Hong Kong Government Stance on Cycling

The Hong Kong Government, particularly the Transport Department do not see the bicycle as an official means of transport in our city home. Although cyclists must abide by the rules of the road, cycling is deemed as a pastime rather than transportation method.



Due to the topography and the small land mass of the city, our administration actively discourages cycling on the roads. Hong Kong is a city in love with the motor car and it's prestige status is second to none. While it is expensive to buy, insure and maintain a car, many people do so. The public transport system is one of the best in the world which includes an extensive Mass Transit Rail network, comprehensive bus routes, minibus services and an abundant amount of taxi cabs .



While it is not necessary to pay for highway usage other than the annual road tax, drivers are required to pay tolls for certain bridges and tunnels located throughout the territory. These are almost all non-government owned and are relatively costly. The added fact that petroleum prices are extremely high ensures that car owners do not fully utilise their vehicles.



The overall effect creates a large number of 'Sunday drivers' whose lack of experience and general roadmanship of handling a motor vehicle leaves alot to be desired. Professional drivers too are the scourge of the cycling community in Hong Kong.



In recent years, there have been a number of high profile fatal accidents to cyclists caused by careless or dangerous driving. This has caused many cycling concern groups to lobby the Government to take action to prevent further accidents in future.



However, the Government's stance on cycling is less than enthusiastic even though there are major plans to extend the cycling path network. Even if there are cycle paths provided, the cyclists of Hong Kong are seeking equal rights on the road and respect from those drivers who hound their existence and comfort space when overtaking.



Our administration see the bicycle as dated technology which has no place in this modern city. With the amount of airborne particles sky-rocketing in the Pearl River Delta and general pollution on the increase, the environmental benefits of the common 'push-bike' have fallen on deaf ears of those who supposedly govern our home.

Frangible Bollards

Frangible Bollards are festooned all over Hong Kong cycle paths. Frangible Bollards are basically metallic tubes, bent in the shape of a 'U' and planted upside down into the ground. It's function is to stop motorised vehicles from entering the bicycle paths and also to reduce the speed of cyclists.

Erecting bollards on the cycle paths is dangerous since planting such a solid structure is a danger to all cyclists but more so to the unseasoned cyclist. There are many of these casual cyclists in Hong Kong. The Government's lack of understanding of cyclists' needs has lead to the excessive use of bollards to the extreme.

Bollard mounting design is highly flawed and poses a lethal danger to cyclists. The basic design is a short piece of tubing buried in the ground which protrudes, allowing the actual bollard to be inserted directly or via an additional round bar. The added danger from bollards is present when the structures are either vandalised or removed for engineering works. The protruding mount which normally sticks out approximately one inch, can easily upend cyclists when they cycle over the bollard. The relative sharp edge of the mount when exposed poses a threat to falling cyclists, which can cause nasty gashes or punctures to the flesh.

The colour of the bollard is a low visibility grey which normally blends into the background of the cycle path. This makes it hard to pick out from a distance especially in a city which uses so much concrete. There is not contrast in objects placed on the cycle path. Although some bollards have been spotted painted black or a more desirable yellow, these are limited. There should be some standard to which all bollards should conform when visibility is paramount.

Frangible bollards by design should be able to snap when an object collides with it. This is only the case when a heavy motorised vehicle comes into contact with it. If a cyclist collides with such a bollard, the only thing that will be snapping will be bones!

Hong Kong government's insistence of over utilising the frangible bollard as a traffic calming measure has made the Hong Kong cycle paths more of an obstacle course rather than a free-flowing system. In the majority of cases when vehicle roads and pedestrian paths cut across cycle paths, cyclists are required to stop, dismount, yield and push their bikes across that particular section. In some instances, there could be as many as 3 of these yielding points in a stretch of 100 metres.

This is blatant discrimination of cyclists which implies that no driver or pedestrian should watch out for cyclists regardless if they are riding on the cycle path or not. This makes for general bad road safety and incites a very bad social respect for others. Education and enforcement of the law is the required tonic.

Furthermore, entrances to some bridges and tunnels where the gradient is deemed too steep to cycle, cyclists are required to dismount. Other cycle-friendly nations also use bollards but nowhere to the same extent as that seen in Hong Kong. It is their overuse that has raised the cause for concern. Their effectiveness means little when there is no education and law enforcement to back it up.

The Hong Kong cycle paths are designed, built, maintained and managed by the Government but there are no cyclists employed in the administration system who can offer general guidance. This has lead to a poorly implemented cycle path network in Hong Kong that has run into a state of disrepair.

At the end of September, 2008, a cyclist was killed when he accidentally crashed into a bollard. As a result, the Government have become more aware of the problem and are addressing the situation albeit tentatively.

In conclusion, the frangible bollard makes for a very undesirable riding experience and it's overuse is the one of the reasons why it is more dangerous to cycle on Hong Kong cycle paths than on the roads. Frangible bollards are a cure to a problem, rather than the prevention - something the Hong Kong Government excels at...