In rush to be seen do something, government goes parking mad
We apologise for starting the new year more or less where we left off with the old. That is, in highlighting illegal car parking. The police have evidently been active over the holiday. Somebody, somewhere, has thrown the switch and the police have transformed from being uninterested observers of this illegal practice into binge ticketing mode.
According to the government website, the police issued 302 tickets in Kowloon East for illegal parking and other parking offences in one day last week. Why they had to wait until the Christmas holiday before swooping into action is a mystery. A police Christmas present to the community perhaps?
However, we await with interest for a similar swoop on Central, where we sense there has been some reluctance to confront somewhat better-heeled illegal parkers - like the one pictured who apparently thinks using his own traffic cone makes illegal parking okay.
Making a hash of dash to ash
The trouble with taking on the government over its decisions is that the merits of the case get lost and it becomes an issue of face. Take the proposed monstrosity that the so-called Environmental Protection Department has planned for the scenic island of Shek Kwu Chau near Lantau. If all goes to plan, the scene of tranquility is to be transformed into a monster incinerator complete with a massive chimney stack. This site somehow received the green light in favour of an area near the landfill site near Tsuen Mun.
The other startling aspect of this scheme is the technology. The government is planning on using old moving-grate technology, which essentially moves the material over a grate and burns it. In the process it creates a noxious chemical cocktail that is either vented from the giant chimney or mixed in with powdery ash that will have to be transported by barge to a dumping ground providing further opportunities for polluting the air en route.
