XN000022-1974-10-25 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25. 1974.

PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM SPOTS IDENTIFIED T.A.C. ENDORSES IMPROVEMENT MEASURES

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DATE

THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS ENDORSED AN UP-TO-DATE REPORT ON HONG KONG'S PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM SPOTS AND VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS WHICH ARE EITHER BEING MADE OR RECOMMENDED TO MAKE IT SAFER TO CROSS AT THESE POINTS.

THE REPORT, PREPARED BY THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING BRANCH OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S HIGHWAY OFFICE, REPRESENTS THE FINDINGS OF AN ANNUAL REVIEW OF ACCIDENT-FRONE LOCATIONS WHERE SUBSTANTIAL CONFLICTS BETWEEN PEDESTRIANS AND VEHICLES EXIST.

THE FIRST REPORT WAS DRAWN UP AND SUBMITTED TO THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN IT WAS AGREED THAT THE SITUATION WOULD BE REVIEW ANNUALLY.

APART FROM UPDATING THE INFORMATION ON PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM SPOTS EACH YEAR, THE REVIEW RECOMMENDS THE PRIORITY AND FORM OF IMPROVEMENTS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIAN FLOUS. ACCIDENT RATES AND SPECIFIC CONDITIONS AT THE LOCATIONS, AS WELL AS THE TARGET DATE FOR THEIR COMPLETION.

FORMS OF IMPROVEMENT VARY WITH DIFFERENT SITES. THEY INCLUDE THE PROVISION OF GRADE-SEPARATED PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROLS, ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, FOOTPATHS AND VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN RE-ROUTING.

THIS YEAR, THE REPORT LISTS A TOTAL OF 156 PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM SPOTS 53 ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 73 IN KOULOON AND 30 IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHERE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE EITHER BEEN PROPOSED, ARE IN HAND, OR COMPLETED.

EACH PROBLEM SPOT HAS BEEN INSPECTED TO ASCERTAIN THE SITUATION. SOME LOCATIONS ARE THE SUBJECT OF DETAILED INVESTIGATIONS IN THE FORM OF TRAFFIC SURVEYS OR BASED ON THE POLICE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT REPORT, WHILE OTHER LOCATIONS, WHERE IT APPEARS THAT CONDITIONS HAVE NOT WORSENED DURING THE YEAR, ARE KEPT UNDER CLOSE OBSERVATION.

THE PRIORITY RATING FOR IMPROVEMENT IS CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THE DATA OBTAINED FROM SURVEYS AND THE FORM OF IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED.

THE MOST CAREFUL CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO LOCATIONS WHERE THERE IS A VERY HIGH PEDESTRIAN FLOW - KORE THAN 10,000 PER HOUR.

THE NEXT ARE LOCATIONS WITH HIGH PEDESTRIAN FLOW (4,000 TO 10,000 PER HOUR), HIGH VEHICULAR FLOW CRORE THAN 2,500 PER HOUR> AND HIGH RATE OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING DEATH AND SERIOUS OR SLIGHT INJURIES.

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