THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1984
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TRAM-ONLY LANES IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAM-ONLY LANES NEAR THE TRAMWAY ISLANDS HAS PROVED TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S ROAD SAFETY DIVISION SHOW THAT AT FIVE SITES WHERE TRAM-ONLY LANES WERE DESIGNATED, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS HAD DROPPED FROM 72 DURING THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE IMPLEMENTATION TO LESS THAN 10 DURING THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
TRAM-ONLY LANES WERE FIRST IMPLEMENTED IN MID-1981 AT DES VOEUX ROAD WEST NEAR EASTERN STREET, AND THE MEASURE PROVED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING ACCIDENTS.
SINCE THEN OTHER SITES ON THE TRAMWAY NETWORK HAVE BEEN MADE TRAM-ONLY LANES.
INVESTIGATIONS AND ANALYSIS BY THE ROAD SAFETY DIVISION SHOW THAT ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS OFTEN OCCUR WHEN PEDESTRIANS STEP OUT OF THE TRAM ISLAND ONTO THE TRAM LANE.
+PEDESTRIANS CROSSING THE ROAD FROM A TRAM ISLAND TEND TO LOOK ONLY TO THE LEFT AND DO NOT EXPECT VEHICLES ON THE TRAM LANE COMING FROM THE RIGHT, SAID MR Y.C. YEUNG, THE DIVISION'S SENIOR ENGINEER.
+ THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF A PEDESTRIAN ON THE TRAM TRACKS MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR MOTORISTS TO AVOID THEM, HE SAID.
ONE CRITICISM AGAINST THE TRAM-ONLY MEASURE, AS EXPRESSED IN THE LETTERS PAGE OF A CHINESE NEWSPAPER, IS THAT IT SLOWS DOWN TRAFFIC.
WHILE EXPRESSING SYMPATHY WITH MOTORISTS EXPERIENCING SUCK INCONVENIENCE, MR YEUNG SAID THAT THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS MUST TAKE PRIORITY.
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