What do you think of the Tramways deal?
Graeme Torre (Talkback, April 10) wonders why we should support the construction of a noisy and intrusive shoreline tramway on the peaceful Central reclamation site.
He might like to look at the real plans for the waterfront before he decides that a charming, zero-polluting tram - an integral part of the city's history for more than 100 years - is not for him.
He and others will probably be surprised to see a six-lane expressway with massive flyovers, designed for maximum speed and wide enough for the largest container trucks - with buildings looming on each side, cutting off the easterly winds that might otherwise have cooled and calmed the area.
The new 'retail outlets' are already on the plans - four storeys each, running from HSBC to the harbour - and spread out at regular intervals along the harbour itself. Be warned that the Central waterfront isn't going to be the haven of quietude that many seem to be expecting; 25 per cent of the space being reclaimed will be covered with the P2 surface highway and its feeder roads.
The proposed tramline would be on the harbourside of the P2 Road, which will be more dominant even than Gloucester Road, with which it will run parallel. The trams will help reduce the number of taxis that idle in Central because it will provide a faster and cheaper route to north Wan Chai. Compared to the noise from a six-lane highway, trams are quiet and - if we are lucky - there will be glimpses of a harbour view from the top deck along parts of the route.