Electric cars the perfect answer to city’s traffic woes
Hong Kong people’s love for cars has obviously defeated the government’s efforts to blunt the growth of the car population with punitive taxes.
According to official figures, the number of newly registered cars on Hong Kong’s roads had risen by nearly 50 percent in the past decade to about 60,000 as of the end of last year. In contrast, the city-wide road network expanded by less than 10 percent to 2,101 kilometers during the same period.
The ratio of the city’s car ownership to its population, however, is below that of most other developed economies. Hong Kong’s small size has magnified the auto over-population problem, resulting in frequent traffic jams that have been exacerbated by illegal street parking amid a critical shortage of parking space.
Having too many cars stalled in traffic has created another problem that’s most irksome to Hong Kong people — worsening air pollution, which is widely seen to be a real threat to public health.
A plan to charge motorists using roads in commercial districts during peak hours was greeted with stiff opposition from the powerful business sector which argued that such a levy could deal a heavy blow to small-to-mediumsized enterprises, including shops and caterers, in those districts.
They may have a point because driving these establishments out of business could lead to an unbearable surge in unemployment among unskilled workers who would have difficulties finding jobs elsewhere. So, what’s the solution?
Some economists have urged the government to promote the use of electric cars. Sales of electric cars in Hong Kong have fallen sharply since the government cut tax incentives last year. What’s more, prospective buyers of electric cars are having second thoughts because of worries about the dearth of recharging stations in the city.
Obviously, the government is keen to address one of the public’s major environmental concerns. With a huge 2017 budget surplus, it has the financial resources to do much more in encouraging the use of clean cars.