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Overhead traffic signs in Hong Kong
Following is a question by the Hon Choy Kan-pui and replied by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Gordon Siu, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
At present, directional traffic signs (such as those indicating right turn, left turn and straight ahead... etc.) are painted on the road surface and mostly in positions at a short distance from traffic lights and road junctions. Will the Government inform this Council whether, in order to enable motorists to have sufficient time to see these signs and to change lanes at an appropriate distance from traffic lights, it will consider:
Reply:
(a)
(b)
Mr President.
adopting the practice in other countries (e.g. the United States) of displaying such signs in overhead positions; and
erecting such signs on roads at a further distance, say 20 to 30 metres, from traffic lights and road junctions?
In Hong Kong, overhead signs are already used in expressways and major trunk roads to guide motorists to the appropriate lane. Their use in congested urban areas poses difficulties because such signs, particularly those over the nearside lane, would be obscured or distracted by large advertisement signs. However, where suitable sites can be found, road-side signs are erected in addition to directional signs on the road surface.
As regards directional arrows painted on the road surface, in order to give motorists as much advance notification as possible before road junctions, normally two directional arrows are painted in each lane. On roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h, the first directional arrow is located 15m from the stopline, and the second, 45m from the stopline. For difficult locations where there are queues of stationary traffic at traffic lights, a third directional arrow is provided, at 90m from the stopline.
For high-speed roads, larger directional arrows are painted at 25, 75 and 150 metres from the stopline.
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