bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Q Should bicycles be allowed on the MTR?

As a long-time bicycle rider in Britain, I had to give up my favourite form of transportation when I moved to Hong Kong four years ago. To be honest, I didn't even know bicycles were allowed in the city. But I noticed the angry looks from fellow MTR passengers when I pushed my way onto the train with my baby in his pushchair.

I assume the same rules apply to the Star Ferry, as I have never seen anyone carry a bike on the ferries. That means Hong Kong island cyclists are completely isolated from the rest of the city unless they invest in a car. This defeats the whole purpose of a bicycle.

As a relatively bigger guy, I even got angry looks from other passengers as I tried to get onto the train with my training gear backpack.

It seems to me that anyone occupying more than a tiny piece of space can expect to receive some angry looks.

Yet I find it very amusing nobody complains that passengers at some popular stations (namely Kowloon Tong) can bring in enormous suitcases and boxes with merchandise to or from China, without anyone even raising an eyebrow.

The MTR enjoys the unique position of being a monopoly in the city and I think it neglects the needs of certain groups in society.

I share the opinions expressed in your pages: the MTRC has a duty to accommodate all its passengers. Recreational bicycle riders are simply trying to get fit and feel healthier.

Greg Spinos, Sheung Wan

It is ridiculous to ban bicycles on the MTR. Cycling is the only sport my 14-years-old son likes. We cannot afford a car to take him to cycling areas, neither can we let him take a taxi every time to get there.

Taking the MTR is the only way he can get to Tseung Kwan O and Tung Chung. My son and his teenage friends enjoy cycling. It is a good way to get exercise and to release pressure. I don't think I would want my son stuck at home playing computer games everyday and I don't think other mothers would either.

I was told by customer service that as long as a bicycle can fold into the size of a piece of luggage it can be taken onto a train. Do they know how expensive this kind of bicycle is? Over $10,000, often more! Even a bicycle where both wheels can be taken off costs more than $8,000.

So, I would like to ask the chairman of the MTRC, 'Is your goal serving the public?' If a person can afford a bike that can be folded, they wouldn't need your transport at all. The ban is also a discouragement to teenage athletes and the development of sports in Hong Kong.

It is unfair to place all these burdens onto cyclists.  Could the high-placed official who suggested the ban come up with an alternative, like assigning cyclists to the end carriage? In fact, cyclists already know to do this.

How often do you see cyclists travelling during rush hours? If there is a fear this will happen, then limit the times cyclists can travel to holidays and non-rush hours.

I hope officials will look into this issue. Although the issue may concern just a small group of people in Hong Kong, it should not be neglected. My concern is for my teenage son and his friends. They represent the future of Hong Kong.

Anne Chan, Lai Chi Kok

It's simple. Bikes should definitely not be allowed on trains during rush hours. But the rest of the time, when there is one carriage at the end of the train with no seats in one section, they should be allowed. Public transport should be just that - a service for the public.

A bicycle has never spontaneously combusted or caused any kind of fire. And a racing bike with the wheels off is smaller and considerably lighter than a wheel chair. MTRC, please see sense.

Peter Millward, Causeway Bay

The MTRC's ban on bikes is unbelievably ludicrous. I enjoy cycling on Lantau island. I spend most Sunday mornings exercising along South Lantau Road, with an occasional ride up to the Big Buddha.

I have never ridden on the road from Tung Chung to Disneyland, but I was told recently by a fellow cyclist that it was a good ride, and I was hoping to go there in the near future. I live on Cheung Chau and I do not have a car, so getting to Tung Chung involves taking a ferry to Central and then travelling by MTR.

I was therefore greatly disappointed and more than a little angered to learn that the MTRC had imposed a ban on bikes. The letters, written by people sensibly opposed to the ban,  contain several strong and valid points: the health and environmental benefits of cycling, how cycling is encouraged in major cities around the world; and the courteous and responsible attitude of Hong Kong cyclists, for example. I wholeheartedly support those who oppose this crass ban.

Michael Waugh, Cheung Chau

We wish to thank your readers for their comments regarding bicycles not being allowed on the MTR. This is not a new arrangement, nor is it targeted specifically at bicycles.

With the aim of providing a comfortable travelling environment for all MTR passengers, Clause 27(a) of the MTR by-laws stipulates that passengers cannot bring any luggage, article or other items which might cause a nuisance or inconvenience to other passengers or which might damage railway property. In the 'MTR Conditions of Issue of Tickets', bulky objects exceeding 80x60x30cm  are not allowed into the ticketed area of the station unless approved by the corporation.

We understand that some bicycles can be folded up to meet the allowable size and passengers are able to carry them onto trains. When the Tung Chung line first opened in 1998, the population had yet to build up along the alignment and there was an abundance of capacity on the trains.

Under those circumstances, MTR staff used a flexible approach and allowed passengers to carry their bicycles onto trains even if they were not folded up to the specified measurement for bulky objects (albeit they were asked to remove the front wheels to ensure that the bicycles did not cause inconvenience to other passengers).

With more people having moved into developments along the Tung Chung Line, more passengers are now taking the line. Some passengers have expressed to the corporation that the trains are too full to accommodate bicycles.

As a result, the corporation has decided to adopt the same approach for bulky objects as is the practice on other MTR lines. This decision has absolutely no relation to the stepped-up checks for dangerous goods implemented after the arson incident on one of our trains last month.

We hope your readers will understand that we have to balance the needs of all passengers using the MTR to ensure a comfortable travelling environment for all. Bicycles are welcome on the MTR if they can be folded up to meet our requirements for bulky objects.

Miranda Leung, corporate relations general manager, MTRC

QWhat should be done to combat school violence?

I was taken aback to read the report on a survey of teachers responding to school violence in yesterday's edition of your paper. It said about 90 per cent of teachers attribute the cause of school violence to parents.

Being a parent of an ESF student, I believe school bullying and violence could be deterred to a great extent if the education system placed more emphasis on moral education.

My child has studied in three international schools in the past six years and has never witnessed any serious fighting.

That is mainly because the schools implement a system to prevent bullying. I found that the stricter a school's rules are, the more bullies the school has.

Here are my tips to cope with bullies. Treat them the way you want them to treat you.

That means treating them as regular people. Offer praise whenever possible.

Don't let bullies affect your mood or else they will make you more depressed. Never treat them the way they treat you.

Donna Wong, Pokfulam



talk back