“Buses are not the only culprits in roadside emissions. Poor planning is to blame too.”
Dear Sir / Madam
Although it is obvious that buses contribute to roadside pollution and the compulsory adoption of EuroIV engines would have a significant impact it should be noted that there has been no increase in the number of Franchised buses in the last 10 years so any increase in roadside pollution should not be attributed directly to buses.
Perhaps you can investigate the effect of congestion on the levels of pollution in traffic streams that have a high ration of heavy diesel vehicles.
Also it is worth noting that although a very successful intra-district bus lane scheme was introduced between Aberdeen and Wanchai in 1998 this was the last bus lane scheme to be introduced with the plans for the other 6 cancelled. Why does HK only have 22Km of bus lane when the roads are congested and 1/2 the population travel by bus?
Free flowing bus lanes in dense urban areas would
- reduce pollution levels
- get more people switch back from cars
- increase bus efficiency lowering fares (allowing fare competition with the Government owned MTR)
- reduce time stuck in congestion for the majority of road users
Please before pointing at a polluting bus and suggesting it is the main culprit for pollution please look at the reasons why buses and effective bus systems are such a low priority in the governments
Edward
—————
We ARE genuinely interested in hearing your feedback! Many of our best ideas come from members of the public. Just as importantly, criticism and recommendations from the public on how we can improve our coverage or commentary can only improve our content. [N.B. The content of these communications is reprinted without correction of grammar, spelling or punctuation.] Send your comments and feedback to info@hongkongcan.org.
Related Posts
- Replacing old buses, rather than route rationalization, is the key to cleaning up roadside emissions
- LCQ 18: Regarding emissions from franchised buses
- Roadside emissions, not Guangdong, pose the most significant health threat
- SCMP: With buses and tall buildings here to stay, tackling roadside pollution must become top priority
- Off-peak buses smaller, greener
