Why
I do not have a car in Hong Kong?-
written & posted by tim i gurung June 2009
It was almost ten
years ago when I had my
first driving license and until today I still do not have a car of my
own.
Obviously the main reason of having a driving license for me was like
all the
young men around globe, I also wanted to have a car of my own to drive
around.
It might be an ordinary thing for the westerner but for us in Asia,
it is quite an achievement to be able to have your own car and show
around. It
is also a definite sign of wealth and prosperity in the poor
neighborhood.
The another motive
of having a driving
license for me was also like buying an insurance policy that might be
useful in
the future. It might help get me a driver’s job as an alternative for
some
rainy days. Thanks to the god, I do not have to go for that option
until now. Trust
me, in accordance to my financial condition, it was as relevant back
then as it
might seems irrelevant today. But, I am definitely not ashamed of that
right
now for sure.
There are mainly two
reasons why I still do
not owned a car today. First of all, the public transportation system
in Hong Kong is so good that you are
never in a pressure of
having to think about buying a car of your own. The whole city is very
well
connected & served by the system of perfectly organized legion of
buses,
underground trains, minibuses, trams, taxis and they are always in
time. It is
also available for 24 hours a day and seven days in a week. Secondly,
my office
is just across a street from my home and I can just walk there in five
minute
time. Therefore, having a car is rather a hassle for me than not having
it at
all.
Also finding a
parking place is another big
headache for car owners in Hong Kong
and it is
also unbelievably expensive. In some places in Hong
Kong,
it will cost you more than the other expenses all combined. Inevitably,
it was
a very expensive and unnecessary headache that I could live without it.
It was a very simple
decision for me and
that is reason why I still do not have a car in Hong
Kong
today!