'The original tiling was a glorious sophisticated shade of soft pink edged in green that blended beautifully with the mature green surroundings. They also 'absorbed' the dirt wonderfully. The new slabs ... show the dirt immediately.

'There are just two main areas with the old tiles left, a stepped area and a section that could be easily 'attached' to the new slabs if they would just stop now.'

Ms Gilleard was wondering what 'the strategy' was behind the project. 'Has anyone who sanctioned this work been to see the destruction their thoughtfulness has caused?

'Do 'powers that be' really care for our surroundings and providing a calm and restorative environment in which to walk? Or are they bent on 'greying' out already grey lives even more?'

The park's spokesman said that the old 'artificial granite tiles' were installed more than 10 years ago, and their surface finish had thinned and become slippery, especially during rainy days.

'For park users' safety, the park management is replacing the artificial granite tiles with new granite slabs, which are non-slippery and more durable.

'In addition, we consider the look of the new granite slabs more natural than the artificial tiles and that they blend in well with the entire garden environment. That said, such judgments often differ from one person to another.'

A reader living along Bisney Road in Pok Fu Lam was not satisfied with the traffic service provided by the green minibus operator. One evening last month she had to wait for more than an hour to catch a No10A minibus after two empty vans passed without stopping.

'I am writing on behalf of residents who live around the Pok Fu Lam, Bisney Road area. We rely solely on two green minibus services licensed by the government to operators: No10 and No10A.

'The latter has provided alarmingly unreliable service from Central, with us waiting for over one hour for one van to come by on the evening of December 12. Two empty vans passed by.

'We have complained a few times to the Transport Department about this poor service in the past but still the situation remains unchanged.

'We believe that by granting this licence to the minibus company to operate in our designated area, reliable and timely service is the most fundamental requirement. We are frustrated that the Transport Department has not helped to resolve the plight of residents and schoolchildren who wait for these vans for long periods of time.'

The Transport Department said it also found the observed service level offered by the green minibuses was lower than required, with occasional missed departures.

The operator explained that the regularity of service was mainly affected by the en-route traffic conditions along Caine and Lockhart Roads, and regulators had been adjusting the services as appropriate to minimise service gaps.

'We shall continue to monitor the services of green minibuses 10 and 10A by surveys and shall also work with the operator on measures to improve service regularity,' a spokesman said.

Ms Escoda, a cyclist from Lantau, was very concerned about the traffic situation on a section of road in Mui Wo, as she found it dangerous to ride on the same road with buses, which often come too close to cyclists.

'Could the New Lantau Bus Company do something about their daredevil drivers, who speed through the Mui Wo stretch of road from the ferry pier to the market and back? We bikers use this road to get to the high street, staying on the left side of the road for our safety. But the bus drivers always behave like kings of the road, treating bikers like so many obstacles in their path.

'Yesterday, though I was well on the left edge of the road because I heard a bus behind me, it came so close to my right that it could easily have knocked me over sideways as it hurtled towards the roundabout . I was so shaken I didn't have time to note down the licence number and the time so I could report it. Is there any way to enforce the speed limit?'

The Transport Department and the New Lantau Bus Company expressed concerns for the safety of the road users. A spokesman with the department said: 'Currently, the bus operator regularly reminds drivers to observe the speed limit and pay attention to road conditions and other road users.'

The authority has also reminded the bus operator on compliance with the speed limit and alerted police to look into the issue.