Two lanes cleared but Tolo Highway still closed

Protesters from CUHK cleared the fast lanes of the Tolo Highway but the road remained closed on Friday morning. Photo: RTHK

Protesters from Chinese University on Friday cleared one lane on either side of the Tolo Highway so that traffic could pass, demanding that the government promise within 24 hours that it will not cancel or delay the District Council elections, otherwise they would be blocked again.



They then upped their demands, saying they also want the government to set up an independent inquiry into the whole protest saga and release all arrested protesters,



Earlier, the Transport Department said that the Tolo Highway remains closed as a safety precaution and the Cross Harbour Tunnel has not been reopened either. Members of the public were urged to pay close attention to traffic announcements.



Across Hong Kong, many major roads remain heavily barricaded, especially those near universities.



Overnight, black-clad protesters threw petrol bombs at the entrance of the Cross Harbour Tunnel near the Polytechnic University, setting alight debris on the road. Several of the toll booths were also set alight by protesters.



The East Rail line was shut down after petrol bombs were thrown at Kowloon Tong station. And there were scuffles between commuters and protesters at Tin Shui Wai on the West Rail Line after the protesters tried to stop a train from departing. Tin Shui Wai station was closed shortly afterwards.



Several other MTR stations remain closed and light rail line services are still disrupted.