Q What is the most effective way to deter drivers from speeding?
The media and politicians are either deliberate or misguided in the attention they are placing on recent public transport incidents involving the two railways and minibus safety problems.
We all recognise the efficient, low-cost and most importantly safe railways that we have. Go to another country and compare their train systems with ours and you will find we are indeed very fortunate. Hong Kong's railways are great assets and they are both world-class. Where else in the world do you get cheap, regular and efficient train services that are not funded by government?
Yet any small incident on the railways is harpooned by politicians and the media. This is what I see as a tall poppy syndrome: Poor performers and under-performers attempting to cut down the good performers.
Contrast the recent railway mishaps with the terrible safety record of minibuses and the recent fatalities on a bus travelling along the Tuen Mun highway. When was the last fatality on the railways that was not caused by suicide? When was the last derailment of the type that is common overseas?
The drivers of red-topped minibuses are a particular hazard. They race through lights and along any section of road without regard to courtesy and other road users. To them, the Western Harbour Tunnel is a speedway. They know what radars are not working and take advantage of this. It is as frightening to share the road with them as it is to be a passenger in their vehicles.