Almost every crossing opportunity on Queen’s Road Central / Pedder Street  is obstructed by motor traffic

Police say it would be “unfair” to prosecute drivers who block a pedestrian crossing on Queen’s Road Central, blaming poor road design not impatient motorists.

Last week urban activists uploaded hundreds of video clips of drivers blocking the crossing at Queen’s Road Central and Pedder Street to the police dashcam hotline, but police say they are reluctant to follow up as, in many cases, the obstruction is not the drivers fault.

A Hong Kong Island Traffic officer handling the video cases says the pedestrian crossing is too long, and drivers cannot see the other end of the yellow lined crossing. If the crossing is blocked at the far end, he says, and motorists drive into it, when the light changes they’ll be trapped.

Transit Jam visited the scene for an hour this morning and found almost every crossing opportunity blocked to some degree by cars, vans and trucks.

Police say they have alerted Transport Department to the issue and hope to hear back by the end of July. An officer says they will recommend the crossing be shortened, although how this would work remains to be seen.

In the meantime, pedestrians must abandon all hope of social distancing and crush through the tiny gaps between cars, with motorists immune to any prosecution or ticket.