More black-spot parapets to be reinforced
Leslie Kwoh
28 January 2006
Hong Kong Standard

An additional three kilometers of accident-prone road in Hong Kong has been earmarked for parapet enhancement, the Highways Department revealed Friday, following its announcement that enhancement work on 39 previously identified traffic black spots has been completed.

The two new locations, in Quarry Bay and Sha Tin, were identified for a combination of reasons, including curvature of the road and frequency of bus transport, according to Assistant Director of Highways Ng Kam-chi.

The 2.2km stretch along the eastbound lane of the Island Eastern Corridor between North Point and Shau Kei Wan will require the most extensive work, he said, with completion estimated for early 2007.

The second location, at the Sha Tin Wai road exit leaving Tate's Cairn tunnel, is 0.8km long and should be completed by the middle of this year.

Ng stressed that the department has "no intention to replace all the parapets and barriers in Hong Kong" - about 250km in length.

The department's territorywide road safety enhancements follow Hong Kong's worst traffic accident in July 2003, when a container truck collided with a double-decker bus on Tuen Mun highway.

The bus crashed through a bridge parapet and plunged 50 meters off the elevated road.

Twenty-one people were killed and 20 injured.

The parapet that was breached in the accident was 1.1 meters high and designed to contain vehicles up to 1.5 tonnes striking the barrier at speeds of up to 113kph and at a 20-degree angle.

A consultant concluded the new barrier designs were capable of containing a 22-tonne bus impacting at 50kph at a 20-degree angle. "The purpose of the test was not to see whether the people inside would be okay or not, but just to see whether the bus would go through the barrier," Ng said.

He emphasized that safety enhancement measures cannot be substitutes for safe driving.

"These measures cannot prevent accidents _ they can only reduce the consequences of the accident," he said. "Driving behavior is still the most important factor in enhancing road safety."

Keeping Hong Kong's Roads Safe its an easy job. Persuade the fast guys to go to Zhuhai Int Circuit! ;)

Move to list dangerous downhill roads after fatal Sai Kung crash
7 May 2008
South China Morning Post

The Transport Department has promised to publish a list of dangerous downhill roads it will review, in response to the outcry over the fatal crash in Sai Kung last week that killed 19 people.

The promise was delivered yesterday as transport and highways officials met members of the Legislative Council's transport panel and district councillors in a car park near the scene of the crash in Sai Kung. A minute's silence in memory of the dead was also held at the crash site, which has been sealed off.

The panel will discuss the list of dangerous roads, nicknamed "long-life slopes", and government policy on traffic black spots during a meeting at the end of June.

Deputy Commissioner for Transport (planning and technical services) Ching Kam-cheong outlined the road safety measures already in place along New Hirams Highway.

The accident happened on a roundabout at its junction with Nam Pin Wai Road last Thursday.

Mr Ching said two road signs to remind drivers to reduce speed and drive in low gear were already in place along the 1.4km downhill section leading to the roundabout.

But transport panel chairman Andrew Cheng Kar-foo called for more signs in more strategic locations. He also suggested anti-skid surfaces, speed bumps, a passing place and fixed speed cameras.

"We have repeatedly called for the government to invest more resources on installing fixed speed cameras on long driving slopes {hellip} but our request has been ignored," he said. "It is high time the government improved road safety at the various long driving slopes and review its road safety policies."

Senior Superintendent (Traffic Kowloon East) Leung Fui said the police would consider installing a fixed speeding camera along the road soon.

Meanwhile, Stanley Cheung Chi-wai, representing the transport concern group of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, highlighted 14 long downhill roads. They were suggested by heavy vehicle drivers as among the most dangerous routes in Hong Kong.

He suggested providing buffer zones along those roads to allow drivers of heavy vehicles to cool their braking systems. He also said eye-catching, informative road signs were very important for drivers, as "one can't expect a driver to know all roads in Hong Kong".

The 32-year-old driver of the bus involved in the Sai Kung crash, arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death, had his bail extended for one week when he reported back to police yesterday. No charges have been laid.

The driver, surnamed Hung, is required to report back to police again next Tuesday.

Preliminary investigation has showed that the coach involved in the city's worst traffic accident in five years was travelling at about 70km/h - 20 km/h over the legal limit - and inspections had also found no defects in the coach's braking system, according to police.

The Hospital Authority said 31 of the crash victims remained in seven hospitals last night: four in critical condition, six serious and 21 stable.

Road safety pledge after tragedies
3 July 2008
Hong Kong Standard

Road safety improvements at all 29 long and steep downhill roads in the territory will be completed by 2010, the Transport Advisory Committee has pledged in the wake of fatal accidents involving tour buses at Garden Road and Sai Kung.

Installation of additional traffic signs and road markings will be completed later this month.

The Transport Department will also install anti-skid surfaces, safety barriers and crash cushions by the end of the year.

There are 12 long and steep downhill roads on Hong Kong Island, four in Kowloon and 13 in the New Territories with gradients ranging from about 10 to 17 percent and road lengths from 500 to 2,000 meters.

