Officials were yesterday criticised for wasting Legco's time, after they briefed lawmakers for almost an hour on the installation of high-speed moving walkways across the SAR, a plan which they knew was unviable. Transport officials studied whether 'travellators' capable of moving a metre per second - double the speed of normal moving walkways - could be installed in some areas. The study cost $615,000 and took seven months to complete. But at a meeting of Legco's transport panel, lawmakers were told the four types of travellators being developed were prototypes that were too expensive. 'All four products failed to attain the acceptable safety and comfort level, causing such problems as [knocking people] off balance, trapping [clothes] and noise,' a government paper said. The cost for a 200-metre, high-speed travellator is $10 million to $36 million, compared to $7.5 million for a normal moving walkway. But after 30 minutes, panel chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee, of the Liberal Party, questioned why the government had called the meeting. 'We haven't asked you to conduct the study and the plan has no pressing need. Now you are saying the entire plan is not viable, why is there a need for discussion? You are wasting our time,' she said. Democrat Albert Chan Wai-yip said: 'Why didn't you also study shuttling people into space or to Mars?' Raymond Ho Chung-tai, representing the engineering sector, said the system was unworkable and 'especially unsuitable for children'. Principal Assistant Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Ernestina Wong Yiu-kei admitted the plan was unworkable and promised to review the consultation process with Legco.
