And I'm not moving to Staten Island either, free ferry or not

Yeah but not 13 pounds worth.

I still miss the triple-deckers, with the after deck, egg noodles and beer.... back when it was $6/trip.

As per usual the government/ferry companies aren't looking at the long-term. Increasing ferry frequency and putting on a couple of overnighters will encourage more people to move to Lamma/outlying islands. In turn this will boost the local island economies and benefit the bars, property, shops and of course, ferry operators. There will be some short-term pain, but as someone mentioned earlier, perhaps the government could chip in initially. The benefit could be thriving rural communities that might help reduce the overpopulation in some of Hong Kong's more crowded and polluted areas.

idiot, we live here because its the opposite,

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I wouldn't want to turn Lamma into another Ap Lei Chau.

There are about 8000 people on Lamma now. HK's pop is over 6 million. Unless a million people moved here, our impact on the territory as a whole is negligible. And then we'd need an MTR line to move everyone in reasonable time.

The people living in the "crowded and polluted" areas mostly could not afford to move, (public housing is much cheaper than private rents here) and wouldn't want to live so far from their work.

There is a simple solution to this problem and I am suprised none of our intelligent contributors have suggested it.
The ever energetic Germans are hoisting the sails on their large cargo ships to save money and of course, the environment.
Well - its obvious isnt it. Build or purchase some nice sailing vessels and tack our way to Central and back .
Prevailing winds are a problem so I refined our dilemma and came up with the galley. This is definitely a win win scenario. Save fossil fuels by not using them, harnessing the energy of the wind elementals, less noise, and keeping incredibly fit through having to row on those becalmed days. The aged, infirm and lazy will pay a small tax in lieu of being aged, infirm and lazy and not rowing.
Could not some astute business persons on lamma form a company and tender for the ferry route to lamma. Perhaps a consortium of avaricious restuaranteers could underwrite this enterprise. After all, those hordes of tourists will surely be hungry after paying to row to the island and will need their strength to row back!

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Age. Fac ut gaudeam

There are very few instances in which you would be able to tack all the way there and back. Given a true wind angle of 160 being prevalant you would be able to bear off somewhat as you round the north side of Green Island to avoid the wind hole at which point you would be fairly well off the wind and start making good time as you approached Central.
The reverse would hold true on the way back and don't even talk about the tunnel effect as you come close to Kennedy Town and the way the wind comes down from over IFC2- especially if there is a cold front coming down bringing a northerly with it.
Basically the ship kites need to run before the wind to make them work otherwise you will be dragged backwards and end up on Basalt or one of the other islands.Apart from that- great idea fella!

Fair enough then. How about designing an engine that runs on dog shit, Lamma's chief product, we could then incorporate these engines into a conventional submarine and sail under Hong Kong island and cut the travelling time to about 6 minutes.

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6 down, keep 280 metres !

Anymore breaches of the OSA Sailor and you'll be getting 14 days Number Nines

I did calculate that we get about three tons of dog shit on Lamma a month, so your probably right if we get a boat with a methane digester on it.

But I'll leave it up to someone else to collect the dog shit. I wonder where it all goes now - just keep your mouth shut when its windy.

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You'll have to catch me first Chief

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6 down, keep 280 metres !

Sailor, as ever, back in Guzz you'll be the one in the Star in Union Street with his arm round the Puerto Rican ladyboy

From LIVING ISLANDS MOVEMENT
info@livingislands.org.hk

Dear members and friends

Please see the mail from Selina Chow below. The Transport Department is planning to hold a meeting for English-speaking residents about the ferry services on Saturday 1st March at 9:30am.
If you wish to attend the meeting, please let us know. We'll send you the address.

Thank you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: alan@selinachow.com
To:
Subject: from Selina Chow's office
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:54:26 +0800

Dear Friend of the Islands,

As you know I have been talking to the Transport Department on your behalf, and they are now willing to set up a meeting for English-speaking residents of the Islands on the morning of the 1st of March, at 9:30 a.m. at their office situated in Wanchai. I’m sorry for the short notice, but I’m sure you would understand the urgency to find a solution to this problem as the present franchise will run out at the end of June.

I would appreciate your letting me know if you can attend. Since the meeting is an opportunity for all those affected by this problem, I would be grateful if you would pass the word around, and any interested resident would be welcome. However I would like to have some advance notice as to the number of people who would be attending, so that we would have a room big enough to accommodate everybody.

Selina

I have replied to Selina Chow telling her I would like to attend but can't due to work and that I feel she should re-schedule the meeting so that we can re-arrange our schedules in order to attend.

I urge everyone to do the same.

Saturday morning at 9.30 in Wanchai is convenient to only her. How about a meeting on Lamma at the District Islands Hall - in front of the bank, they have a large room on the 1st floor perfect for this kind of meeting.