There are no speedometers at the 29 high-risk spots, but by 2010 fixed speed enforcement cameras will be installed.

TAC chairwoman Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said yesterday improvement projects cannot eliminate traffic accidents because the behavior of road users _ both drivers and pedestrians _ has been the contributory factor to 90 percent of all accidents.

She said road-user education is important in reducing the number of accidents.

``We do hope the presence of fixed speed enforcement cameras will deter drivers from speeding to a certain extent,'' Cheng said.

In May, 19 people were killed and 43 injured in the Sai Kung crash, and on Monday at Garden Road a 13-year- old girl was killed and 31 others injured. Both accidents involved tour buses losing control on downhill roads.

Cheng said improvement measures have been implemented at Sai Kung's Nam Bin Wai roundabout and Garden Road has already been provided with warnings and advisory signs.

Cheng said the Transport Department and the transport industry are discussing the possibility of restricting tour buses and heavy vehicles from high-risk roads.

Statistically speaking, HK has roughly 7.6 traffic accidents per km per year, which is not excellent.

Statistically speaking, HK has roughly 7.6 traffic accidents per km per year, which is not excellent.

were you just too bored to dig old threads out from nowhere? :lol:

were you just too bored to dig old threads out from nowhere? :lol:

Apparently I was too bored so I started reading up some TD publications lol

I was also interested as to what has happened so far with the progress of the pledges.

Ex-top cop in bus black box call to cut road deaths
The Standard
Monday, November 16, 2009

A former police chief inspector says the installation of black boxes on franchised buses should be made compulsory and their readings monitored to further supervise the behavior of drivers.

David Lorimer, who retired from the force in 2005, said the cost of checking and storing such data was "peanuts" when compared to the loss of life and the medical costs incurred by traffic accidents.

The Transport Department said about 70 percent of franchised buses have black boxes but readings are kept by bus companies for internal reference.

The KMB bus involved in the Tseung Kwan O accident which killed two women and injured 34 other people a week ago was equipped with the device. The company said the black box has been handed to the police.

In the latter stages of his 23 years with the force, Lorimer spent much time developing and promoting road safety initiatives.

He was district operations officer in Wan Chai and later served at the Traffic Branch Headquarters.

"A bus driver is responsible for the safety of more people daily than a plane captain," Lorimer said.

He said just a day before the interview he witnessed a City Bus tailgating an SUV and "obviously going over the speed limit."

"Just imagine what may have happened had the SUV driver stepped on the brake a little too hard and if there was a woman holding a baby in the bus," he said.

Lorimer said education, engineering and enforcement initiatives are needed if the government wants to minimize traffic accidents.

He suggested chicanes be built on roads leading to roundabouts to force vehicles to slow down.

However, another common traffic offense - jaywalking - cannot be eliminated by engineering initiatives alone.

Lorimer lives in Pok Fu Lam and drives past Queen Mary Hospital through Bisney Road every day.

He is disturbed by people who take shortcuts between the hospital and the University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine instead of using the overhead pedestrian walkway.

He believes many are medical students and the university should issue warnings to anyone caught jaywalking.

"The number one cause of death in traffic accidents is pedestrians walking with their back to traffic," he said.

Meanwhile, a minivan with six people rammed a KMB bus outside Metropolis Mall in Hung Hom while trying to avoid a jaywalker yesterday morning. No-one was seriously hurt.

Statistically speaking, HK has roughly 7.6 traffic accidents per km per year, which is not excellent.

HK also has one of the highest vehicles per KM of road densities in the world. I suspect per passenger Km travelled HK is pretty safe.

Road accident deaths in 2009 drop to 51-year low
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Government Press Release

The following is issued on behalf of the Road Safety Council:

The Chairman of the Road Safety Council and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Tsang Wai-hung, said today (November 7) that the road accident death toll in 2009 had dropped to its lowest level since 1958.

Speaking at the"2010 Road Safety Annual Launching Ceremony cum Award Presentation for Road Safety Message Design Competition", Mr Tsang said that based on the figures and findings of the traffic accidents last year, the Road Safety Council had decided to focus its publicity, education and promotion on three road safety themes: anti-drink driving and anti-drug driving, elderly pedestrian safety, and cycling safety.

He added that the Road Safety Council had, for the first time, launched an online "Road Safety Message Design Competition" and introduced the "Road Safety Guard", a modern and heroic road safety ambassador, to recruit more youngsters to join hands to promote road safety.

Since its launch in July this year, over 600,000 people have visited the competition website. The Road Safety Council has so far received more than 500 entries of videos and posters on the three road safety themes.

Mr Tsang also called upon the public to bring the road safety messages to their families, friends and all road users, and to join together to help achieve the Road Safety Vision: "Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal".

Deputy Commissioner for Transport, Mr Ching Kam-cheong, and Chairman of the Road Safety Campaign Committee, Mr Lawrence Yu also officiated at the ceremony.