I agree with Associate Professor Chui Yoon Ping that we should really consider removing the laundry drying poles in Housing Board flats altogether ("HDB racking up ideas on safer ways to dry laundry"; yesterday).

I was surprised that it appears the drying system currently installed in HDB flats may not have been put through wind tests before. But I am nevertheless assured that the HDB is looking into this now.

The drying systems which are currently in use are not safe for shorter or weaker people.

The systems also make bringing in the laundry a dangerous chore when doing so in a hurry, for example, when it rains.

I suggest one more design to be added for testing - a retractable drying system. This could be a gas-spring or pulley system, where a few poles are laid on a rack and where the rack can be easily lifted or pulled down to a comfortable height for clothes to be hung; another mechanism then pushes the rack out of the window.

This system has been available in Singapore for at least a decade now, and though it costs more, it offers more safety.

With our greying population, having a safe laundry drying system would go a long way.

Annie Ng Lee Hoon (Ms)