You Need Air To Whine

As the proposed idling engine ban creeps closer to being voted into law, Hong Kong's taxi drivers are whining louder than ever.

This despite further exemptions and concessions attempting to cover the needs of both taxi and minibus drivers in varying traffic conditions.

They're just going to have to tough it out, because long queues of vehicles pumping out emissions are a major contributor to our air quality problems. I'm tired of walking down the street and being forced to breathe noxious fumes because a driver 10 cars back in the queue wants to idle for half an hour to keep the air conditioner going.

One clueless cabbie complained:

During the hot summer my health will be at risk when I stay inside a vehicle without air conditioning. I will have to open the window but the polluted air is everywhere on the roadside.

If fewer vehicles are idling there will be less pollution for him to breathe, and maybe getting out of the car will give him a sense of what it's like to be a pedestrian.

It's far past the time the government did something specific about the air; this measure is a good start. Next it needs to ban old vehicles that belch black smoke, and catalytic converters would also be a good idea.

The only way to clean up the air is to make hard choices; the need is so pressing there shouldn't even be a debate.

← Older Posts · 早前 | →