Car-free road has so many advantages
I refer to Arielle Ling’s letter (“Bad idea to disallow cars in Central”, December 8), which demands a balance between cars and pedestrians.
However, the problem in Hong Kong is that the present balance is weighted almost entirely towards private vehicles. The authorities treat pedestrians as second-class citizens.
Des Voeux Road is our prime city street and is a dismal disgrace compared to other major city centres. The pavements are far too narrow to handle the legions of pedestrians.
It is a hassle to walk down this main thoroughfare, for tourists and locals. The road itself does not actually handle such a great volume of traffic, but parked private cars and delivery trucks force buses into tram lanes, causing jams. This restricts the flow of the trams creating a concertina effect throughout the system. Our iconic trams are a very effective mode of transport and should be given precedence. Our city centre needs to be more vibrant.
I agree with Bernard Chan about the proposal for a car-free zone in Des Voeux Road Central (“No good reason to choke idea for car-free Central”, November 27). At present, this section is dead after 8pm.
Pedestrianisation would rejuvenate it by bringing night life, bars and restaurants and would give new meaning to the stalled Central Market renovation. Where are the visionary voices from our Tourism Board in support of this initiative?