XN000022-1985-11-27 — Page 54

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1985

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LESS ROAD DEATHS WITH SAFETY MEASURES

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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A VARIETY OF SAFETY MEASURES HAS LED TO A DECLINE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 1985 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROAD SAFETY, SIR DAVID SAID THAT IN 1984 THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES DROPPED BY ABOUT 10 PER CENT AND +THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED ON THE ROADS WAS THE LOWEST FOR 17 YEARS+.

HE TOLD DELEGATES THAT WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT FIVE-AND- A-HALF MILLION HONG KONG HAD AN AVERAGE DENSITY OF OVER 5 000 PERSONS PER SQUARE KILOMETRE OF LAND AND A DENSITY OF 244 VEHICLES FOR EVERY KILOMETRE OF ROAD.

+ENABLING THIS NUMBER OF PEOPLE AND THIS NUMBER OF VEHICLES TO GO ABOUT THE IR DAILY AFFAIRS REQUIRES AN EFFICIENT AND FUNCTIONING TRANSPORT SYSTEM.

+THIS, I BELIEVE WE HAVE, BUT IT REQUIRES A CAREFUL, CONSTANT AND RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT POLICIES AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, + SIR DAVID SAID,

ON HONG KONG'S ROAD SAFETY EFFORTS, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THAT THESE HAD CONCENTRATED ON PEDESTRIANS, AND ROAD SAFETY PUBLICITY AIMED AT PEDESTRIANS GAVE POSITIVE ADVICE ON WALK ING SAFELY.

ACCIDENT DATA WAS ALSO ANALYSED TO IDENTIFY BLACK SPOTS WHERE SIX OR MORE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS HAD OCCURRED IN A PERIOD OF 12 MONTHS.

THESE SITES WERE INVESTIGATED TO SEE WHETHER ANY PATTERN EMERGED FROM THE ACCIDENTS AND EASY, LOW-COST ENGINEERING MEASURES WERE THEN IMPLEMENTED WHICH BROUGHT CONSIDERABLE BENEFIT, SIR DAVID SAID.

+PROGRESS HAS ALSO BEEN MADE IN IMPROVING ROAD CROSSING FACILITIES AND NUMEROUS SUBWAYS AND FOOTBRIDGES NOW SEPARATE PEDESTRIANS FROM VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, HE ADDED.

+WE HAVE DONE MUCH BUT THE WORK NEVER STOPS.+

SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT AS PART OF THIS WORK AND ACTIVITY, THE ROAD SAFETY ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG HAD DONE A GREAT DEAL TO PROMOTE ROAD SAFETY.

+ONE OF ITS PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES, AND ITS GREATEST SUCCESS, IS THE FORMATION OF SCHOOL CROSSING PATROLS, HE SAID.

THESE PATROLS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN WERE AUTHORISED TO STOP TRAFFIC IN THE VICINITY OF THE IR SCHOOLS TO ENSURE THAT FELLOW SCHOOL CHILDREN COULD CROSS THE ROAD SAFELY.

-SINCE THE