XN000022-1982-12-22 — Page 9

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1982

ROAD JUNCTION STILL A PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT PROBLEM SPOT

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DESPITE SAFETY MEASURES INTRODUCED, THE CHAI WAN ROAD AND SHAU KEF WAN ROAD JUNCTION AREA WAS STILL A PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT +PROBLEM SPOT, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON MARIA TAM, MR SCOTT REPORTED THAT ALMOST ALL THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASUALTIES IN THE JUNCTION WERE PEDESTRIANS, AND THE MAJOR CAUSE WAS THE LIMITED PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES FOR CROSSING SHAU KEI WAN ROAD.

MR SCOTT SAID THAT TO MAKE CROSSING SAFER AT THIS LOCATION, AN ALL-RED PHASE LASTING SIX SECONDS WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE VEHICLE TRAFFIC SIGNAL SEQUENCE IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR,

HIGHER INTENSITY TRAFFIC SIGNALS WERE ALSO INSTALLED, AND GUARD RAILS ERECTED ALONG CHAI WAN ROAD AND SHAU KEI WAN ROAD TO CHANNEL PEDESTRIANS INTO THE PROPER CROSSING PLACES,

+DESPITE THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE MEASURES AND SOME INITIAL SUCCESS IN CHECKING THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASUALTIES, THIS LOCATION IS STILL A PROBLEM SPOT,+ HE SAID.

MR SCOTT SAID FURTHER MEASURES WERE BEING PREPARED, INCLUDING A SPECIFIC PEDESTRIAN PHASE IN THE SIGNAL SEQUENCE FOR PEDESTRIANS CROSSING SHAU KEI WAN ROAD, AND THE ERECTION OF ADDITIONAL SAFETY FENCES ON SHAU KEI WAN ROAD AND CHAI WAN ROAD, AND ON THE CENTRAL DIVIDER ON CHAI WAN ROAD.

REPLYING TO QUESTIONS BY THE REV THE HON JOYCE BENNETT, MR SCOTT SAID GOVERNMENT POLICY IS THAT SPEED LIMITS BE SET AT 40 MPH IN ROAD TUNNELS DURING NORMAL TWIN-TUBE OPERATION,

WHEN TRAFFIC IS RESTRICTED TO TWO-WAY FLOW IN ONE TUBE, THE SPEED LIMIT IS REDUCED TO 30 MPH FOR SAFETY REASONS, HE ADDED.

DEALING WITH THE SPEED LIMITS ON THE EAST KOWLOON ELEVATED HIGHWAY, MR SCOTT SAID THAT FOR A PERIOD, THE SPEED LIMIT SIGN ON THE SOUTHBOUND CARRIAGEWAY APPROACH INCORRECTLY SHOWED ON OCCASIONS 30 MPH.

THIS WAS BECAUSE THE VARIABLE SPEED SIGN, WHICH COULD BE SWITCHED ELECTRICALLY TO SHOW 30 OR 40 MPH, HAD BEEN INADVERTENTLY TRIGGERED DURING THE TESTING PROGRAMME OF THE COMPUTERISED TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.

+THE SIGN HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS AND SET AT 40 MPH BY MANUAL OPERATION.

+WHEN THE COMPUTERISED TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM IS OPERATIONAL IN MARCH 1983, REMOTE CONTROL OF THE SPEED LIMIT SIGN WILL BE REIMPOSED, HE SAID.

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