Parts of Hong Kong Island were heavily congested on Monday as the final day of the Lunar New Year flower market at Victoria Park drew shopping crowds, leaving commuters stranded and bringing public transport to a standstill for hours. Buses and trams were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Causeway Bay at 7pm, with some drivers blaring their horns as vehicles cut in front of them. A South China Morning Post reporter spent 30 minutes on a tram travelling just one stop before disembarking at Victoria Park.
Roads surrounding the flower market at Victoria Park and connecting tram and bus routes ground to a halt amid crowds seeking last-minute bargains on the final day of the Lunar New Year flower market. Causeway Bay, where the city's largest flower market is located, saw particularly severe disruptions, with buses and trams stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic at 7pm and some drivers blaring their horns as vehicles cut in front of them. Earlier, a South China Morning Post reporter spent 30 minutes on a tram travelling just one stop before disembarking at Victoria Park.
Attempts to continue to North Point on foot proved futile due to dense crowds in the streets, with police advising the reporter to switch to the MTR as buses were also caught in the gridlock. At bus stops on Yee Wo Street near Victoria Park, long queues had formed. Among the waiting passengers was a woman named Fanny, 45, who said she was trying to get to her mother’s home at Lai Tak Tsuen, a housing estate about 1km away.
The flower market is a traditional Lunar New Year event in Hong Kong, drawing locals to buy flowers and decorations. The Transport Department had no immediate response to queries. The incident highlights pressures on public transport during holiday peaks, though no accidents or further delays were reported.