Centre Street, Hong Kong
Centre Street is a street in the Sai Ying Pun area of Hong Kong. It is the focal point of the most active traditional market in the Western District of Hong Kong Island. The street was amongst the first to have been planned during early development of the area.
With a 1:4 gradient, Centre Street is one of the steepest roads in Hong Kong, earning it the nickname Long Life Slope. It is used by approximately 10,000 pedestrians per day.
The section north of Queen's Road West and south of Victoria Harbour is a flat road that was originally reclaimed from the sea.
Location
Centre Street runs north to south from Connaught Road, crossing Des Voeux Road West and Queen's Road West before climbing steeply up the hill where it crosses First Street, Second Street, Third Street, and High Street. Centre Street terminates at the top of a long escalator which connects it to Bonham Road. Western Street and Eastern Street run parallel to Centre Street.Facilities
From north to south:- Centre Street Market, between First Street and Second Street
- Sai Ying Pun Market, between Second Street and Third Street
- A small park with seats is located between Second Street and Third Street
- Centre Street Escalator Link, between Third Street and Bonham Road
Side lanes
Lanes off Centre Street include Ying Wa Terrace, Cheung On Lane, Yu Lok Lane, and David Lane. These lanes are only accessible to pedestrians, and contain stairs.Transport
Traffic conditions vary along the length of the street, with the section between High Street and Second Street closed-off to vehicles. The uppermost part is two-way traffic to the stairs, and the lowermost part is one-way to Connaught Road West where vehicles can turn left or right.Green Public Light Bus route 12 has a terminus on the lower part of the street, whilst bus route 5S has a morning run starting from there.
A series of escalators run uphill in the Centre Street Market and the Sai Ying Pun Market buildings, carrying pedestrians from First to Third Street. The Centre Street Escalator Link then takes pedestrians all the way to the top of the street to Bonham Road. Construction of the escalator cost $60,000,000 HKD and it was officially opened in April 2013.
Sai Ying Pun station opened on 29 March 2015, with a station entrance just behind the Centre Street Market.