Several Roads Paralysed, MTR Steps Up Services

Several major roads on Hong Kong Island remained paralysed on Friday evening as protesters swarmed parts of Wan Chai and Admiralty, but railway services were being boosted to deal with an expected increase in passenger numbers as people started leaving work.

Transport officials said that at 5pm, all lanes of Tim Mei Avenue, Harcourt Road, Tim Wa Avenue and Arsenal Street were blocked.

The protests were also preventing vehicles from using most lanes of Queensway and Gloucester Road, as well as Garden Road heading towards Queensway.

A number of bus services were suspended and dozens of routes were being diverted.

The MTR Corporation issued a message at around 5pm, saying in view of the busy traffic conditions, it was anticipating an increase in patronage.

The railway company said it was bringing in peak hour train frequencies earlier than normal to help keep people moving.