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Letters | One country, one direction: why Hong Kong should drive on the right
- Readers discuss a change Hong Kong should implement, drug dangers, and recycling education
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Since Hong Kong was returned to China nearly three decades ago, Hongkongers have experienced many changes. One change yet to be implemented is driving on the right-hand side of the road.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opened in 2018 and is part of growing infrastructure connecting the cities of the Greater Bay Area. Other such projects include the Shenzhen Bay Bridge. While there has been discussion about which side of a bridge to drive on in different territories, there has been little mention of a possible change of traffic direction within Hong Kong itself.
With increasing traffic between the mainland and Hong Kong post-pandemic, I would like to take the opportunity to bring this up for discussion. The change should have been made long ago – the government had multiple opportunities to initiate it with the aforementioned projects.
With future projects in mind, it is not too late for the administration to consider a switch to driving on the right-hand side of the road. There is, after all, a precedent for such a change. Sweden did it overnight in the late 1960s, with a similar motivation to harmonise traffic rules with neighbouring countries.
In the meantime, traffic accidents might result when drivers are made to drive on the side of the road they are unfamiliar with. These accidents can be reduced if everyone drives on the right side throughout their journey.
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