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SCMP Reporter

Q Would flexible working help Hong Kong women?

As the male half of a couple considering having a baby in the near future, I've of course been thinking of how we could take care of the baby. We: not just my wife. Of course for the first half year she will be responsible for the feeding, as I am not equipped for that.

After reading several letters on this topic, I wonder more and more:  do fathers have any role in taking care of babies in Hong Kong? Or is this society really so old-fashioned that it is still purely a mother's task?

Wouter van Marle, Hunghom

Q What should be done to reduce the workload of teachers?

Imagine every week you have 100 Form 5-7 compositions sitting on your desk, waiting to be marked and commented on, not to mention other written exercises such as task one of the A-levels Practical Skills for Work and Study paper, or the written task of the HKCEE listening paper, the two newspaper clippings' summaries and comments from each of these 100 students plus their weekly journals - which are the required work of every student during a weekly cycle. You have to mark 500 pieces of written work mostly strewn with all sorts of grammatical mistakes and paragraph after paragraph devoid of topic sentences or a theme.

But that's what teachers teaching three senior forms are supposed to do! That is not all: during lunch breaks, these students ask you to give them oral practice to prepare them for their A-level exams, so you have to start several oral groups. You have to sit with these groups in every lunch break, listen to each and every student present for two minutes, comment on their performance,  then start them on their discussion and  comment again on each performance.

Is that all? There is the school's music and speech festival that you have to help organise after hours. Happy time! You have this new debating society you must attend!

And of course you can't turn down an offer to be a judge of an English singing competition. But remember, that is only a tiny fraction of the work of a teacher. With different seasons and months, different tasks will present themselves to make your life rich and busy. There is a lot of fun in working with students and I am not complaining. No, I never do. I am still enjoying it a lot. So if you want to be a teacher, don't be scared. You won't die.

Name and address supplied

Q Could more be done to help cyclists?

Many major cities in the world are reviewing their transportation policies and objectives. Such a review invariably involves the introduction of non-polluting forms of transport such as cycling. It must be obvious to everyone that cycling is environmentally acceptable, healthy and a sustainable way of moving from one place to another.

It is generally accepted that cycling is the most efficient way of travelling distances up to 5km. So why isn't Hong Kong following this trend?

Traffic infrastructure development has pandered to the supposedly inevitable dominance of motorised transport, without considering the benefits to be gained from moving away from a vehicle-dependent society. A 'predict and provide' philosophy aims to encourage economic development and this is normally cited as the reason to repeat this policy. It is also the reason transport infrastructure is designed to cater for motorised transport at the expense of non-motorised users. Many transport planners are now questioning these policies.

The positive benefits for individuals and local communities of benign forms of transport such as cycling and walking are being recognised. The climate change debate is driving this change. In Hong Kong it seems to be ignored.

The government's Sustainable Development Unit quotes Japan's progressive cycling policy as a commendable way forward for a sustainable future but the recent Cycling Study commissioned by the Transport Department concluded that cycling was not worth pursuing. It is time that these matters were taken seriously by a dedicated government department with officials who have the knowledge and enthusiasm to investigate and promote a policy which will benefit all forms of cycling, from racing on the roads to mountain biking, and to the majority who want to use their cycle as a mode of transport.

Dedicated cycle lanes, the opening of cycle paths in country park areas now off limits to  cyclists, education for motorists and cyclists, young and old, bike-friendly interfacing with the major rail, ferry and bus companies, and the reduction of speed limits in urban areas (vehicle speeds are the major problem for cyclists and pedestrians) are just a few initiatives that should be incorporated into a policy to encourage this city to become cycle friendly.

Phil Holmes, Hong Kong Cycling Alliance

On other matters...

Government, please take note: Hong Kong citizens really like 'inefficient land use' (November 18, 'Garden of style urged by ferry pier users').

They want gardens that have no commercial value and alfresco dining areas that use a lot of land area but give little financial return. They want more trees,  and a promenade to walk - yes, just walk. They don't want more 'land-use maximising' commercial plazas.

Do we know why this is so? One term: quality of life.

Mark Chan, Tuen Mun

I live  near the True Light Middle School, where there is a zebra crossing with no safety island in the middle, just outside No21 Tai Hang Road.

Over the past few years, I have noticed that some vehicles fail to give way  to pedestrians. These are literally daily occurrences. In many incidents, as experienced by myself and my children, some vehicles entirely ignore pedestrians, even though they are half-way across the road.  Note that this section of the road is straight and offers a clear view.

This particular zebra crossing is used by many children  and this   reckless driving  poses a great danger to them. I wonder if the drivers realise that failure to give way  to pedestrians at a zebra crossing could result in  three demerit points and a  fine and prosecution. This is not a matter of being courteous;  it is the  law.

The moment  a pedestrian steps on to the black and white strips, the driver must stop for the pedestrian to cross the road. This applies to both-way traffic if there is no safety island in the middle.

I have reported two such cases to the police in the past year when my family members and I were a foot away from injury.

I also wrote to the Happy Valley police station  at the end of last year raising this issue. I received a reply  three months later saying that they had stepped up monitoring and issuing of traffic violation tickets.

However, they said they were constrained by limited resources. Last month, I phoned the Happy Valley police station  again, reporting a similar incident, and had an interesting chat with one of their officers.

I was pretty much told that while they were aware of the situation, their hands were tied. This was  the responsibility of the Transport Department to offer solutions, and the police  could only enforce the law.

The officer suggested that I contact the District Council and have them  raise this issue with the Transport Department, which I did. So much for government internal communication.

As a long-term solution to improve safety at all zebra crossings in Hong Kong, apart from stepping up prosecution on this type of driving offences, the police and Transport Department should raise the awareness of  drivers through public education and publicity.

I invite comments from the Transport Department.

A. Burley, Tai Hang



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