FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1982
OVERALL REVISION OF TRAFFIC LEGISLATION
****
HONG KONG'S ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION WILL BE REVISED COMPLETELY AND THE FIRST STEP IN THIS EXERCISE WAS TAKEN TODAY WITH THE PUBLICATION IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE OF A BILL WHICH SEEKS TO PUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES INTO EFFECT.
THE PRESENT ROAD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE WAS ENACTED IN 1957 AND A SERIES OF SUBSIDIARY REGULATIONS WERE MADE BETWEEN 1957 AND 1964. THIS LEGISLATION WAS BASED LARGELY ON PRACTICE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AT THAT TIME, BUT SINCE 1957 THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES IN WAYS OF DEALING WITH MOTORING OFFENCES, IN METHODS OF TRAFFIC CONTROL, SAFETY MEASURES AND IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR ALAN SCOTT, SAID THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENT ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY ILL-ADAPTED TO CURRENT ROAD TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND IT HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO DEAL ADEQUATELY WITH CHANGING CONDITIONS BY ADDING MORE AND MORE AMENDMENTS TO THE ORDINANCE AND REGULATIONS.
+ IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT HONG KONG SHOULD FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF SOME OTHER COUNTRIES AND SHOULD OVERHAUL AND UPDATE THE ROAD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE AND REGULATIONS, HE SAID.
A WIDE RANGE OF OPINION FROM ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH AN INTEREST IN TRANSPORT MATTERS WAS COLLECTED BY
A WORKING PARTY AND ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS WERE EXAMINED CAREFULLY.
THE WORKING PARTY FOUND THAT A MAJOR DEFECT IN THE EXISTING LEGISLATION WAS THAT RELATED SUBJECTS WERE SCATTERED AMONG 13 SETS OF REGULATIONS AND, APART FROM SPECIFIC CHANGES IN CONTENT, THE REGULATIONS NEEDED TO BE REARRANGED IN ORDER THAT RELATED SUBJECTS COULD BE GROUPED TOGETHER AND FOLLOW A LOGICAL SEQUENCE. THE WORKING PARTY RECOMMENDED THAT THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION SHOULD COMPRISE AN ORDINANCE AND SEVEN SETS OF REGULATIONS COVERING THE REGISTRATION AND LICENSING OF VEHICLES, THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF VEHICLES, SAFETY EQUIPMENT, DRIVING LICENCES, TRAFFIC CONTROL, PARKING AND PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES.
+ALTHOUGH THE STRUCTURE OF THE LEGISLATION HAS BEEN ALTERED AND SIMPLIFIED, CHANGES IN THE ACTUAL CONTENT HAVE BEEN MADE ONLY WHERE THERE IS GOOD REASON. THEREFORE MUCH OF WHAT IS IN THE BILL IS BASICALLY UNALTERED FROM THE PRESENT LEGISLATION,✶ MR SCOTT NOTED.
THE CLASSIFICATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES IS TO BE ALTERED IN ONE IMPORTANT RESPECT: GOODS VEHICLES WILL BE DIVIDED INTO THREE CATEGORIES - LIGHT, MEDIUM AND HEAVY (LESS THAN 5.5 TONNES, 5.5 TONNES AND ABOVE BUT LESS THAN 24 TONNES, AND 24 TONNES AND ABOVE, RESPECTIVELY).
+THE CHANGE WILL ENABLE CLOSER CONTROL OF THE MOVEMENTS OF VEHICLES AND IMPROVE SAFETY, MR SCOTT EXPLAINED.
/+IT HAS