光害

BillYeung

1/4 of the article mentioned about light pollution

BillYeung

每日雜誌

A18  星島日報    朱漢強

2011-02-21

綠色論壇



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光污染也有階級之分？



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尖沙嘴豪宅「名鑄」(Masterpiece)至少十戶住客，不滿鄰近商場TheONE屋頂的大型燈光招牌構成滋擾，其中一戶通過律師事務所向筆者求助，擬提出民事訴訟，禁制光污染行為，有望成為全港第一宗控訴光污染得直的案例。



富人可訴訟窮人賣屋避燈



TheONE的「暴力式照明」，一個月內嚇走三位潛在租客，戶主不得不把租金叫價大減四成，由六萬五千元減至四萬元，還要加裝厚厚的遮光窗簾才租得出。男戶主自我挖苦：「『搵鬼要』代表『無人想要』。偏偏之前三位睇樓客，全是『鬼佬』，係咪代表『鬼都唔要』？」



「名鑄」最貴的單位，賣一億五千萬元。而該豪宅的J室單位，首當其衝面對TheONE招牌的強光。J室平均呎價約一萬六千元，目前尚有十八個未售出單位。如果光污染令每戶跌價一成，推算下來，發展商大概會少袋四千七百萬元進帳，所以別小看光污染的遺害。



投訴人有財力有學識，懂得據理力爭而且負擔得起訴訟費。也因此，TheONE在壓力下已經作出改善。可憐同一天空下，許多香港的基層市民，即使同樣飽受光污染之苦，待遇卻天差地遠。



過去三年，筆者處理過的光污染個案不下一百宗，其中有兩個案例，印象至深。第一個發生在大圍的住宅區。一家連鎖式經營餐廳在人家外牆懸起僭建招牌，通宵閃動，叫住戶苦不堪言。分明是僭建，但屋宇署「好少理」。晚晚又紅又綠的在閃，把戶主折磨得要看精神科醫生，更有冤無路訴，只能在窗外掛出大幅「此燈令人瘋，營商者無良」的控訴橫額。結果如何？非法招牌繼續存在，苦主連同周遭共三戶人實在受不了，唯有賣掉房子逃避暴力的燈。



凌厲強光入室疑奪命



另一個案，事主馮婆婆在我們登門造訪一年後逝世。「媽媽身體變差、辭世，一定同那盞燈有關。」兒子JohnFung斬釘截鐵地說。



那個招牌一直是馮婆婆心頭之恨，因為它非法釘到她的外牆上。她曾召警協助，但勸誡的警員甫離開，工人又快馬加鞭硬再豎起招牌，製造既成事實。對於這分明是僭建的燈光招牌，屋宇署幾近無動於衷。尤有甚者，招牌宣傳的商號根本不在樓下，而是幾條街以外的食肆———它把自家宣傳建築在別人的痛苦上了。接下來的一年多，馮婆婆被逼搬到客廳睡，身體狀況每況愈下。



○ 七年十月底，我聯絡上兩位立法會議員、一位區議員和幾位記者，打算一起去拜訪馮婆婆，聽她對於窗外那盞僭建射燈的陳述———它在這年多來，是如何折騰這位長者，而屋宇署又如何只懂得按本子辦事。沒想到，成行前兩日，也不知是不是走漏風聲，這個「賴死唔拆」的招牌突然被拆下。



行動做不成。「可惜嗎？」有朋友問。「有一點，因為無法讓市民知道香港的光污染有多嚴重。」但我說︰「這也好，至少老太太不用再受光滋擾的折磨，算是有交代。」我到過馮婆婆的客廳和睡房，領教過這盞燈的凌厲威力。



馮婆婆之後，我們拜訪過白田的丘女士，之後還到過灣仔、銅鑼灣、荃灣、大角嘴、黃埔花園、跑馬地、將軍澳、荔枝角、尖沙嘴……原來令人氣憤的燈，不止一盞。光污染，像瘟疫般在城市蔓延，而且燈愈開愈光、愈開愈夜，由入侵公共空間，到鯨吞私人領域。



