If handrails have to be placed on paths, they mustn't spoil the view

With Hong Kong's greying population there will be a growing number of people with ample leisure time and little income, placing an increasing demand on the 'walkability' of our city.

Therefore, Annelise Connell ('Railings only on part of the path', October 13) is right and more handrails will be required along some steep stairs and pavements in our city to assist the elderly and the infirm such as Ms Connell, who has knee problems. This is exactly the reason why Central and Western district councillor Stephen Chan contacted the Highways Department with a request for railings along Old Peak Road.

The problem is the response: the type of railings selected and where they will be placed. Vivian Leung, of the Lung Fu Shan Environmental Concern Group, reported that the department is now considering stone walls along the road ('Stone walls on hiking trail will do irreparable damage', October 11). The department believes that traditional stone walls would look better than the standard fence railings for a mountain path. But 97 per cent of the people who use the path want an unhindered, spectacular view and they will surely consider a stone wall even worse than railings.

Next we have to deal with Ms Connell's fear of walking close to the edge of the sheer drop-off along Old Peak Road. It is because of this fear that no accident has been reported for the last 20 years. Having been alerted by Stephen Chan to the drop-off along Old Peak Road, the department now has a file it can only close once it has applied its standards and guidelines rather than common sense, that is, placing a fence or wall along all sections where the drop-off is 1.5 metres or more.

The unintended consequence is that this will make people feel safe. Parents will let children loose, runners get close to the edge and accidents are guaranteed to happen along the sections where there is no fence on this steep path. This will result in calls for ever more fences and warning signs.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, it is the lack of fences along Old Peak Road that keep this path safe and a popular route for a morning or Sunday hike. The obvious solution for this road is used in many parts of the world - add a simple handrail on the mountain side of the steep sections for those who need it without creating a false sense of security or blocking out anyone's view.