www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

   

Congestion charge needs fresh look

By Hong Liang (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-07-10 07:05

Speaking to reporters after stepping down as transport czar in Hong Kong, Sarah Liao talked generally about her achievements and frustrations as an outsider answering the call of public service.

In one particular interview, she specifically mentioned, among other things, the bureaucratic stonewalling of her push for electronic road pricing. She recalled that her senior aides, who were all career civil servants, quietly advised her to drop the idea because it was supposed to be an "untouchable" topic.

Liao did not elaborate. But considering the success of similar programs in other cities, notably Singapore and London, it seems inexplicable why the idea is taboo in Hong Kong. Electronic road pricing, as practiced in other cities, is basically a charge on vehicles entering the central business districts during the morning rush hours.

Singapore has had such a system in place for years and nobody seems to have ever questioned its legitimacy. London introduced what it called a "day congestion charge" in 2003, which led to an immediate drop in traffic congestion by almost 20 percent, resulting in an estimated 15 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions.

Now, the New York State Assembly is debating the merits of introducing such a scheme in Manhattan.

We believe that Hong Kong should at least explore the feasibility of the scheme as air pollution is widely seen to be worsening in the city. What is more, the fees can generate a sizeable income for the government even if traffic in the business district during rush hours is cut by 20 percent. In London, the congestion charge is bringing in about $200 million of revenue a year.

Hong Kong has what Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, called the "preconditions" for the successful implementation of a "day congestion charge". In a New York Times' column, Livingstone wrote: "In London, as will be the case in New York or any other city, an enhanced public transportation system is critical."

That is not a problem for Hong Kong, which is widely recognized as having one of the world's most efficient public transport systems, built around a fast and affordable underground railway, supplemented by a fleet of air-conditioned and clean buses.

As is the case in New York, the proposition has met with considerable resistance from retailers and caterers who worry that the congestion surcharge could hurt business. Their counterparts in Hong Kong obviously share the same concern about electronic road pricing.

Based on the London experience, such worries seem unwarranted. According to Livingstone, the retail outlets within the zone subject to the congestion charge have seen "increases in sales that have significantly exceeded the national average". The theater district, which largely falls within the zone, has been doing just as well. "People are still flocking to London - they're simply doing so in more efficient and less polluting ways," the mayor wrote.

It is not clear why some senior officials in the transport department of the Hong Kong government consider the idea of a congestion charge so sensitive that renders it almost unmentionable. The powerful bankers and property barons who have offices in the business center certainly would not mind paying a small charge for the privilege of traveling to work in their private limousines.

Indeed, the scheme has proven to be so successful in London. What works in London, or Singapore, for that matter, does not necessarily work in Hong Kong. But a congestion charge is obviously a scheme worth considering and there is no reason why we should reject it as something "untouchable".

E-mail: jamesleung@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/10/2007 page10)



Hot Talks
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
主站蜘蛛池模板: 色伦网| 97干干干| 亚洲综合精品 | 国产妇乱子伦视频免费 | 91成人在线免费观看 | 波多野结衣在线观看高清免费资源 | 久久精品国产400部免费看 | 黄色三级视频网站 | 美女曰皮 | 草草伊人| 午夜两性视频免费看 | 国产精品久久久久久久久福利 | 国产日韩线路一线路二 | 日本韩国一区二区三区 | 精品成人免费一区二区在线播放 | 国产永久精品 | 久久精品久久久久 | 国产aⅴ片 | 日本一级特大毛片 | 九九精品视频在线播放8 | 亚洲视频1区 | 日本成人不卡视频 | 国内精品1区1区3区4区 | 91网站在线免费观看 | 亚洲第一免费网站 | 另类专区另类专区亚洲 | 久久精品a亚洲国产v高清不卡 | 交视频在线观看国产网站 | 女人张开腿给人桶免费视频 | 色偷偷亚洲男人天堂 | 欧美亚洲另类在线 | 高清国产在线观看 | 成人欧美一区在线视频在线观看 | 天天噜夜夜操 | 亚洲一区在线免费观看 | 欧美精品国产制服第一页 | 成人深夜福利在线播放不卡 | 国产精品一区二区三区高清在线 | 美女视频永久黄网站在线观看 | 成人国产三级精品 | 在线成人免费观看国产精品 |