去年底，有立法會議員在議會說香港是東方之珠，不宜管制光污染，用電「應則」。聽罷嚇一跳。議員大概沒想到，善用燈光，拒絕暴力的燈，東方之珠才能變得更綠、更有內涵。



拒暴力燈東方之珠更綠



明白民事訴訟破費，可免則免。但我也實希望戶主能堅持訴訟，一來製造輿論，令更多人關注及討論問題；二來若果得直，便可成為案例，增加普羅市民申請法援的成功機會，為無權勢的人打開一扇門，跟暴力的燈「打過」。



TheONE樓下的地鋪時裝品牌Chocolate，大幅外牆同樣閃得令人眼花繚亂，強光登堂入室，直搗對面樓的住房。光污染影響廣大市民。我們不樂見它還分階級，只有付得起錢和時間者才得到關顧。



香港地球之友關注光污染，並不完全眼於關上一盞燈，能省下多少度電、減少排放幾多溫室氣體。筆者尤其關顧的，是「愈光=愈繁榮」背後那套鼓吹浪費資源、不顧公義的吃人經濟發展論述，究竟還要社會賠上多大的代價？環境局最遲會在三月底向立法會呈交管制光污染的顧問報告。政府有無心解決光污染問題，大家拭目以待。



朱漢強香港地球之友環境事務經理



南華早報

EDT2  |   EDT  |   By Cheung Chi-fai and Ng Kang-chung  2011-02-21

標示關鍵字







Light-pollution complaints spread in Tsim Sha Tsui









Original 'victim' building is targeted by neighbours



A light-pollution protest lodged by residents of The Masterpiece has set off a new round of complaints from neighbours against overly bright buildings and shops in Tsim Sha Tsui - including The Masterpiece itself.



The original complaint targeted a three-storey LED advertising sign atop The One building. Now residents are complaining about a flashing ground-floor wall outside the fashion chain store Chocoolate.



Shopping malls iSquare and Mira are also being targeted by nearby residents concerned that the district's light pollution is running out of control.



Derek Wong, a businessman who lives in Victoria Towers adjacent to Kowloon Park, said he named several buildings in the district - including The Masterpiece, Mira, The One and iSquare - in a complaint to the Environmental Protection Department. "It is getting out of control," he said, and he fears developers are about to begin a display lighting "race".



Wong said he has never considered moving out of Tsim Sha Tsui. He wants owners to wake up to the fact that their lighting designs are distasteful and unpleasant, and to dim their lights voluntarily. The managements of iSquare and Mira were unavailable to comment yesterday.



Longtime Tsim Sha Tsui resident Mary Melville said she found it "laughable" when the discomfort of The Masterpiece owners made news headlines, because the glaring strips on the apartment block itself were another source of light pollution.



"These bright white glaring strips can be seen as far away as Mui Wo, and many Tsim Sha Tsui people object," she said. "We did manage to get them switched off at 11pm via complaints to the Urban Renewal Authority. Although I do not face The Masterpiece, its lights are reflected from the mirror wall of The One."





Owners of The Masterpiece have threatened to take The One to court for the light nuisance which, they say, has reduced their property values.



Facing a row of residential blocks across the street, the exterior of the fashion chain Chocoolate's store in Granville Road is decorated with a "chocolate wall" of black and white flashing lights to display its corporate logo.



At least two complaints are known to have been lodged with the chain and the government by residents who live opposite the mall. One person shot a video from his residence and sent it to a green group to make the case.



"The chocolate wall is definitely in bad taste. Who wants to walk under a wall of flashing lights? It is a terrible experience," said one Tsim Sha Tsui resident who found the lights very disturbing.



Friends of the Earth said they filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection and Transport departments last week on behalf of a resident of a building opposite the Chocoolate wall, but who did not want to be identified.



Chocoolate is a brand operated by the listed company I.T. The company was unavailable to comment.



Melville said she had also filed a complaint with various government departments against the fashion chain's lights, which she said sometimes caused a halo effect in her eyes. "It is dangerous to have flashing lights around a blind corner," she said. "They could trigger an epileptic seizure, or something similar, in drivers with certain conditions. They could also blind them."



Melville said many living in the district faced similar light pollution and wanted to help each other.



