Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Recently, there has been an increase of people riding bicycles in Hong Kong. I will talk first about the advantages of cycling, and then the disadvantages.
First, cycling is good for your health. In a busy city such as Hong Kong, People usually don’t have time to exercise. Cycling is an optimal sport because its equipment does not need a lot of space, and you can cycle anywhere. Also, a busy lifestyle like the one in Hong Kong can cause a lot of stress to build up. Cycling can help you relieve that stress, allowing you to relax and stop worrying about the work to be done. It is a great way to “reboot” your mind after stressful work, and this can help you in between sessions of work.
Second, cycling can provide a quick and environmentally-friendly way to travel short distances. Bicycles will not emit greenhouse gases when you use them so it will be a greener alternative to cars or most other forms of transport. Other than that, it is also a better alternative to walking since it allows you to travel quicker.
Third, once you have bought the bicycle, you do not need to pay any more to ride it. Not only are they greener than cars and buses, bicycles are also cheaper to ride. All the effort you need is the knowledge to ride it and remembering to fill its tires once in a while. It is much cheaper to maintain than a car, and much cheaper to ride compared with a bus or the MTR.
On the other hand, there are also great disadvantages to cycling.
There is not much infrastructure to support cycling in Hong Kong. There are not many lanes dedicated to cyclers who decide to cycle. This forces them to cycle on the road, under the perpetual danger of being hit by an inattentive driver. Also, the lack of support from the Hong Kong government causes transport companies to have a lack of bicycle support as well.
Other than that, Bicycles are not suited for long-distance travel. Again, this is partially due to lack of infrastructure, whether to cross Victoria Harbor or to head into the New Territories, there are no bicycle lanes to facilitate access. Infrastructure aside, most people tend to tire out quickly, and are unable to cycle for long distances.
As a conclusion, although there are both advantages and disadvantages to cycling, I believe cycling should not be encouraged on Hong Kong roads, at least for the time being.