Chilly alert for Streetathon runners

Runners in the Streetathon on Sunday should be geared up for cold weather as the mercury will be at 12 degrees Celsius after a cold front hits tomorrow.

The organizer said there will be around 20,000 runners facing the chill.

Hong Kong Observatory experts said the wind will strengthen from the north and temperatures will fall drastically tomorrow, and then conditions will remain cool in mornings and nights for a few days.

The temperatures will be around 12 degrees in the urban areas on Sunday morning and a few degrees lower in the New Territories.

Andes Leung Pak-hang, chief executive and co-founder of organizer RunOurCity, said when runners have collected their race packs they should make preparations such as depositing warm clothing in advance to stay warm after the race.

"For runners who do not deposit warm clothing they can carry the small pack of thermal blanket provided in the race pack during the run and use it for warmth after finishing," Leung said.

The event on Sunday includes full marathon, half marathon and 10 kilometer races.

The 10 km race has the additional routing across the Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel, and they will be closed in stages early on Sunday.

To tie in with the event various MTR lines will start services at around 3 am on Sunday to transport runners.

The East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line will start operating from Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun and Wu Kai Sha at 3:05 am.

The MTR will provide a more frequent train service between North Point to Po Lam and Tiu Keng Leng to Lohas Park from 7:30 am to 11 am on Sunday to take 10 km runners to the start.

From 1am to 1pm on Sunday the Transport Department will implement temporary traffic diversions, road closures and other adjustments in stages on Hong Kong island and Kowloon.

Police chief inspector Chiu Chi-keung said that from 1am to 9am on Sunday the northbound tunnel of the Island Eastern Harbour will be closed.

Motorists and citizens also need to pay special attention to the traffic arrangements as the Streetathon on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon East on Sunday coincides with the first day of a time-varying toll mechanism imposed on the three cross-harbor tunnels.

Under the same toll mechanisms cars will be charged HK$60 for the Western Harbour Crossing and HK$40 for the Cross Harbour Tunnel and Eastern crossing during peak hours from Monday to Saturday.

The toll will rise from 7.30 am from the HK$20 overnight toll, and will drop gradually from 10.15 am when peak hours end at all three tunnels.

Motorcyclists will be charged 40 percent of the toll, which will range from HK$8 to HK$24 at Western and HK$8 to HK$16 at Hung Hom and Eastern during peak hours.

Screens will be put up near tunnel entrances to display real-time toll charges, which will be above the portal frames that have the HKeToll scanners installed to identify and bill vehicles. However, the screens will not display actual times to discourage drivers from speeding or slowing at toll points before toll changes, Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee Chung-yan said.