"I stood outside The One during its opening parties, with a sign saying '24/7 Noise and Light Pollution'," she said. "When I was protesting one day one of the members of the Victoria Towers owners incorporation came up to me and asked if we could co-operate, as their building has problems with lights on the back wall," she said. She fears that The One might also turn a 12-storey poster, lit with spotlights, into a giant LED screen.



Chiu Mung-ngor, the owner of a in The Masterpiece who has escalated her fight against light pollution from The One, said she understood the concerns of other Tsim Sha Tsui residents.



"It is fine with me if the lights on The Masterpiece are turned off.

The residence is the tallest in the district and most spectacular, even if there are no decoration lights on it," she said. "But let's stay focused in the fight against The One first. Once The One gives in, changes in other buildings, including The Masterpiece, will come naturally as they will be under pressure to do the same thing."



The Environmental Protection Department said yesterday that The One had turned down the brightness of its signboard to reduce the public nuisance. The department said it had raised the issue with The One's management company after receiving eight complaints about light pollution. New World Development, the biggest landlord at The Masterpiece, said it has relayed complaints to the management company of The One.



港聞

A10  星島日報

2011-02-21





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商場地鋪「燈場」被投訴



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尖沙嘴大型商場TheONE繼早前被轟頂層大型廣告燈牌滋擾民居後，其地下商戶的巨型「燈牆」也遭市民投訴，不滿「燈牆」入夜後至凌晨不斷閃動，深感滋擾。有環保團體認為，由於「燈牆」貼近馬路，擔心刺眼的燈光會令司機及馬路使用者「分心」，影響交通安全，已去信環保署和運輸署，要求當局跟進事件。



環團指影響交通安全



居住於TheONE對面大廈的Anna，不滿商場地下的潮流時裝店「CHOCOOLATE」外牆的巨型燈光不停閃動及照射民居，有關燈光平日至少在晚上十一時後才關上，聖誕和農曆新年等大時大節期間，燈光更會開至凌晨十二時，甚至凌晨一時，因此她感到燈光極為滋擾住客及浪費能源。



地球之友環境事務經理朱漢強表示，曾到上址視察兩次，發現時裝店外的黑白色「燈牆」範圍頗大，刺眼的LED燈光閃爍不停，不但造成光污染，更涉及交通安全的問題，因為「燈牆」正好位於加拿分道與加連威老道之間的轉角位及馬路，「閃燈太貼近路邊，會令司機和過馬路的市民分神，影響行車安全。」



朱漢強促請商場做好管理工作，將光度調暗和降低燈光閃動的頻率。他已向環保署和運輸署作出投訴，環保署和運輸署表示，若接獲投訴後會了解及跟進事件。本報記者



港聞

A26  香港經濟日報

2011-02-21





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The ONE地舖廣告 惹光滋擾投訴



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　　【本報訊】繼尖沙咀豪宅「名鑄」業主投訴The ONE商場巨型燈光廣告招牌滋擾後，The

ONE對面住戶亦投訴，商場地舖CHOCOOLATE壁報式閃爍廣告燈（圖），令居民大受滋擾，由於位處交通彎位，更擔心閃爍燈光會影響司機，易生交通意外。



位處馬路彎位 閃爍恐礙司機



　　CHOCOOLATE The ONE分店職員昨回應指，昨晚會暫停亮燈，有待了解跟進。



　　投訴人Anna家住The ONE商場對面，雖然非住低層單位，但由於相距很近，每日黃昏，對面地舖CHOCOOLATE亮燈閃爍，其單位便受滋擾。Anna指，該廣告關燈時間不一，有時凌晨12時，有時晚上11時半，但一定不早於11時；早前適逢聖誕和農曆新年等節日延長營業時間，有時會延長至凌晨1時才關燈；她上周得悉「名鑄」業主受The

ONE招牌燈滋擾投訴，有感太過分，所以亦向地球之友投訴。



　　地球之友環境事務經理朱漢強稱，若戶外燈光影響交通安全，運輸署可有例規管，故已去信運輸署反映。他又指光滋擾投訴多，但每次都要投訴才改善，促政府加快立法規管。環保署回覆表示，會了解跟進事件。政府估計，最快下月公布有關光滋擾的顧問研究，提出立法規管建議，並進行諮詢。