It is time the community realises that we have to explore possibly drastic alternatives to regulate traffic because we can no longer build our way out of congestion.
Regardless of whether another appeal is lodged after a court ruled yesterday that the Central reclamation project was lawful, no reclamation will be allowed beyond that already committed for road works around the harbour.
This raises the question as to what can be done to relieve traffic congestion in Central when the Central-Wan Chai bypass, a dual three-lane carriageway to be completed in 2007, becomes jammed - an inevitable outcome.
So far the government, fearing opposition, has been timid in considering other means of reducing traffic along the Central-Wan Chai waterfront.
At present, long queues of traffic heading towards the Cross Harbour Tunnel, which is the most convenient link between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, is a major cause of congestion.
But the Western Harbour Crossing, which charges higher tolls than the Cross Harbour Tunnel, is seriously underutilised.
