Letters | How Hong Kong can crack down on illegal structures quickly and cost-effectively
- Readers discuss cases of unauthorised construction at a luxury residential estate, and unsafe driving on the city’s roads
A Buildings Department surveyor has said the department has limited resources and Linn has said they need to prioritise enforcement measures. Thus, it may actually be a lot more efficient and cost-effective for the government to simply embark upon a campaign for voluntary identification and rectification of unauthorised building works and illegal land use.
The government could impose a one-year deadline for all property owners to voluntarily identify, report, and rectify, remove or cease all illegal or unauthorised building works, and unauthorised occupation of government land, as the case may be, no matter how questionable or marginal the problem is.
For the property owners taking responsibility, the government would only impose the minimum penalty – or even a nominal penalty – if it is satisfied with the scope and truthfulness of the identification made and the degree of completeness of the rectification or reinstatement works. The idea is to encourage voluntary restoration work on altered premises based on the approved building plans and land demarcation within the grace period.
The government should make it clear that, upon expiry of the deadline, those who fail to come forward to identify, report and reinstate would face very serious consequences, including the imposition of hefty fines and a criminal record.
Fines may not be enough as a deterrent, as money is often not a matter of real concern to offending property owners. If needed, the Legislative Council should be called upon to amend the relevant laws so as to enable stringent punishment by imprisonment. The deterrent effect this will achieve should be more than justified.
The government should stress the likely consequence of imprisonment. This should hopefully be enough to sound the necessary alarm among delinquent property owners. The government must prosecute high-profile offenders, no matter how short the prison term.
The one-year limit would also helpful in terms of setting a real key performance indicator in the chief executive’s policy address for monitoring progress and measuring the success of this campaign.
David Mak, Ho Man Tin
Driver education needed to ensure pedestrian safety
The longer I live in Hong Kong, the more I feel like the roads are becoming increasingly like the Wild West. Pedestrians have virtually zero right of passage when it comes to crossing the road, while cyclists, outside the New Territories, appear to have even fewer rights on the road.
Even when the green light flashes and pedestrians can cross the road, motorists speed up to the crossing, so that pedestrians have to wait for signs of safety when they should be crossing straight away. That being said, even when the red light is on for motorists, it doesn’t always stop them from going.
Zebra crossings, on the other hand, seem a little bit better as long as you’re not easily intimidated by cars speeding up to you so they can go first.
The crossings, which advise pedestrians to look left or right before proceeding can get really scary. Even when it seems safe to cross, motorists can drift around the corner, forgetting to slow down when going around the bend. Therefore, it’s no surprise that there are so many accidents.
Lee Ross, Kowloon City
