XN000022-1982-06-09 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1982

ROAD DEATHS CAN BE PREVENTED, SAFETY EXPERT SAYS

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A +DISEASE OF EPIDEMIC PROPORTION IS KILLING AND MAIMING 23 000 PEOPLE IN HONG KONG EVERY YEAR.

ROUGHLY, ABOUT 40 PEOPLE ARE KILLED EACH MONTH - THAT IS WHAT ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AMOUNT TO IN THE TERRITORY.

HOWEVER, MR D.G. WILLDAY, CHIEF ENGINEER IN CHARGE OF THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S ROAD SAFETY DIVISION, WAS VERY EMPHATIC IN HIS BELIEF THAT THIS WAS A +PREVENTABLE DISEASE+.

SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON THIS AFTERNOON, MR WILLDAY POINTED OUT THAT THOSE MOST AT RISK WERE PEDESTRIANS, WHO MADE UP 60 PER CENT OF THE DEATHS AND ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF THE INJURIES IN THE ACCIDENTS.

FOR THIS REASON, HE STRESSED THAT ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE TERRITORY RELIES ON VEHICLES TO MOVE GOODS, SAFE FACILITIES MUST ALSO BE GIVEN TO PEDESTRIANS.

HE NOTED THAT IN PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NEW TOWNS, PEDESTRIANS WERE GIVEN DUE CONSIDERATION +BUT VERY OFTEN, UNFORTUNATELY, THE FACILITIES PROVIDED ARE NOT SUFFICIENT.+

HE QUESTIONED: +HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE SEEN FOOTPATHS BARELY WIDE ENOUGH FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO USE THEM, AND EVEN IF WIDE ENOUGH, THE PAVEMENT MIGHT BE TAKEN UP BY HAWKERS, BUILDING WORKS, STREET FURNITURE.+

+EVEN WHERE FOOTBRIDGES ARE PROVIDED THESE ARE SOMETIMES TO MINIMAL STANDARD AND CAN ONLY BE USED BY THE YOUNG AND THE FIT, HE ADDED.

ADDED TO THIS IS THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS PEDESTRIANS+... SOME PEOPLE LOOK ON THEM AS A NUISANCE, THEY HOLD UP TRAFFIC - THEY GET IN THE WAY.+

THIS GENERAL ATTITUDE MUST CHANGE, MR WILLDAY EMPHASISED, IF THE RATE OF PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS WERE TO DROP.

IN A FURTHER BID TO REDUCE SUCH CASUALTIES, THE GOVERNMENT SET UP A ROAD SAFETY DIVISION LAST YEAR.

THE DIVISION IS BASED ON SIMILAR UNITS WHICH HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN OTHER COUNTRIES - PARTICULARLY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM - TO LOOK INTO THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG.

IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATIONS HIS UNIT HAS ALREADY LOOKED INTO 130 SITES COVERING AREAS WHERE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS ARE PREDOMINANT AS WELL AS SPOTS INVOLVING OTHER TYPES OF ACCIDENTS.

+WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED AND ARE IMPLEMENTING LOW PRICE PROPOSALS WHICH HAVE APPEARED TO OVERCOME PARTICULAR PROBLEMS AND I AM PLEASED WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING IN THE INVESTIGATION SIDE AND IN THE REMEDIAL MEASURE SIDE, MR ILLDAY SAID.

REMARKEL