Is the Sevens ticketing system fair to everybody? On Saturday morning I, along with thousands of other fans, proceeded to join the queue for Rugby Sevens tickets. That was just the beginning of the problems. During the entire waiting period there were no toilets available for what must have been more than 3,000 hopeful fans. Welcome to Hong Kong, Asia's 'third-world' city. During the inordinately long time it took to approach the stadium, no information was given except towards the end when a largely inaudible announcement was made that the queue had reached 2,500. Despite repeated requests, no information was available from security staff as to which point in the queue this applied to. Surely it would be simple enough to issue numbers to each arriving fan passing a temporary turnstile so that everybody, staff included, knew where they stood. Last year it was a comparatively straightforward operation but this year standards seem to have fallen drastically. Dare I hope that next year we shall see a rather more efficient operation or will we see standards slip to the point at which crowd trouble breaks out? If the relevant authorities think they can treat their citizens with ever increasing contempt, they may receive a nasty wake-up call. Stephen Dixon, Tsim Sha Tsui Do you think the language policy should be revived? In his letter (Talkback, December 7), Jeremy Low makes a very interesting request that I hope will be acted on. He wrote: 'I would also like to see students being taught basic psychology at secondary level so they can have a better understanding of themselves, their parents and their friends.' It seems to be common for young teens to try to find themselves and understand their place in society. Are they natural leaders or followers? Do they understand that different people have different strengths? My son loves to draw but hates maths. I'm just the opposite. It's who we are. I hope the Education Bureau gives some thought to Mr Low's idea. Rennie Marques, Lai Chi Kok Are penalties for dangerous driving sufficient? We can impose more severe penalties on the drivers but are they entirely to blame? There are signboards, some of which are small, some insufficiently lit, and turns or directions which come suddenly. And in busy roads, I believe the focus is constantly on pedestrians who cross roads without looking out for oncoming traffic, cars that turn without signalling and signs hidden by the human traffic. What we need is an improvement in lighting, signs that give drivers more time to react and educating the people in crossing streets. In addition, we can introduce a policy to ensure that cars are certified roadworthy and limiting cars to a certain age to take older vehicles off the streets. Thomas Yeo, Tuen Mun What do you think of GPS taxis? I welcome the fact that two taxi operators are introducing the Global Positioning System early next year. It will offer a greater choice to passengers. It will ensure that passengers doing a call-in for a taxi will get a swift response. The navigation function will ensure drivers know the fastest route. Since the new technology will create keen competition, taxi firms will be keen to provide better service. It will benefit drivers, because the driver closest to the call-in will be sent, so they will get more fares. Not all passengers will welcome the GPS system. It may be of less benefit to long-distance passengers who would rather get a discounted fare. Also, some drivers who own their own cabs might not be able to afford the technology. I am concerned that 'taxi gangs' may operate, illegally offering discounts to passengers, and this could lead to drivers with the GPS equipment losing out. However, while I can see the advantages of the GPS system, revising the current fare system might be more important, to create fair competition and ensure all taxi drivers can maximise their gains. Once these GPS systems are up and running, it will be important to get feedback from the public. Pang Siu-fong, Kowloon Tong Should ParknShop have stuck to its 'no plastic bags' campaign? Here's an interesting fact from Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth: 'Every year, 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce the 100 billion plastic shopping bags we use once and toss in the landfill, taking centuries to decompose.' So why did ParknShop scrap its 'no plastic bags' policy? It's a no-brainer. We need to be responsible for our polluting actions now. We owe it to future generations to leave this Earth in pristine condition and not one big rubbish dump. And we must keep educating our children to take care of their planet. Global warming will not go away by itself unless we do our part. And yes, every little bit counts. Perhaps ParknShop needs to stop giving in to those who whine about having to pay extra for a plastic bag, or the inconvenience of having to remember to bring their cloth bag. It's our responsibility to be more environmentally friendly now, not tomorrow, not next week, but now. JoAnne Marie Law, Mid-Levels First, I would like to say that as a concerned and eco-friendly Hongkonger, I am so pleased to see like-minded individuals speak up and voice their disapproval of ParknShop's decision to abandon its campaign. However, we all seem to be writing as if this decision is final - it's not, or it certainly shouldn't be. It is great that we have all been voicing our disapproval and calling it a shame that the company was scared off by a little bit of criticism, but none of us has actually actively urged ParknShop to reconsider its initial knee-jerk reaction and reinstate its campaign. And so, ParknShop, I urge you to reinstate your 'no plastic bags' campaign. I seem to be having trouble wrapping my head around why it hasn't already been reinstated. If it was so easy for ParknShop to pull the campaign, shouldn't it be just as easy to reinstate it? This issue, unlike others in Hong Kong, really shouldn't be so drawn-out and difficult for ParknShop to resolve! Bhavna Bharvani, Jardine's Lookout