We had one there about 3 years ago with the Police to discuss Pak Kok's numerous burglaries.

Email Selina to tell her it's inconvenient.

It looks like it was organised for the "Living Islands" people primarily, on Lantau and Cheung Chau, so Lamma would not be convenient for them.

Our own District Councillors should organise something here.

Anyway, after going to several of these "consultations" over the years, I'm not going out of my way to attend. The bureaucrats just want to tick the box that says they "consulted with the residents" before they go ahead with what they've already planned.

Get Selina Chow on Lamma and let her into the Town Hall???? Be real!

Our DC is not doing a thing, she is not even properly elected.

I suggest to write individual letters to the TD and hope there is still time if you have not done so. The re-tender document is supposed to be released beginning of Mar and the results announced in April. Not even sure if there is still time for consultation.

Forwarded from LIM:

This mail is from the Living Islands Movement, LIM, to keep you informed of current issues, meetings etc.
To know about LIM please visit: http://www.livingislands.org.hk.


Dear members and friends

Please find LIM Ferry Proposal.

If you can't attend the meeting tomorrow and wish to epress your opinion, write to the following:

The Commissioner of Transport. tdenq@td.gov.hk

The Secretary for Environment and Housing. enquiry@thb.gov.hk

The District Officer (Islands) isdcadm@isdc.had.gov.hk

The Legco transport panel (send to pi@legco.gov.hk and request copying to members of it)

Our elected representatives in Legco (NT West):

Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip albert.wychan@yahoo.com.hk

Hon Albert HO Chun-yan hotsewai@netvigator.com

Hon LEE Cheuk-yan yanlee@hkctu.org.hk

Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee selina@selinachow.com

Hon TAM Yiu-chung yctam@dab.org.hk

Hon LEE Wing-tat kwaifong56@yahoo.com.hk

Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming hokming@ntas.org

Thank you.

Living Islands Movement

A solution to the continuing the ferry services
to Lantau and Peng Chau.

1. Proposal

The present service be continued under an interim franchise for at least three years (see para 2.4), preferably by First Ferry (see para. 2.1) - under the following conditions:

- at a reasonable fare increase, possibly the same as that emerging from the Cheung Chau route tender. ie 20%.

- public funds be used to compensate the ferry company for the financial losses, if any, over the this interim period This is based upon established policies of government - (see para 2.3)

- during the interim period, the area above the piers will be constructed to allow for commercial operations to provide non-fare income. If this is delayed, this interim period would be extended until it is ready. (See para. 2.4.)

- during the interim period, the legislation should be changed to allow a ten year franchise in future to give companies the ability to undertake the necessary investment and provide a future sustainable service.

- after the interim period, all services should be re-tendered for a franchise of ten years and include the benefit of the commercial income from the commercial space.

- closer audit be applied to the efficiency of the operation - notably the waste caused by excessive air-conditioning in the summer.


2. Basis for the proposal

2.1. The present situation has arisen because:

- The administrative processes for the renewal of the present services started too late to ensure quality and safety of any new operator in view of the lack of interest and the few operators who own spare capacity.

- The extra commercial space has denied and continues to deny the possibilities of non-fare revenues that is established for the rail services. The provision of this has been delayed by inaction of the government over many years.


2.2. Social considerations

- The residents of Lantau and Peng Chau should not have to bear the rise in fares due to this inaction which is not of their making nor of the ferry companies’.

- It must not be forgotten that, as with all islands, a ferry service is an integral part of the economy and life generally. Degrading a service has widespread impacts at personal levels of peoples' lives which, when added up, can lead to drastic changes and degradation in the well established economic, residential, social structure and environment of the island communities.

- The present isolated consideration of downgrading the ferry services is all the more reprehensible when another part of the government is drawing up plans to upgrade Mui Wo.

2.3. Apart from the established help given to MTRC through granting property rights, the government recently agreed to provide public funds for the projected new routes on Hong Kong island for the specific purpose of enabling the fares to be maintained at a reasonable level. These represent policies that are directly translatable to the ferry service in the form of a one-off payment or a "capital grant". No case has been made for denying these benefits from the residents of Lantau and Peng Chau.

2.4. The length of the interim period would be, nominally, three years but depend upon the time required for government action. The government has said that it needed at least three years to evaluate relevant land policies and future strategies for the entire ferry businesses.

Living Islands Movement
info@livingislands.org.hk
27/02/08

Meeting is being held at Immigration Tower, 41st floor.

Preferably advise in advance, but they won't turn you away if you just turn up.

Anyone remember that HKYF gave up the business because the Govt wanted to much money for the roofs of the ferry piers. Or pehaps it was just because MTR had IFC coming and didnt want competition.

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