Lack of rail link on bridge a major mistake
I refer to your editorial, 'Bridge traffic already running into problems' (April 14). It is becoming all too apparent that the structures that will link Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau are following in the best Japanese traditions of infrastructure planning. Japanese authorities are well known for applying the Keynesian economics of 'building bridges to nowhere'.
In 1988 an impressive system of bridges across the Inland Sea of Japan first connected the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, which previously were only linked by ferry.
This part of the Seto-Chuo Expressway cost some HK$60 billion and as Shikoku was predominantly agricultural it seemed an astonishingly expensive way to get fruit and vegetables to market in the major cities of Honshu.
To say that the road traffic on that new bridge was sparse would be a gross overstatement, especially as truck drivers still preferred to use the ferry, due to the expensive road tolls. The majority of the expressway's patrons appeared to be government and prefecture officials. The saving grace for this project is that a railway deck was included under the expressway, and this track was well integrated into the national railway system. It has proved to be very popular.
It is a sad reflection on our government that it did not incorporate rail into this Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, despite the Transport and Housing Bureau's policy to place emphasis on railways, and to encourage the use of public transport. I agree with Joe Chow ('Third runaway idiocy', April 15) as a rail connection between the airports of Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau could have precluded any ridiculous proposals to add another runway at Chek Lap Kok.
I disagree with your editorial's final statement that maximising vehicular use has to be a matter of importance for government, as this is essentially a construction project and maximising private car usage will not be in the general public's best interest. Sadly, the only train that will cross this bridge will be the gravy train.
