- A key road near the protest site reopens to traffic Monday morning
- A student leader says the ball is now in the government's court
- Crowds are noticeably thinner at the main protest site
- The government says vehicles are still being blocked from entering offices
Hong Kong (CNN) -- Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong gave some ground Monday, vacating a key road and clearing a path for government workers to enter offices.
But they ignored a request from authorities to disperse altogether, making it unclear how and when the lengthy standoff in the heart of one of Asia's financial capitals will end.
Crowds at the main protest site, which sprawls along a highway near the central government headquarters, were noticeably thinner Monday than on previous days.
A key road adjacent to the office of Hong Kong's top leader, Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, reopened. But about 40 protesters remained sitting near the building, which had become a focal point of tensions.
A man walks to work as pro-democracy demonstrators sleep on the road in the occupied areas surrounding the government complex in Hong Kong on Monday, October 6. Demonstrators are angry at China's decision to allow only Beijing-vetted candidates to run in the city's elections for chief executive in 2017. 
A ray of sunlight bathes sleeping protesters as they occupy a major highway in Hong Kong on October 6. Protesters say Beijing has gone back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which was promised "a high degree of autonomy" when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. 
People take an escalator to work as protesters sleep on October 6. 
The statue "Umbrella Man," by the Hong Kong artist known as Milk, stands at a pro-democracy protest site in the Admiralty district on October 6. 
People walk to work on a main road in the occupied areas of Hong Kong on October 6. 
Police officers remove barriers outside government offices in Hong Kong on Sunday, October 5. 
Student protesters carry a barrier to block a street leading to the protest site on October 5. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators occupy the streets near government headquarters on October 5. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators surround police October 5 in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. 
A pro-democracy protester holds on to a barrier as he and others defend a barricade from attacks by rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on Saturday, October 4. 
Pro-democracy student protesters pin a man to the ground after an assault during a scuffle with local residents in Mong Kok on October 4. 
Pro-democracy protesters raise their arms in a sign of nonviolence as they protect a barricade from rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on October 4. 
A pro-Beijing activist holds up blue ribbons for anti-Occupy Central protestors to collect as pro-government speeches are made in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on October 4. 
A man sits in front of a barricade built by pro-democracy protesters on October 4 in the Kowloon district. 
Thousands of pro-democracy activists attend a rally on the streets near government headquarters on October 4 in Hong Kong. 
A group of men in masks fight with a man who tried to stop them from removing barricades from a pro-democracy protest area in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on Friday, October 3. 
Police raise hands against protesters as an ambulance tries to leave the compound of the chief executive office in Hong Kong on October 3. 
A protester tries to negotiate with angry residents trying to remove barricades blocking streets in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay on October 3. Large crowds opposed to the pro-democracy movement gathered to clear the area. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators protect a barricade from "anti-Occupy" crowds in Hong Kong on October 3. 
A man shouts at a pro-democracy demonstrator on October 3. 
Police try to pry a man from a fence guarded by pro-democracy demonstrators on October 3. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators sleep on the street outside a government complex in Hong Kong on Thursday, October 2. 
As the sun rises, a protester reads during a sit-in blocking the entrance to the chief executive's office on October 2. 
Yellow ribbons, a symbol of the protests in Hong Kong, are tied to a fence as police and security officers stand guard at the government headquarters on October 2. 
Protesters confront police outside the government complex in Hong Kong on October 2. 
Protesters camp out in a street in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 1. 
Founder of the student pro-democracy group Scholarism, Joshua Wong, center, stands in silent protest with supporters at the flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on October 1. 
Hong Kong's Chief Executive C.Y. Leung attends a flag raising ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of Communist China on October 1. 
A pro-democracy activist shouts slogans on a street near the government headquarters on Wednesday, October 1. 
Hong Kong police stand guard outside the flag-raising ceremony October 1. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators gather for a third night in Hong Kong on Tuesday, September 30. 
Protesters sing songs and wave their cell phones in the air after a massive thunderstorm passed over the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 30. 
Protesters take part in a rally on a street outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 30. 
Student activists rest on a road in Hong Kong on September 30, near the government headquarters where pro-democracy activists have gathered. 
A pro-democracy demonstrator guards a bus covered with messages of support in Hong Kong on September 30. 
Protesters sleep on the streets outside the Hong Kong Government Complex at sunrise on September 30. 
Protesters hold up their cell phones in a display of solidarity during a protest outside the Legislative Council headquarters in Hong Kong on Monday, September 29. 
Protesters put on goggles and wrap themselves in plastic on September 29 after hearing a rumor that police were coming with tear gas. 
Police officers stand off with protesters next to the Hong Kong police headquarters on September 29. 
A man helps protesters use a makeshift ladder to climb over concrete street barricades on September 29. 
Riot police fire tear gas on student protesters occupying streets around government buildings in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Police officers rest after protests on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters argue with a man, left, who opposes the occupation of Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters sit in a road as they face off with local police on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters rest around empty buses as they block Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29. Multiple bus routes have been suspended or diverted. 
Police walk down a stairwell as demonstrators gather outside government buildings in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Stacks of umbrellas are ready for protesters to use as shields against pepper spray on September 29. 
Protesters turn the Chinese flag upside-down on September 29 outside a commercial building near the main Occupy Central protest area in Hong Kong. 
Protesters occupy a main road in the Central district of Hong Kong after riot police used tear gas against them on Sunday, September 28. 
Demonstrators disperse as tear gas is fired during a protest on September 28. There is an "optimal amount of police officers dispersed" around the scene, a Hong Kong police representative said. 
Police use pepper spray and tear gas against demonstrators September 28. The protests, which have seen thousands of students in their teens and 20s take to the streets, swelled in size over the weekend. 
