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SCMP Reporter

Road pricing should cover whole of city
The environment minister  has said that roadside air quality has not significantly improved ('No quick fixes for the problem of air quality', July 16). Edward Yau Tang-wah  said without tackling other sources he will never be able to deliver satisfactory air quality.
He is shedding responsibility for dealing with roadside air pollution,  which is an assault on people's health.  
There are ways that he could deal with current and future polluters.  
The cost of speeding up the replacement and upgrading of existing diesel engines in the  buses, coaches and trucks on our roads has been identified  by the government and by think tanks. All it takes is the political will to implement the measures.  
As for future polluters, the  central, Hong Kong and Macau governments are  committed to a target of 50,000 vehicles [a day]crossing the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge. 
This commitment is linked to the payback for the financiers of the bridge.
The political reality is that once the bridge is built - as with all other cross-border links - it will be unacceptable to have  the Audit Commission report that the bridge is being underused and that our investments are underperforming. 
This would embarrass its original proponents. 
To achieve  performance targets the governments will  do what is needed and turn the tap by issuing sufficient cross-border licences for vehicles.
Where will all these vehicles go in Hong Kong? Dropping off passengers and belching fumes in crowded Mong Kok? Blocking Magazine Gap Road and Repulse Bay Beach Road to allow day trippers to take in the disappearing sights of Hong Kong?
We need electronic road pricing throughout Hong Kong, with charges subject to engine type, the number of wheel axles and the time of day and location. Moreover, we need transport interchanges which see people transfer from vehicles into environmentally-friendly transport. 
When I asked Eva Cheng, our transport minister, some time ago she said that road pricing is only being studied for Central and that expanding this was not a transport but an environmental issue. She was smoothly passing the ball. 
Now that the financing for the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge has been approved the environment minister and his colleagues owe Hong Kong people clear answers, not  a confusing smokescreen about how complicated things are, because they are not. They are clear to see, if you want to.
Paul Zimmerman, founding member, Designing Hong Kong Limited
Present levy unsatisfactory
It was nice to read the self-congratulatory letter by Edwin Lau Che-feng, director of Friends of the Earth (HK) ('Plastic bag levy in stores is only the first step', July 8).
Let us hope that Hong Kong will not have to wait another 10 years before the plastic bag levy is extended on a non-discriminatory basis to reach all corners of Hong Kong. 
Friends of the Earth and other green groups will not be satisfied with the little progress to date and should be encouraged to press lawmakers, the Environmental Protection Department and Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah to broaden the plastic bag levy to the 80 per cent of the market not yet covered.
The levy will be reviewed by the Legislative Council in 12 months and this is when there will be the first opportunity to canvass for greater coverage.
This should have the highest priority and should come before adding another levy in such an indiscriminate and unsatisfactory way. 
After all a 20 per cent drop in plastic bag circulation will not help save our landfills, or make many friends of the earth.
Richard Paine, Chai Wan
Internet cafe ban a good idea
There has been a great deal of discussion about the problem of youth drug use.  
A number of suggestions have been made, including  banning under-16s from visiting internet cafes.  
I realise that these cafes are popular with youngsters who just want to have fun. But they also attract criminal elements, especially the ones that are hidden away in buildings. 
This makes it easy for criminals to sell drugs. An age limit will keep these young people away from the cafes where drugs are being sold.  
Owners of cybercafes say such a ban will be bad for business. However, I do not think financial considerations should be of paramount importance, given that we talking about protecting young people.  
Carman Chan Ka-man, Kwun Tong
Opt for people who turn up
It is clearly unacceptable that a vice-chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Council attended only one of 17 meetings ('Chiefs absent from police complaints body', July 13). It is quite unacceptable that anyone on the council attended anything less than most of the meetings.
However, in addition to reprimanding the individuals targeted in the article, which is certainly valid, we should be asking why they were appointed in the first place. 
Was it for any special qualification that those individuals possessed? It might have been, but the inability to attend meetings should surely overrule such considerations, when there must be in Hong Kong an abundance of retired and semi-retired people equally or more able and very much more available.
The IPCC is an extremely important body which should not be taken lightly. It cannot operate effectively if its members fail to take it seriously. Here is an opportunity to use some of the common sense and experience that is readily available.  
Peter Robertson, Sai Kung
No need for Green Dam
I am disappointed by the [planned] launch of the Green Dam-Youth Escort software.  
The decision to introduce it shows a lack of consideration by the central government for the feelings of its citizens.  
When a government is introducing a new policy, before it is implemented, it should try to get the support of the people and bring them on board. 
It should not try and rush a policy like this.  
Also, I do not think Green Dam has been very well designed.  
Some of the material that might be filtered out is harmless, such as a video of people wearing flesh-coloured clothes.  
Coco Liu, Sha Tin
Important part of our culture
A survey has shown that young people are not as willing now to support their parents once they retire.
This seems to run counter to Chinese tradition, but it does show that Hongkongers believe that everyone should plan for their retirement.  
Life is not easy in Hong Kong, especially during the present economic downturn, with many people facing salary cuts or even redundancy.  
It would be very difficult for elderly parents if they were entirely dependent on their grown-up children.
However, given the sacrifices our parents made when we were young, we should help them when they retire.  
R. Hau, Kowloon Bay



Letters