Argyle Street | |||||||
View of Argyle Street near Mong Kok East Station.
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Traditional Chinese | 亞皆老街 | ||||||
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Yue: Cantonese | |
Jyutping | (ng)aa3 gaai1 lou5 gaai1 |
Argyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Kowloon West, connecting Mong Kok, Ho Man Tin, Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street, Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west, and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east. Due to the street's proximity with the latter, a variety of aircraft could be seen from this street and thus photographers (and movie makers) seized the opportunity to capture landing aircraft.
The street was named after a British merchant ship called Argyle, which sailed between India and southern China in the early 19th Century.
Amenities and buildings along the street include the Kowloon City Law Courts, the Kowloon Hospital, the Hong Kong Eye Hospital, the headquarters of the Hospital Authority, and the Kowloon West Police Headquarters.
Langham Place opened in 2005 is situated near the west end of the street.
As the MTR was built in the 1970s, and some exits of the Mong Kok Station had occupied the right lanes of Argyle Street from Sai Yeung Choi Street to Portland Street, thus the government at the time had made the control in effect: vehicles can only travel westbound in uni-direction between the streets mentioned above. As a result, vehicles from Tai Kok Tsui via Argyle Street, eastbound towards Kowloon City, shall make a left turn to Reclamation Street, then turn right into Mong Kok Road. After crossing the junction between Mong Kok Road and Nathan Road, one shall turn right to either Sai Yeung Choi Street or Sai Yee Street in order to lead back to Argyle Street. For the same reason, vehicles are not allowed to make a right turn directly from Nathan Road to Argyle Street, and must follow the route described above.