Why does Lugard Road on the Peak have vehicle restrictions?
Well, let us answer that question with this video, showing the plight of a taxi driver whose Chinese New Year got off to what can only be called a ominous start.
The cabbie got struck between a rock and a hard place (safety railings) while trying to navigate the notoriously narrow and windy path early on Saturday morning.
According to the person who posted the video on Facebook, his bind began just before 7am, amid cloudy, overcast, and rainy weather which surely did little to raise the spirits of the trapped cabbie.
The taxi, guided by passersby, managed eventually to break free from the narrow space but then lost control, slid down the hillside and stopped with a loud thud, narrowly missing a few people who can be seen in the video getting out of the way of the car.
While some netizens engaged in some gentle ribbing with jibes such as “this is going to end well” and some offered less gentle commentary like “this taxi driver is stupid”, others argued that people should have stopped filming and tried to help the driver, whose ordeal didn’t end after freeing his vehicle from the bind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO9q-saAsj0
The driver’s cab remained stuck on the narrow road until the arrival of a car mechanic known only as “Brother Kit”, who contacted the driver and asked if he needed help after seeing photos of his plight online.
Kit and a colleague went to the rescue, but as they could not bring their tow truck, they had to carry their tools up the Peak, which reportedly weighed more than 20 pounds.
When they reached the taxi, it had a flat tire, and the headlights were damaged.
According to Apple Daily, the rescue operation took about three hours, not including the 45 minutes of walking time Kit and a colleague needed to get to the Peak.
Kit told the newspaper: “That road has a lot of S-turns, so you have to reverse quite a few times.”
Lugard Road is a road located on Victoria Peak and is a popular hiking trail. The road has vehicle restrictions and only a small number of permits are given to those who need vehicle access to their properties.
According to the government, the widest parts of the road are about three metres, while the narrowest parts are just under two meters.
It is not clear how the taxi managed to get onto Lugard Road or why it was there in the first place.
This is not the first time that Hongkongers have noticed how tricky it is for vehicles and pedestrians navigating Lugard Road.
A video posted in January 2014, and was later picked up by Apple Daily, shows a truck driven by engineers trying to drive on Lugard Road, a task which necessitated regularly stops to allow pedestrians to pass.
Oh, and if this taxi driver’s predicament reminded you of a certain scene from Austin Powers, you are not alone.
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