Hong Kong is a crowded place. And within its habitable confines, people make the most out of any space available. Pedestrian walkways, for example, fit well for folks who distribute promotional materials: a steady stream of people, all-weather facilities and, most importantly, it’s free. Businesses need only pay for the printed material and employ a group who have flair at stretching their arms and extending a piece of paper to a passers by.
Anyone who happens to stay in Hong Kong longer than a typical tourist will observe this. That’s because he or she must have gone to the Immigration Tower to apply for a visa of some kind. When getting off from Wan Chai MTR station, the 100-meter pedestrian overpass is the best route to take. Yet during rush hours, a torrent of humanity walking in opposing directions at five miles an hour can be a stressful walk especially for a newcomer. On one direction people coming from the subway station emerge from the escalator and rush towards the government office towers or Central Plaza, Hong Kong’s third tallest skyscraper. On the other side are people emerging from bus stops heading towards the more densely populated heartland of Wan Chai.
While there is no congestion (read: people stopping from their brisk walking), the presence of these leaflet-handing personnel has become an obstacle to overcome. Noticing that very few people tend to accept their offer, leaflet distributors have become more creative. Some of them chase a potential target: a Caucasian man who may be setting up a new virtual office or a visibly confused newcomer. Some wear elaborate costumes that look attractive to kids but look crazy to grown ups. Others are simply carefree and only worry that their piles of paper will be disposed – even if it means nearby trash bins are filled with the same pieces of paper they were dying to hand out.
Not all of these “obstacles” are considered a nuisance that should be ignored. A team of middle-aged ladies handing out free issues of daily tabloids is a magnet for pedestrians hungry for news and information. But such a scenario creates another roadblock for people. I am not sure if there is a law that prohibits free use of government property at the expense of the comfort of pedestrians. While I think it’s obvious in Hong Kong that one can’t organize a rally or perform a public performance without permission from a government agency, so it’s strange that such practice is so easily tolerated. Otherwise, staff from the nearby Wan Chai police station would be there in no time to remove the “obstacles”.
Public safety and comfort is the first priority of any government. But in this case, it seems that only a few benefit by deploying underpaid staff who harrass pedestrians at Wan Chai and other areas in the city, handing out items that inevitably fill up the garbage bins.
