South China Morning Post
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A traffic sign stating all vehicles are prohibited except permitted ones is seen on the last day of the pedestrian zone at Sai Yeung Choi Street South, in Mong Kok, on July 29, 2018. Hong Kong’s track record with car-free streets is mixed, with several schemes being abandoned over various complaints. Photo: Dickson Lee
Opinion
Gary Lai
Gary Lai

New York shows how Hong Kong can embrace car-free, pedestrian-friendly streets and not hurt businesses

  • Public-private partnerships could play an important role in making Hong Kong more pedestrian-friendly
  • Such collaboration between businesses and the government could lessen the economic burden of pedestrian schemes while driving more foot traffic to tourist destinations.
Gary Lai
Gary Lai
Why you can trust SCMP
If New York is any indication, car-free streets could be set for a revival in Hong Kong. In both cities, blocks and roads have been reconfigured to accommodate pedestrians and lessen the traffic load.

There are full-time, pedestrian-only streets or plazas, and part-time pedestrian streets that keep out cars at certain times – known as “open streets” in New York. There are also traffic-calming streets that have lower speed limits and share road space between people, bicycles and cars.

It seems that creating pedestrian-friendly urban spaces has hit new heights after the high-profile makeover of Times Square. New York’s strategy for transforming the main street of Manhattan – the Broadway Vision – has ambitions stretching from Union Square to Columbus Circle.

Initially, the city will convert 25th Street to 27th Street into plazas and 27th Street to 29th Street into shared-use blocks. There will be bike lanes installed for all sections and dining areas in the plaza blocks.

Judging from New Yorkers’ reception, other cities appear to be optimistic that car-free public spaces will reduce traffic accidents and promote a cleaner environment. In the first eight years at New York’s Times Square plaza, pedestrian injuries decreased by 40 per cent and car accidents by 15 per cent.

Hong Kong’s pedestrianization schemes date back to 2000. If new pedestrian-friendly streets are planned for the city, universities seem like a natural location. In New York, one recently completed plaza is at the City University’s Baruch College, on East 25th Street. The Clivner=Field Plaza was first proposed as a solution to the lack of outdoor space and is now adjacent to Madison Square Park.

Why the plan for a pedestrian-friendly city is no walk in the park

In Hong Kong, students and staff at universities and community colleges have, for the most part, easy access to public transport. Added to the high rate of public transport use in the city, this makes the addition of car-free space much more palatable.
Moreover, pedestrian-friendly urban planning in Hong Kong should target tourist attractions. In New York, Chinatown in Manhattan jumped on the bandwagon and Doyers Street was converted into a permanent pedestrian plaza last year. Originally a participant of the seasonal streets programme, the Chinatown district joined the municipal open streets programme and successfully attracted visitors and patrons to local businesses.

A street like this never should have been designated as a street for cars. Likewise, parks, museums, shopping districts, and historic sites in Hong Kong would be more welcoming to visitors without the excess traffic.

A critical component in emptying Hong Kong’s car-filled streets is public-private partnerships. In New York, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership Business Improvement District pedestrianised and improved the area from 31st Street to 20th Street. As a result, foot traffic increased 26 per cent year on year by 2022.
Street performers and crowds in the Mong Kok pedestrian zone on May 20, 2018. Photo: Winson Wong
In Hong Kong, public-private partnerships exist in healthcare and other sectors. They could be useful here by helping to clean up pedestrian streets, beautify neighbourhoods and organise outdoor events to improve foot traffic for local businesses.

Early this year, Aurora Capital Associates, a large landlord in the trendy Meatpacking District of New York, announced the revamp of 24 Ninth Avenue, a large office and retail building at Ninth Avenue and Hudson Street.

New York’s government helped by building a shared street from one part of a large former truck loading area. Among the additions are a cycle lane and pedestrian crossings to connect travellers between the Whitney Museum area and the Hudson River Greenway.

Pedestrian zone proves tough sell to Sheung Wan shopkeepers

Collaboration between businesses and the government in Hong Kong could lessen the economic burden of pedestrian schemes or any other urban renewal project. In Hong Kong, pedestrian-friendly streets have been planned and constructed in a variety of districts including Causeway Bay, Jordan and Yuen Long. They will need to continue to be inclusive.

In New York, the outer boroughs have joined Manhattan in embracing pedestrian-friendly zones. A 126-metre-long plaza opened in Park Slope in Brooklyn last year. The Grand Army Plaza is one neighbourhood over, near Prospect Park, and there is another plaza on Underhill Avenue.

Cordoning off a street from cars can be straightforward in Hong Kong. On any given day, the street could be a play area, a pop-up market or an ad hoc car park for the local business clientele. Although there would be initial costs and inconvenience, in the long run, the returns in terms of health, safety and social connectivity would be priceless.

Gary Lai is an economist based in Hong Kong

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