ZIM CITY

Walking with wheels

Paul Zimmerman shines a light on Hongkongers who risk their lives wheeling carts on high-traffic roads to make a living

Photo: Abram Deyo

Thousands of people walk with wheels across our multi-layered city every day transporting waste, recyclables, suitcases, tools, and more. There are challenges. Street cleaners and recyclers are in danger every day pushing their trolleys across rugged, steep and cramped streets. Families struggle to find routes with baby prams, wheelchairs and suitcases.

The Road Users’ Code reminds handlers of handcarts that “If you are using a large cart or the pavement is crowded or too narrow, you should use the roadway”. The same Code also suggests to “Try not to push your cart along busy roads.” This contradiction is not helpful in our high-density city, where both roads and pavements are busy.

Research by Designing Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, has documented “Walking With Wheels” through surveys, videos and photography. They studied the uses, the users, the routes, the carts, the accidents and possible solutions.

When we tell the story, listeners realise how they stopped noticing how people risk their lives pushing trolleys across busy roads; how we step around carts moving along our crowded pavements; how travellers scramble with their suitcases at stairs; and how many cleaners, recyclers, couriers, and repairmen depend on walking with wheels. Safety is a concern. Handlers who transfer waste from buildings near Connaught Road, Central to the Man Kat Refuse Collection Point dodge three lanes of traffic. Ugly and fatal accidents are common.

We depend on this essential form of transport for Hong Kong’s economic and social activities. We recorded more than one person walking with wheels every minute through key junctions in Central. Improving our roads for those who walk with wheels makes good economic sense too: It will make it easier to move loading and unloading locations to help reduce traffic congestion.

The city has invested in new lifts connecting footbridges with pavements nearby. These are not designed for carts. Crossings and lane markings are needed to make it safer for cart users to share the roads. Removing railings would make it easier to get back on pavements. In busy areas, we can consider reducing vehicle speeds to 30 kilometres per hour.

Photographer and designer Marcel Heijnen led a group of talented photographers to shed light on Walking With Wheels. The exhibition took place at Ping Pong 129 – Gintonería just last month. Paul Zimmerman is CEO of Designing Hong Kong and Vice-Chairman of the Southern District Council. He has been acting as Chairman of the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group and their ‘Drink Without Waste’ initiative since 2017.