I refer to “Hong Kong should follow Tokyo on path to being bicycle-friendly” ( April 21 ) . For Hong Kong to promote the widespread use of bicycles, it would need adequate land for bicycle use, such as designated bike lanes on roads to ensure safety, and bicycle parking lots to avoid obstruction on roads due to disorderly parking. However, our densely populated city simply lacks the space needed for all these changes. Currently there are no bike lanes on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, while newly developed districts are planning to build bike lanes. Lamentably, in reality, to judge from recent bike lane planning in the New Territories, strong opposition from different parties with vested interests always causes delays. Moreover, the roads in Hong Kong are already extremely busy. Introducing bike lanes in such a situation will place a burden on the transport network. There are also concerns that such a sudden move may exacerbate the existing problem of traffic congestion. Besides, additional bicycle parking lots would obstruct footpaths and increase the risk of pedestrians walking on the road. Even if the government intended to promote the use of bicycles, its priority would be to maintain road safety in the interest of the public. However, a number of cyclists in Hong Kong often fail to wear helmets when cycling on roads or, even worse, to obey traffic rules. At the same time, drivers tend to ignore the needs of cyclists and they often compete with one another for the limited road space, which may result in traffic accidents and casualties. Given the inadequate safety awareness of cyclists and drivers, any traffic accident will seriously affect people using public transport. Admittedly, the culture of using bicycles has not yet developed in Hong Kong. This is mainly because public transport, including the bus, minibus and MTR, is cheap in Hong Kong and affordable for most citizens. Buses and trains run at high frequencies and are highly accessible, meaning that most Hongkongers are used to taking public transport to work or school and have no use for bicycles. To many Hongkongers, cycling is only a leisure activity during holidays or a form of exercise, instead of a mode of transport. Even if the Hong Kong government were to launch more complementary facilities to promote the use of bicycles, there would be little incentive for people to change their daily habits. Adrian Lam, Tai Koo