Updated on Apr 08, 2008 – SCMP
We have to strongly reconsider the government’s view on air pollution.
Whereas the Wan Chai to Central Bypass seeks to facilitate the current traffic flow through the centre of our city or may even allow the flow to increase, the purpose of electronic road pricing is to reduce the total number of vehicles that will go through Central at a given time.
By linking these two issues (“Bypass could halve levy for drive to Central”, March 30), it is readily apparent that our government’s planning advisers do not care about the problem of air pollution within our city centre and the effect that has on residents and would rather go ahead with an ill-advised public works project that will fail.
Why else would they push for a HK$50 levy through the ERP versus HK$90? Surely a HK$90 levy would make more environmental sense – making more people take public transport versus private vehicles. That the government even suggests a lower levy would be beneficial is ludicrous in the face of the facts.
Mark Chan, Tsing Yi