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SCMP Reporter

THE E-MAIL FORUM

Q Should the government be forced to stop filling in the harbour?

I oppose further harbour reclamation but disagree with Winston Chu's approval of road building.

If we are at last learning to draw a line at  reclamation (which has been going on for over a hundred years),  how long will it take us to recognise that enough is enough with road-building too?

Wan Chai district councillor John Tse is correct in saying 'the more roads you build, the more cars will come along and fill them up. If we don't stop this now, the cycle will just go on and on'. This echoes the government's own studies.  Road building is not a solution to congestion.

London has relieved congestion by making drivers pay for the privilege of using existing roads, not building more. Yet we hand road space out free to wealthy car owners. Enlightened transport philosophy recognises traffic levels and growth must be reduced. Road building is unsustainable for many reasons, including pollution/climate change implications, but we should also be questioning the theft of public space by proliferating cars. Why do 90 per cent of cars on the road carry no passengers, just the driver?  How can the Transport Department justify licensing policies encouraging ever-increasing numbers of so-called sports utility vehicles on to our streets - these dangerous two-tonne gas guzzlers designed to intimidate other road users?

We need to prioritise transport modes to achieve social and environmental goals and embrace a vision beyond  beautifying the harbour. We want civilised, safe, attractive city streets in which it is normal for children to walk or cycle to school.

We need to rediscover the role of land-use planning to reduce journey distances, and ways of participating in social activities that generate less traffic. We need to charge vehicle owners for their road use, introduce  slower speeds, extend the tram system, encourage cycling and walking as transport modes, nurture the whole urban environment, and not merely fret over postcard harbour views.

Name and address supplied

Q Is Hong Kong ready for a new Sars outbreak?

Although we do not want to live in fear again, we still need to face the reality - Sars may come back soon. So, we must prepare ourselves and face the challenge.

In order to cope with another outbreak, we should first find new supplies of masks and protective outfits.

The government should also develop closer contacts with mainland officials.

Health screening at the borders should prevent any carriers from coming into Hong Kong - filling in the health declaration forms and undergoing temperature checks may take time, but these steps are vital. Doctors should keep up their research to develop a vaccine and cross-border research could be carried out.

However, no matter what the government does, without mass support, it is still useless. The health consciousness of all citizens should be raised. Never rub your eyes with bare hands, do not spit and do not cough without covering your mouth. These rules may seem  childish, but they should be stressed.

Moreover, students' temperatures should be taken every morning. If the child has developed a fever, they should not go to school. Some may argue that a raised temperature is often caused by the common cold, but none of us dare to take the risk.

Psychologically, do not over-react and grab every mask in the store. It only adds irrational and unnecessary fear into your life. Trust yourself and we can make it together.

Stephanie Lam, Tuen Mun

What 'ready' here means is whether health-care centres and front-line staff are well-equipped and psychologically prepared for another outbreak of such a contagious disease as Sars.

Attention has been focused on supplies of the N95 mask. Some may challenge that indications of Sars are as yet inconspicuous, so why do we bother to have excessive numbers of masks at the ready? We may not have any signs of Sars, but we have to put up with the heavy workload of preparation  to prevent a new outbreak. It would be difficult to imagine an ill-equipped country avoiding a new outbreak.

Emily Lam, Tsing Yi

The question is not only critical to remind Hong Kong government officials but also to alert everyone in Hong Kong. If we know the potential crisis will probably return, we should ask ourselves what we can do personally.

With a view to bearing part of the responsibility, citizens are obliged to abandon their selfishness and join the campaign with the government against any outbreak of Sars. Moreover, the relevant authorities have to concentrate on the solution of joining hands with the mainland and other countries. Even if there is another outbreak, we must reduce the rate of Sars infection with good communication.

Ming Wong, Kwun Tong

On other matters...

Complaints about severe brake squeals of buses  and the implication of possible brake problems have been made to the Transport Department on many occasions. The response was always that those buses being complained about (licence plates submitted) have been checked and no problems detected. The Transport Department also claims a safety system is in place in this area.

Then there was Monday evening's bus crash in Central,  involving a New World First Bus vehicle. The brake system was claimed to have passed a safety check only two days ago. When will our government officials start to admit and face their mistakes?

J Lee, Hospital Pathology Services, Queen Mary Hospital



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