Get tough with polluters
For passengers waiting for fast ferries at the end of Pier No 6 in Central, there is just one fan, a mere token of an attempt to make the waiting time for those wishing to travel to Cheung Chau more bearable.
Worse than the summer heat, though, are the harmful exhaust fumes belched out by the small, fast ferries while they are berthed at the pier. Passengers waiting to board are forced to inhale excessively polluted air.
The benefit of more fans at the ferry pier would therefore be twofold: provide some relief from the heat and help to disperse the miasmic vapours.
Of course, ferries are not the only serious cause of pollution in Hong Kong. Many lorry, van, car and taxi drivers allow their vehicles to emit black smoke, an offence for which they can be penalised with a fine of $450. I agree with Duncan Lightfoot that such a fine is pathetic (letter, South China Morning Post, July 24). However, I cannot support his concurrence with Christine Loh's proposal of a $5,000 fine. A far more severe penalty is necessary before even a fraction of the pollution problem can begin to be improved.
In a recent survey, 87 per cent of those polled said they were discontented with the administration because of increasing pollution. The Government must therefore stop pussyfooting about with an issue that seriously affects the health and economy of Hong Kong. Since the lighting of a single cigarette by a smoker on public transport can lead to a $5,000 fine, a more fitting penalty for offending drivers, who cause greater harm to the air we breathe, might be fixed at $10,000, together with a statutory requirement to have their vehicles properly serviced.
MICHAEL WAUGH Cheung Chau