Riot police clash with protesters on September 28. 
Police and protesters clash during a tense standoff with thousands of student demonstrators, recently joined by the like-minded Occupy Central movement, on September 28. 
Benny Tai, center, founder of the Occupy Central movement, raises a fist after announcing the group would join the students during a demonstration outside government headquarters in Hong Kong on September 28. 
Pro-democracy activist and former legislator Martin Lee wears goggles and a mask to protect against pepper spray on September 28. 
A pro-democracy activist shouts at police officers behind a fence with yellow ribbons on September 28. 
A sign for the Hong Kong central government offices has been crossed out with red tape by democracy activists on September 28. 
Pro-democracy protesters gather near government headquarters on September 29. 
Protesters gather during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Counsel on September 28 as calls for Beijing to grant the city universal suffrage grow louder and more fractious. 
Protesters tie up barricades on September 28 during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. 
An injured protester is tended to after clashing with riot police outside Hong Kong government complex on Saturday, September 27. 
Riot police use pepper spray on pro-democracy activists who forced their way into the Hong Kong government headquarters during a demonstration on September 27. 
People watch from on high as pro-democracy demonstrators are surrounded by police after storming a courtyard outside Hong Kong's legislative headquarters on Friday, September 26. 
Students march to Government House in Hong Kong on Thursday, September 25. Photos: Hong Kong unrest 
'We are fighting for our future' 
Generational gap in Hong Kong protests 
Who's powering the Hong Kong protests? Demonstrators also let government workers gain access to the offices along a footbridge over the protest site.
The student-led protesters have taken to the streets for more than a week to oppose a decision by the central Chinese government about how elections will work in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.
No clear leader
Commentators have described the protest movement as one of the biggest challenges for China's ruling Communist Party since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, which ended in a bloody military crackdown.
The Chinese government has said it has confidence that the Hong Kong government can handle the situation on its own. But Leung's repeated calls for protesters to go home and let traffic in the city return to normal have had little effect.
Part of the Hong Kong government's challenge is that the protest movement has no clear leader. Several students and activists have come to represent the demonstrators, but it remains uncertain how much sway their decisions carry among the people on the streets.
Opinions vary considerably among protesters about what the methods and aims of the decentralized movement should be.
One of the student leaders said Monday that it was up to the government to take the next step after protesters allowed access to the central offices.
Hong Kong protestors hacked through app The question now is "whether the government is willing to have a dialogue or not," said Alex Chow, the secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. "This responsibility, this ball, is actually in the government's court."
Government not satisfied
Student leaders have said they will continue the protest until they have productive talks with the government.
But the government suggested Monday that the protesters needed to do more to improve the situation, saying in a statement that demonstrators were still preventing vehicles from getting to the central offices.
The Hong Kong government and Hong Kong Federation of Students held preliminary talks Monday.
Afterward, government spokesman Lau Kong-wah said it had been agreed that several rounds of negotiations would be held. Both sides would have equal standing in the talks, and the government would "confirm and execute any outcomes," he said.
"We hope to have a frank, direct and mutually (respectful dialogue)," Lau said. "We have very good progress, and we have agreed on three principals of the dialogue, and we hope to have this meeting as soon as possible."
Government workers arriving at the headquarters earlier expressed optimism about the impasse and reported no problems with their commutes.
"I am quite sure that the situation will become better," said Terence Mui, a civil servant.
He said his feelings about the protests were "quite mixed," acknowledging the demonstrators' cause but expressing a wish to continue fulfilling his duties as a public official.
Is it safe to travel to Hong Kong?
Merchants say businesses suffering
Other Hong Kong residents have shown less patience with the protesters.
Violent clashes broke out Friday and Saturday between protesters and people opposed to the sit-ins at one of the satellite protest sites in the densely populated commercial district of Mong Kok.
Merchants have expressed anger that the demonstrations are driving customers away. Protesters say police aren't doing enough to protect them from physical attacks by groups of men.
But police say officers did their duty and arrested more than 30 people amid the clashes, including some with links to organized crime.
In a statement Monday, police spokesman Hui Chun-tak said many officers had been injured in the past few days, with "reports involving 27 officers."
"Police will not tolerate these acts of violence. I strongly believe that the public does not want to see such violent scenes and, certainly, does not accept any violent acts damaging public order and public safety," he said.
A CNN team at the Mong Kok site Monday said that about 50 protesters remained, with a crowd of 500 people -- both supporters and those against them -- surrounding them. Protesters responded to those who wanted them to go by shouting and singing "Happy Birthday."
The number of police had risen from around 30 to 100, some of whom said they were there in case violence broke out.
Distrust between the demonstrators and authorities has been deep since police used tear gas and pepper spray in a failed attempt to disperse the largely peaceful protests last week.
The tough tactics backfired, shocking many Hong Kong residents and appearing to rally support for the protesters.
Are you there? Share images, if you can safely
Origins of the unrest
Demonstrators are upset about a decision this summer by the Communist Party to let a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists choose who can run as a candidate for the chief executive role in the 2017 election.
A new electoral system will, for the first time, let the city's 5 million eligible voters pick a winner rather than the largely pro-Beijing committee of 1,200 members that has chosen past leaders. But critics say the right to vote is pointless if Beijing handpicks the candidates.
They complain the Chinese government is encroaching too heavily on the affairs of Hong Kong, which has been governed according to the "one country, two systems" policy since Britain handed it back to China in 1997.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have declared the demonstrations illegal. Beijing has heavily restricted the flow of information on the Chinese mainland about the protest movement.
CNN's Kyung Lah, Elizabeth Joseph and Tim Hume, translator Daisy Ng and journalist Eudora Wong contributed to this report.
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