XN000022-1979-01-30 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1979

HONG KONG TO HAVE MORE ROAD SIGNS ******

A NEW ROAD SIGN SYSTEM. AIMED AT INTRODUCING MORE SYMBOLIC SIGNS TO HONG KONG, IS UNDER ACTIVE CONSIDERATION BY THE GOVERNMENT.

THIS WAS STATED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY MR. ERIC WYATT, ENGINEER (TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PLANNING) OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

HE SAID THE EXISTING ROAD TRAFFIC (ROAD AND SIGNS) REGULATIONS, THE PRINCIPAL REGULATION CONTROLLING TRAFFIC SIGNS, HAVE SOME 115 TRAFFIC SIGNS, INCLUDING THE 44 SYMBOLIC SIGNS INTRODUCED IN 1974.

+WHILE CONTRIBUTING GREATLY TOWARDS A MORE READILY UNDERSTOOD SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS, THESE SIGNS ARE NOT SUFFICIENT, AND MORE ARE REQUIRED IF A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF ROAD SYMBOLS DESIGNED TO MEET MODERN TRAFFIC CONDITIONS IS TO BE REALISED, MR. WYATT SAID.

+A PROPOSED SYSTEM PRESENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION CONSISTS OF ABOUT 90 SYMBOLIC SIGNS OF THE REGULATORY AND WARNING TYPE, 37 WORDED SIGNS CONSISTING MAINLY OF THE INFORMATORY TYPE BUT WITH SOME REGULATORY SIGNS, AND 27 SUPPLEMENTARY PLATES, WHICH ARE THOSE SIGNS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A REGULATORY OR WARNING SIGN TO QUALIFY THE RESTRICTION OR WARNING AND TAKE THE FORM OF TIME PLATES, DISTANCE PLATES AND OTHERS.+

THE PRESENT SYSTEM IN HONG KONG, HE SAID, WAS IN THE MAIN BASED ON THE 1957 UK REGULATIONS.

+AS SUCH IT HAS SEVERAL DISADVANTAGES IN THAT, TO A LARGE EXTENT, IT RELIES ON WRITTEN MESSAGES AND AT THE SAME TIME HAS ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF SIGNS TO DESCRIBE THE NUMEROUS DIFFERENT HAZARDS THAT CAN OCCUR AND FOR WHICH DIFFERENT REACTIONS BY MOTORISTS ARE REQUIRED,+ MR. WYATT SAID.

+SINCE 1974, THE 44 SYMOBLIC SIGNS INCLUDED IN THE REGULATION HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY INTRODUCED ONTO THE ROAD NETWORK BY REPLACING OLDER DAMAGED SIGNS OR AT LOCATIONS WHERE NEW ROAD SCHEMES HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT. +

IN GENERAL, THE SYMBOL IC-TYPE ROAD SIGNS HAVE THREE BASIC SHAPES, NAMELY, THE CIRCLE WHICH INSTRUCTS, THE TRIANGLE FOR WARNINGS, AND THE RECTANGLE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION.

THIS WILL ENABLE THE DRIVER TO RECOGNISE AT A DISTANCE THE TYPE OF SIGN AHEAD AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTION WELL BEFORE THE ACTUAL SYMBOL CAN BE SEEN.

+THIS SYMBOLIC SYSTEM HAS NOW BEEN ADOPTED BY A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES. THE MAIN EXCEPTIONS BEING THOSE IN NORTH AMERICA, WHERE A LARGELY WORDED BASED SYSTEM IS USED, MR. WYATT SAID.

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