Traffic gridlock in central Hong Kong as crowds throng last day of Lunar New Year fair

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.At 7pm, buses and trams continued to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Causeway Bay, where the city’s largest flower market is located, with some drivers blaring their horns as vehicles cut in front of them.Trams bound for Eastern Hong Kong Island grind to a halt in Causeway Bay at about 5.30pm. Photo: Chieu LuuEarlier, 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.