TRANSPORT
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Road safety campaigns continued to play an important role in reducing traffic accidents. The main themes chosen for campaigns in 1999 were to combat 'drink driving' and 'speeding' and to promote 'elderly and student pedestrian safety'. Relevant messages were delivered by means of television and radio announcements, printed materials and the Internet.
In 1999, the sign posts of the no-stopping restricted zones were painted red, yellow and green in colour to indicate a period of restriction 7 am midnight, 7 am
7 pm, and 7 am
10 am and 4 pm 7 pm respectively.
Transport and Environment
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In planning for transport infrastructure projects, the Government is guided by sustainable development principles. It strives to ensure a better integration of transport provisions with land use planning with a view to reducing trip generation. Less reliance on road-based transport will in turn alleviate the demands put on transport systems and lessen the impact on the environment. At the same time, greater emphasis will be placed on the needs of pedestrians. Separation of pedestrians from vehicle traffic will help reduce the impact of vehicle emissions and noise pollution on pedestrians. Moreover, the environmental impact of new transport projects during both the construction and operation phases is carefully examined at the planning stage. Environmental mitigation measures, such as landscaping, artificial contouring of surrounding hillsides, the installation of noise barriers and noise insulation works are implemented where necessary to minimise the environmental impact of transport projects.
To improve the environment for pedestrians, pedestrianisation schemes involving the permanent or temporary closure of all or part of an existing street for the priority/exclusive use of pedestrians have been examined and implemented in some areas. The main objective is to provide pedestrians with a safer, healthier and more comfortable street environment by giving more consideration to pedestrians over vehicles.
The Transport Department has been working on turning a section of Russell Street between Percival Street and Lee Garden Road in Causeway Bay into a permanent pedestrianisation street. In June, a part-time pedestrianisation scheme, covering Sundays and public holidays only, was implemented. After the necessary gazettal for permanent road closure, this section of Russell Street has been designated as a full- time pedestrianisation area. Besides this, a pedestrian priority zone for the section of Russell Street in front of Times Square (with vehicular access restricted to taxis and vehicles with a permit) is targeted for implementation in 2001. A study for further pedestrianisation schemes in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui commenced in 1999 and was due to be completed in early 2000.
For the operation of cleaner buses insofar as fuel is concerned, franchised bus companies have been, since 1993, purchasing buses with environmentally friendly engines which meet the emission standards of the European Union and are known as 'Euro engines'. By the end of 1999, 60 per cent of the franchised bus fleet were equipped with Euro engines. For the remaining pre-Euro buses, the bus companies. have committed themselves to a programme to fit them with catalytic converters in about two years' time or to replace them.