XN000022-1984-06-27 — Page 22

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+THERE WILL THEREFORE BE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS DURING THE NEXT THREE YEARS, PARTICULARLY AS THE SPIRIT OF MR WONG LAM'S QUESTION IN 1979 HAS BEEN VERY MUCH BORNE IN MIND IN THE REVISION OF ROAD TRAFFIC SIGNS, AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN MUCH INVOLVED - AND MOST HELPFULLY SO AT BOTH THE POLICY AND DETAIL LEVELS,+ MR SCOTT SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD MOVED AWAY FROM THE OLD TRADITION THAT MORE TRAFFIC SIGNS MEANT BETTER INFORMATION FOR MOTORISTS.

*FOR EXAMPLE, RATHER THAN TRYING TO PUT OVER GREAT QUANTITIES OF INFORMATION BY MEANS OF TRAFFIC SIGNS WE SHALL, AFTER AUGUST HAVE GENERAL RULES RELATING TO SPEED LIMITS, PARKING, AND LOADING AND UNLOADING.

+FEWER SIGNS WILL BE NEEDED BECAUSE THEY WILL CLEARLY INFORM MOTORISTS OF THE EXCEPTIONS ALLOWED TO THE RULES, RATHER THAN ALL ABOUT THE RULES THEMSELVES, MR SCOTT ADDED.

THE NEW REGULATIONS ALSO ALLOW MORE THAN ONE SIGN TO BE ERECTED ON A POLE, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO REDUCE SOME OF THE EXISTING +FORESTS+ OF SIGNS.

+GETTING INFORMATION THROUGH TO MOTORISTS BY MEANS OF TRAFFIC SIGNS WILL BE APPROVED BY USING PICTURES INSTEAD OF WORDS (WHERE PRACTICABLE); BY MAKING CHINESE CHARACTERS TWICE AS LARGE AS THE ENGLISH LETTERING, AND BY USING REFLECTIVE MATERIALS ON SIGNS FACING MOTORISTS, + HE SAID.

ON RESTRICTED ZONES, HE POINTED TO THREE EVIDENT COMPLAIN

* THAT THE START OF THE ZONES HAVE NOT BEEN

OBVIOUS ENOUGH BECAUSE SIGNS WERE PLACED PARALLEL TO THE ROAD÷

*

SOME DRIVERS FORGET THE RESTRICTION WHEN THEY ARE MIDWAY THROUGH A ZONE; AND

* THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH VARIATION IN THE

TIMES SET FOR THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE RESTRICTIONS.

UNDER THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION, MR SCOTT SAID, THE START OF THE RESTRICTED ZONE WILL BE MARKED BY THE LARGE YELLOW +URBAN CLEARWAY+ SIGNS WHICH WILL FACE MOTORISTS.

SIGNS PARALLEL TO THE ROAD WILL STILL BE NECESSARY ON ROADS WHERE TRAFFIC CAN APPROACH THE RESTRICTED ZONE FROM OTHER DIRECTIONS.

MOTORISTS WILL BE REMINDED OF THE RESTRICTIONS BY REPEATED SIGNS, WITH YELLOW LINE ROAD MARKINGS TO BE USED AS A FURTHER REMINDER.

THE TIME PERIODS FOR RESTRICTED ZONES WILL BE REDUCED TO THREE ONLY, MR SCOTT SAID.

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