research and consultation, and such a initiative will leave the public suspecting the government of making money out of issuing number plates without four and taking advantage of people's fear of this number.

The traffic authorities have much more important work to do than worry about number plate permutations. Intervals between bus stops, synchronizing traffic lights and the installment of traffic surveillance cameras-these are all the areas of urgency that need attention. So why not take action to deal with these problems? Is it that to cross out the number four is just an easier job and other problems are too complicated? I think government departments should do more tangible work for the convenience of the public rather than centering on these insignificant things.

Getting the balance right

Zhang Jingwei (Oriental Morning Post): To remove the number four from vehicle number plates is a human-centered action. It's unfair to blame this action as a waste of plate resources. The current vehicle number plates in China are composed of numbers and letters, so even all the country's plates removed four, the number pool would not fall short of options. As for whether the elimination of four will encourage public superstition, a rational judgment is needed. Number taboos are quite common in society, which government departments have noticed. After the majority of car buyers shun the number four, the traffic authorities' actions show respect for public sentiment.

Wang Lin (www.eastday.com): To accuse the elimination of four from vehicle number plates as supporting superstition goes too far. By removing this number, Haikou's traffic authorities are acknowledging that most car buyers don't want a four on their number plates. To connect four with death is baseless, but as this taboo has lasted for centuries or even thousands of years, four has cast a shadow on the majority of car buyers. The government does need to remove people's prejudice against four through some kind of effort, but the situation won't change overnight. At the strong request of local people, the traffic authorities took actions to scrap four from vehicle number plates. Was it the wrong thing to do?

Mei Guang (www.rednet.com): We must admit that taboo is also a kind of custom that is deeply rooted in local culture. For example, the mention of death is deliberately avoided in front of the sick.

Even in developed countries, people still cherish taboos. Because of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper, Westerners regard 13 as an unlucky number. In Japan, South Korea and some Southeast Asian countries, four, being the homonym of "death," is listed among other taboos. Taboo is a common phenomenon among different cultures.

Since the four taboo is already deeply-rooted in Haikou, local people cannot change their attitude toward it overnight. So then is eliminating four in vehicle number plates a means of respecting local customs or superstition? To some extent, this is a test of the government's commitment and its administration methods. Haikou's traffic authorities have found a balance between management and local customs.

Dear Readers,

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Editor: Yao Bin