閣下關切有關設施對環境所產生的影響，其實土木工程拓展署所委派的顧問已就該工程項目的環境影響進行初步環境評審及海洋生態調查。在初步環境評審中，顧問把填海方案及樁柱連平台方案進行研究及對比，然後建議採用後者，理由是可減低對生態及水質所構成的影響。在樁柱連平台的方案中，建議利用九支圓形樁柱支撐平台構築物。因應環保團體在擬備初步環境評審的諮詢過程中所提出的意見，現有行人橋東北近圖書館一面將不會興建平台，以盡量減低對生態構成的影響。

此外，在進行初步環境評審時，有關方面已考慮對景觀和視覺的影嚮。現時渡輪碼頭行人道旁單車違例停泊的景象雜亂，預計擬議的停泊處建成啟用後，情況及景觀均可以改善。

除結構方案及景觀外，初步環境評審亦已評估多項因素，包括空氣質素、噪音、水質、海洋生態、漁業、廢物處理及文化遺產等。總結而言，初步環境評審認為，從環保的角度來看，擬備的單車停泊處的興建和運作是可以接受的。

費用

建議採用樁柱連平台方案的目的，是盡量減低對生態及水質所構成的影響。採用此方案興建單車停泊處的最新預算費用為1500萬元。至於實際費用，則需視乎最終的詳細設計而定。興建單車停泊處的工程會以競爭性投標的方式進行招標。

其他方案

就在另一地點興建單車停泊處的建議，離島民政事務處、土木工程拓展署、規劃署及運輸署曾一起考慮另一個方案，即是在榕樹灣郵政局附近海傍土地上興建單車停泊處。有關方面發現 (i) 在2000年8月25日公布的第一份分區計劃大綱圖已把圖書館附近的一塊海傍土地預留作政府、團體或社區用途；以及 (ii) 郵政局附近的土地會超出法定南丫島分區計劃大綱圖的邊界。此外，運輸署亦表示與現行建議的地點比較，郵政局附近的土地並不見有任何重大的益處。

教育與執法

在單車停泊處開始運作後，有關部門會加強教育及宣傳，以鼓勵騎單車者善用設施及改善行人道旁非法停泊單車的問題。有關部門會監察單車停泊處的情況，並在適當時候在渡輪碼頭的行人道採取執法或清理行動。

總結

透過提供以上資料，我們希望可釋除閣下疑慮，並懇請撤回反對。若蒙閣下同意，請填妥夾附回條，以確認撤回反對。

我們誠邀閣下出席在8月7日下午3時30分於香港中環統一碼頭道38號20樓離島民政事務處會議室舉行的面談。在接獲閣下的回覆後，我們會把會面的確實日期和時間通知閣下。出席會面時，請閣下或代表帶同本信件副本以確認身分。

請在2012年8月2日或之前把填妥的回條郵寄、傳真(號碼2815 2291)或電郵(ricky_kk_lee@had.gov.hk)本處。

如有進一步查詢，請致電2852 4336與許智聰先生或2852 4337與下開代行人聯絡。

離島民政事務專員
(李健淇 代行)

連附件

It's quite amazing to see the amount of effort HAD is expending on pushing Yu Lai Fan's project through.

It's hard to remember that they're supposed to be "public servants" when they ignore the public and shine the shoes of the DAB.

I received the same standard letter. It's hopeless. Didn't say anything about the cheaper and easier solutions, didn't say anything about how it helps with safety and all since the bottleneck is not along the pier.

Who's going to that meeting? Maybe self-immolate to gain some media attention? Just kidding...

Everybody is scheduled for a different time. But everybody got exactly the same response otherwise. They aren't responding to anything anyone actually said, they are just following the same script as they have for the last three years, and it's clear that the "meeting" is just a formality before dismissing the objections.

I'm not going to spend 2-3 hours and buy a return ticket to help them tick a box.
I've been to enough meetings and had them make empty promises.

http://ebook.lib.hku.hk/HKG/B35821449V7.pdf

the transport planning and design manual is a decade old, makes no mention of cycles, and says:

This is the standard, but personalised form for objectors. Tick here to withdraw your objection, pleeeease....

_________________
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A first-hand account from "Rocky Malcolm the Rock Pile Builder & Balancer Extraordinaire:"

Don't drink the tea! - by Rocky Malcolm

"I had my (slightly surreal) meeting with the Islands District office today to discuss my objection to the proposed Cycle Park Area.

The meeting took place in a conference room with a table only slightly smaller than my living room. One of those big ones with a hole in the middle large enough to park a small car (or several bikes) in. I was ushered in by a minion to find one side of the table was occupied by five people with assorted laptops, charts, piles of paper and other props. The opposite side was highly polished and completely empty, except for a single cup of Chinese tea to indicate where I was to sit.

The central apparatchik and chair of the meeting was Assistant District Officer (Islands), Mr Timothy Tam. He was flanked by representatives of four other Gov't departments who's names I failed to catch. None of the Five had cups of tea.

I abjectly failed to remember the names of the half dozen Rural and Islands committees who had been consulted and had sworn with blood oaths that the people of North Lamma would not for all the tea in China give up their right to a pretty pile supported platform between the library and the pier. When I suggested that the committee members might be less than objective I was informed that they all rode bicycles to and from the ferry pier on a regular basis (and they themselves as bike riders would not give up their right to a pretty pile supported platform etc).

Half way through the meeting I realised that the irritating light in my eyes wasn't just there to make me feel as though I was being interrogated - it was also projecting a map of the pier area on the wall behind the back of my head. None of the Five had referred to, or even looked at the map while they told me about all the procedures and guidelines they had followed and how well their arses were covered. The projected slide had been strategically cropped so it didn't show the area between the Post Office and the end of the pier which is the obvious place for the CPA to be sited.

We talked round in circles for a while, then Mr TT again asked me to withdraw my objection and I again declined. Then he told me my name would be sent on to the Headmaster, sorry Chief Exec and Exco, who will tell them to go ahead and build the CPA anyway. After that I left.

To anyone else going to meet them:
- Move your chair to one end of the table. They'll be very disturbed.
- Don't drink the tea."

_________________
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