Other railway firms see platform screen doors as important safety measure

I refer to the letter from Doug Miller ('MTR platform doors would not reduce suicides but drive them elsewhere', February 17) in reply to the letter written by me and Stephen Law ('Platform doors help with suicide prevention', February 3).

Mr Miller said that preventing railway suicides does not lower Hong Kong's overall suicide rates. Yes, indeed, but the majority of suicides in Hong Kong involve jumping, charcoal-burning or hanging. We, however, were arguing that platform doors effectively prevent railway suicides.

There is empirical evidence of the effectiveness of the doors. They not only prevent potential suicides but also accidental deaths. In the latter case, we are talking about visually impaired people, the sick and the weak, and other innocent people who accidentally fall or are pushed onto the tracks.

There is no empirical support for Mr Miller's claim that people wanting to commit suicide will move elsewhere. These vulnerable people need help and support from the community.

The installation of platform doors has been shown to be cost-effective if you take a holistic view on cost saving to include time wasted by passengers [if there is an incident] and the consequences of injuries sustained.

International bodies such as the World Health Organisation and other railway network operators recommend the installation of platform doors as a good passenger safety measure.