Environment chief Edward Yau Tang-wah achieved a symbolic victory yesterday with the passage of a much-watered-down law banning idling engines, but lawmakers urged him to set tougher targets for curbing air pollution.
Some questioned whether Yau had used up too much political capital in overcoming huge resistance to the measure - and in such a way that its impact on roadside pollution will be negligible. But the minister said the law would change Hongkongers' driving habits.
Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, lawmaker and Civic Party leader, said that while she supported the measure, she regretted the government had lost its focus in the fight against air pollution.
'Can officials prioritise their tasks better? It seems the idling ban has consumed most of their time over the past decade, and officials are unable to multi-task. So can they not, at the same time, put their energies into something else that has more impact?' she said.
Eu said officials should focus on the biggest sources of pollution on the roads - buses and dirty diesel trucks. The city's huge budget surplus would have provided enough resources to address those issues, she said.
The law, which has 20 exemptions, was passed by a majority of lawmakers yesterday, concluding 10 years of debate over the desirability of such a law.
