Q Should children be allowed back onto racecourses? Yes, the ban on children attending races should be abolished. The main reason against the proposal is the adverse impact gambling has on children. I don't agree. Under the new idea, children will not be allowed to bet at the racecourse. With no chance to gamble, how will children be tempted? During the racing, children are also under their parents' guidance. It is a good opportunity to inculcate the proper attitude towards gambling into children. They should enjoy the racing with their parents on family days. There are too many misleading messages about gambling. By exposing children to it, it may be a suitable way to satisfy their curiosity about gambling. Vivian Tang, Kwun Tong On other matters ... I am writing in response to yesterday's Talkback letter by Kenneth Kwok. As a Tung Chung resident who works in Central and commutes six days a week, I also appreciate the MTR's efficient service, and I also know that the maximum time you have to wait if you have just missed a train is 10 minutes. This, I might add, is at off-peak times. First, the MTR must try to fill their trains, hence a wait of six to eight minutes. Second, it cannot change its policies with every telephone call received. Does Mr Kwok really expect that after a few complaints from him, his friends and family, that the MTR Corporation will quickly hold a meeting and set out to remedy all of his gripes? Even if you do know how long it is until the next train comes, would it make the train come any quicker, or will it make those, so called 'anxious minutes', be any less anxious? Would a digital countdown timer help get Mr Kwok to his office on time, or would it simply be far more effective for Mr Kwok to save all the time he has spent complaining about this situation, and just leave home six to eight minutes earlier, giving him the peace of mind that even if the train doors close as he arrives at the platform, he will still be in plenty of time. If he does not follow this advice, maybe his doctor could provide a digital countdown timer to tell him when he will have his first heart attack. In Kyoto, Japan, the bus stops have a button to press for each bus, and a voice tells you in Japanese and then English, the very precise waiting time until the next bus. All very hi-tech, but do we really need to take it to that extreme? Maybe the MTR Corporation should be given Mr Kwok's mobile phone number so that it can call him if there's going to be a delay. Mr Kwok should stop worrying away each precious minute, and realise that Hong Kong's public transport system is among the best and most efficient in the world. Alan Shieff, Tung Chung I know now where I went wrong when I got a parking ticket in Chi Lok recently. I selected a place by the kerb that was past the end of the double yellow lines and after a sign indicating the end of parking restrictions. I even made sure that I was parked away from a junction. I thought I was being safe and responsible, but I still got a ticket because I was allegedly 'causing an obstruction'. It wasn't true, but try arguing with a magistrate about that. Silly me - I should have parked on the pavement - and I mean with all four wheels. The cars, vans, buses and trucks which do it in the Siu Lam and adjacent Castle Peak Road area do it with impunity - I've never seen one get a ticket. I even had to squeeze past an Ocean Point shuttle bus parked squarely on the pavement on Castle Peak Road while the driver ate his lunch. Even the police do it when they are running their usual Sunday afternoon speed trap on the bridge over the Tuen Mun Highway near Tai Lam. So next time, I'll park on the pavement - and avoid a ticket. Name and address supplied
