Editing Transport in Hong Kong (section)

===Pedestrian===
====Escalators and moving pavements====
[[File:HK Central Cochrane Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators Upsidedown.JPG|thumb|right|200px|[[Central–Mid-Levels escalator]] ]]
{{Main|Central–Mid-Levels escalator}}

[[Hong Kong Island]] is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, which required the development of unusual methods of transport up and down the slopes. In [[Central and Western District]], there is an extensive system of [[Zero-fare public transport|zero-fare]] [[escalator]]s and [[moving pavement]]s. The [[Central–Mid-Levels escalator|Mid-Levels Escalator]] is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world,<ref name="escalator">{{Cite web| last = Boland| first = Rory| title = Hong Kong's Central-Mid Levels Escalator – The Longest in the World| work=About.com| access-date =19 July 2009| url = http://gohongkong.about.com/od/whattoseeinhk/a/midlevelsescala.htm}}</ref> operating downhill until 10am for [[commuter]]s going to work, and then operating uphill until midnight.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jahnke|first=Morgen|title=The Central – Mid-Levels Escalator|work=Interesting Thing of the Day|access-date=25 July 2009|date=26 February 2007|url=http://itotd.com/articles/623/the-central---mid-levels-escalator/}}</ref>

The Mid-levels Escalator consists of twenty escalators and three moving pavements. It is 800 metres long,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dennis |first=Bernard |title=China: The Business Traveller's Handbook |publisher=Interlink Books |year=2003 |isbn=1-56656-495-6 |edition=1 |page=214}}</ref> and climbs 135 vertical metres.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=World Scientific Publishing|isbn=978-981-270-771-0|page=138|last=Lim|first=William S. W.|title=Asian Alterity: With Special Reference to Architecture + Urbanism Through the Lens of Cultural Studies|year=2007|others=forewords by Andrew Lee, Leong Teng Wui, Linda Lim & Lim Teck Ghee}}</ref> Total travel time is approximately 25 minutes,<ref name="escalator"/> but most people walk while the escalator moves to shorten the travel time. Due to its vertical climb, the same distance is equivalent to several miles of zigzagging roads if travelled by car. Daily traffic exceeds 35,000 people. It has been operating since 1993 and cost [[Hong Kong dollar|HK$]]240,000,000 (US$30,000,000) to build.

A smaller Mid-Levels escalator system was built on [[Centre Street (Hong Kong)|Centre Street]] in [[Sai Ying Pun]]. Also in Sai Ying Pun are small escalators between First and Second Streets, in an uphill plaza that forms a giant hole through the Island Crest building. There is also a small escalator on Sands Street in [[Kennedy Town]]. There have been several more proposed outdoor escalators, including plans for [[Pound Lane]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1278153/historic-pound-lane-may-get-escalator-system | title=Historic Pound Lane may get escalator system | date=9 July 2013 }}</ref> the entrance to the campus of the [[University of Hong Kong]] (which already has some escalators within and connecting it with the MTR) and projects in parts of Hong Kong away from Hong Kong Island.

====Pedestrian bridges, tunnels, and skyways====
{{expand section|date=August 2022}}
Example includes:
* [[Central Elevated Walkway]]
* [[Wanchai North Skyway Platform]] 
* [[Cross Bay Link|Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Bridge]]
* [[Lek Yuen Bridge]]

==== Pavement railings ====
During [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|the 2019–2020 pro-democracy protests]] in Hong Kong, {{convert|60|km|mi}} of pavement railings were damaged by the demonstrators.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-09-15|title=CityLab Daily: Hong Kong's Much-Hated Pedestrian Fences Won't Die|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-09-15/citylab-daily-hong-kong-s-much-hated-pedestrian-fences-won-t-die|access-date=2020-11-20}}</ref> Hong Kong's Transport and Highways Departments spent an estimated HK$15 million ($1.9 million) of taxpayer money rebuilding and reinforcing the fencing.<ref name="Prasso">{{Cite news|last=Prasso|first=Sheridan|date=September 14, 2020|title=In Hong Kong, the Pedestrian Fences Are Political|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-14/hong-kong-s-much-hated-pedestrian-fences-won-t-die|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> The city government has more than doubled its installation of pedestrian rails, from {{convert|730|km|mi}} in 2010 to {{convert|1500|km|mi}} by 2018.<ref name="Prasso"/> Many of the railings prevent pedestrians from walking in a straight line along major roads by prohibiting direct crossing of perpendicular side streets.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-03-26|title=Hong Kong's endless railings corral pedestrians like sheep|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1929972/hong-kongs-endless-railings-corral-pedestrians-sheep|access-date=2020-11-20|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=An urban planner mapped every NYC street, and it's 'extremely difficult' to social distance|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/urban-planner-mapped-every-nyc-street-showing-it-s-extremely-n1189936|access-date=2020-11-20|website=NBC News|date=22 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Paul Zimmerman, a [[district councils of Hong Kong|district councillor]] and a member of a government advisory commission to improve urban design,{{which|date=June 2022}} and other pavement-fence critics argue the barriers are emblematic of the way Hong Kong streets are built to prioritise vehicles over pedestrians. The city likes the guardrails because they do not want to slow turning cars but prioritising vehicles limits the ''throughput capacity'' of the city.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-04-22|title=Designing to Move People|url=https://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/introduction/why/designing-move-people/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=National Association of City Transportation Officials|language=en-US}}</ref> Pedestrians who want to walk faster than the shuffling crowds must go into the streets, exposing them to vehicle traffic. The Transport and Highways departments say the railings are critical “to regulate and guide pedestrians for road safety and traffic management purposes.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=LCQ10: Public facilities being vandalised|url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202006/10/P2020061000378.htm|access-date=2020-11-20|website=www.info.gov.hk}}</ref> Hong Kong's high ''population density'' makes ''pedestrian mobility'' complicated and the railings offer a clear distinction between the automobiles and walkers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Table E489 : Land area, mid-year population and population density by District Council district {{!}} Census and Statistics Department|url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp150.jsp?productCode=D5320189|access-date=2020-11-20|website=www.censtatd.gov.hk}}</ref> But in a city where less than 10% of the population owns a car, anti-fence advocates question why automobiles get primacy.<ref name="Prasso"/> Nonprofit groups like Walk DVRC, in conjunction with Zimmerman, have worked to remove some of the guardrails but the city believes they are necessary. The railings, which are too flimsy to fend off cars, provide little to no protection from automobiles.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Street Behaviour|date=July 2017|title=Transport for London Road Network|url=http://foi.tfl.gov.uk/FOI-2274-1718/Pedestrian%20railings%20removal%20collisions%20analysis%20%28no%20stats19%29.pdf|journal=Transport for London|pages=3–4}}</ref> Walk DVRC has submitted a detailed proposal including pictures and recommendations for 456 railings.<ref name="Walk DVRC">{{Cite web|title=Railing over railings|url=https://www.walkdvrc.hk/upload/files/research/20200624120139_108.pdf|website=Des Voeux Road Central|publisher=Walk DVRC Ltd.|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> There are 105 of those that they claim “have been removed to the benefit of pedestrians” and should not be reinstalled.<ref name="Walk DVRC"/> Nevertheless, the city is determined to replace the removed railings and is moving forward despite public pushback.