Advertisement
Letters | A few ways government can make Hong Kong more pedestrian-friendly
- Readers offer ideas for how to further pedestrianise the city, retain talent, and step up street musicians’ game
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification.
In “New York shows the benefits of car-free zones” (April 12), the author writes that Hong Kong can learn from New York when it comes to making the streets more pedestrian-friendly, and using public-private partnerships to do so.
I advise on infrastructure finance and I disagree on both counts.
Advertisement
First, Hong Kong and New York are very different in their contexts.
Hong Kong is way ahead in urban rail network patronage. In 2021, the MTR averaged 4 million trips per day by a city population of 7.4 million, and the New York City subway, 2.4 million trips per day by a metro area population of 19 million. The MTR network has shaped where Hong Kong has built.
Advertisement
Hong Kong is far more congested, in terms of the narrowness of its streets as today’s buildings and traffic overwhelm a street network laid out in the 19th century.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x