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Letters

City's open spaces must not be lost
I strongly recommend that the Development Bureau takes on board the reservations and criticisms given by renowned British designer Thomas Heatherwick ("Don't give up green 'theatre' for flats", April 26).
The green belt, government, institution, or community (G/IC) sites, and public open space are all a valid part of the jigsaw that makes Hong Kong such an interesting and liveable city. However, the dominant development tycoons are so profit-orientated that they exhibit no interest in creating an interesting or optimal living environment.
The government is using short-term pragmatism to deprive the community of green belt and sites for community facilities to accommodate these vested interests ("Planners seek clarity on what green belt is for", April 26).
Instead of this near-sighted approach, which has negative implications for the future in Hong Kong, our government should follow Macau's lead and work with the mainland authorities to expand into Shenzhen and Guangzhou in order to accommodate our residential housing needs. Heatherwick is correct to point out that it is poor planning and architecture to allow redevelopment on such a large scale. It is boring and dehumanising.
It is also evidence of the laziness of bureaucrats (particularly the Urban Renewal Authority) and their collusion with major developers. It would be so much better for Hong Kong to again develop smaller sites, and this has a beneficial knock-on effect for the employment of more creative architects, engineers, surveyors and designers.
Our city needs new ideas - I am tired of seeing the same old rubbish from the developer establishment.
I. M. Wright, Happy Valley
 
MTR should rethink use of explosives
Apart from a "post-mortem" investigation into the completion date for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Kowloon express line being delayed, there does not appear to be any firm direction to mitigate the delay. This is particularly the case regarding the method of rock/boulder excavation.
There is no doubt that the use of explosives in rock excavation can shorten the construction period substantially, however, there are high risks in blasting exposed rock mass at ground level, as there are partially completed structures in close proximity.
I am a consulting engineer and believe an effective, efficient and safe alternative to blasting is to apply a non-explosive demolition agent (Neda), which is a well-known method in mining engineering. Neda is one of the demolition methods in the Code of Practice for Demolition of Buildings published by the Buildings Department.
I hope the MTR project team and its contractor seriously consider this alternative.
Maurice Lee Wing-woo, North Point
 
Zig-zag lines help protect pedestrians
I've noticed an increasing tendency on the part of motorists to park their vehicles without proper care and attention. A typical example is when private motorists and commercial vehicles park next to busy pedestrian crossings.
In the UK, special provision is made in the Highway Code designed to deter such behaviour. Zig-zag lines are painted on both sides of the road, denoting that vehicles must not be parked adjacent to a crossing.
Rule 191 states: "You must not park on a crossing or in the area covered by the zig-zag lines. You must not overtake the moving vehicle nearest the crossing or the vehicle nearest the crossing which has stopped to give way to pedestrians."
Although the Road Users' Code in Hong Kong alludes to such markings near pedestrian crossings, I have noticed they are few in number and certainly not as prolific as in the UK.
Parking on zig-zag lines in Britain is a serious matter. It isn't treated as a routine parking offence and so punishable by a fixed penalty fine. It is a criminal offence carrying a minimum penalty of three points and the possibility of a court appearance.
There is a busy crossing in King's Road where vehicles routinely park next to the crossing, making it necessary for pedestrians to step on to the road to ensure it's safe before making their way across the road.
The introduction of zig-zag lines, and ensuring these are enforced appropriately, will make Hong Kong a safer place for pedestrians, especially the elderly who often navigate such crossings at their peril.
Ken McGowan, Quarry Bay
 
App can show location of all public toilets
I refer to the letter by William Hendricks ("Not enough public toilets in Mong Kok", April 30).
Surely there is a simple, practical and immediate way to alleviate the toilet problem in Hong Kong.
Why does the Tourism Board not produce a free app for mobile phones giving the location of all public toilets? This would be useful for residents as well as visitors.
Dr Judith Mackay, Clear Water Bay
 
Much more to education than homework
For many years there have been complaints about the workload faced by students in Hong Kong.
The pressure they face can be so intense than some have resorted to suicide. I think a more sensible approach has to be taken by schools when it comes to homework.
They are not only under pressure from their evening schedule at home after school, but also face numerous tests and exams. Because of the importance of these tests, young people have to do a lot of revision.
I think forcing such a heavy workload on students in Hong Kong is counterproductive.
If they have too much to do in the evening and become tired, their academic performance might suffer. A heavy workload can lead to them going through their tasks in a mechanical way and this does not lead to them producing good-quality material.
Also, it is unhealthy, as often they do not have enough time to relax and go outside to exercise. When they are studying they might eat snacks, which are not part of a nutritious diet and can lead to obesity.
Schools should aim to make studying and revising more interesting. Students should be given projects which they find interesting. Projects on subjects which relate to real-life situations can keep the attention of students and still enable them to learn the material they need to reach their academic goals.
Michelle Tsang Chun-man, Kowloon Tong
 
Greater sense of social awareness
I think students can benefit from the liberal studies subject in secondary schools.
It requires young people to keep informed about current affairs. They have to read what is happening so that they can understand and answer the questions in the liberal studies exam paper.
This is important because all Hongkongers should know and care about society.
By keeping informed, teenagers can think about the difficulties Hong Kong faces and how these problems can be solved. They have a deeper understanding, for example, of the plight of needy citizens.
This may even encourage them to get involved in voluntary work to help disadvantaged members of society.
Liberal studies can really help with the character-building process.
It can help nurture youngsters so that they grow up as citizens who have a positive outlook and who care about their society.
Bonnie Wong Ka-ki, Yau Yat Chuen
 
Language barrier avoidable
I refer to the report ("'English schools are pricing us out of city'", April 22).
In the report, about the lack of affordable English-medium education in Hong Kong, Amanda Chapman, a Hong Kong resident for the last 16 years, describes the difficulties in finding a suitable school for her seven-year-old daughter.
Presumably her daughter has spent her entire life in Hong Kong, yet Ms Chapman appears to have taken the decision to bring her daughter up as a non-Chinese speaker.
Had she allowed her child to learn the local language, she might not be in this position.
A. Cable, Cheung Chau
 
Yoga the best option for asthmatics
I refer to the question in the Hits & Myths column ("Is it OK to allow asthmatic children to play sport?" April 29).
I can understand why the answer given was "yes", but I think we have to consider the fact that Hong Kong's air pollution is awful.
Given this problem, I wonder if doing sports outdoors when the pollution level is high might trigger an asthma attack. Even a change in temperature or humidity can affect an asthma sufferer.
I would have thought the best form of exercise that would not pose any risk would be yoga. This would appear to be a far better option than, for example, long-distance running for asthmatics.
Leung Fung-yu, Kwai Chung


Letters to the Editor, May 5, 2014

Pedestrian crossings can be made safer. Photo: Dickson Lee

Don't give up green 'theatre' for flats

Thomas Heatherwick urged Hong Kong to design its city with human-scale architecture rather than gigantic, identical buildings.

Town Planning Board members seek clarity on what green-belt sites are for

Letters to the Editor, April 30, 2014

Martin Lee's election plan is impractical. Photo: Bloomberg

Parents in Hong Kong struggling with rising cost of English-language education

Joao Vitor Passos dos Santos, 16, and Amanda Chapman have had difficulties navigating the city's education system. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Health questions: if your children have asthma should they play sports?

Photo: Corbis

Opinion

I strongly recommend that the Development Bureau takes on board the reservations and criticisms given by renowned British designer Thomas Heatherwick ("Don't give up green 'theatre' for flats", April 26).
