ENG-2002 — Page 310

TRANSPORT

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toll. Since October 1998, the autotoll systems have been unified so that a subscriber needs only one tag to use all tunnels and toll roads fitted with the system. In 2002, about 49 per cent of motorists used autotoll when passing through the tunnels and toll roads.

Parking

The management and operation of on-street metered parking spaces is contracted out to a private operator. On-street parking is provided where traffic conditions permit. At year-end, Hong Kong had about 17 800 metered parking spaces, with electronic parking meter charging in operation mainly between 8 am and midnight from Mondays to Saturdays and 10 am to 10 pm during Sundays and public holidays.

The Government owns 13 multi-storey carparks which provide about 7 300 parking spaces. They are operated and managed by two private operators under management contracts with the Government.

Off-street public parking is provided by the Airport Authority at the airport at Chek Lap Kok, the Housing Department in its housing estates, at the Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations of the Airport Express and at the KCRC terminus in Hung Hom. Private sector multi-storey and open-air public carparks in commercial/residential buildings and open-air lots provide more than 184 000 parking

spaces.

Road Safety

In 2002, there were 15 576 traffic accidents that resulted in casualties, including 162 fatal accidents and 3 118 involving serious injury. The number represented an overall decrease of 0.35 per cent compared with the 15 631 accidents in 2001 (167 fatal and 3 165 involving serious injury).

In-depth investigations were carried out at 151 traffic accident 'black sites' to identify common accident causes. Remedial measures were recommended at 121 of these locations.

By year-end, 51 red light camera systems were installed at signalised road junctions to deter motorists from disobeying traffic signals and 22 speed enforcement camera systems were installed on major expressways to deter potentially dangerous speeding. Expansion of these camera systems is in progress and by mid-2003 a total of 111 red light and 85 speed enforcement camera systems will be in operation.

During the year, a series of legislative measures were implemented to improve road safety. These included proper use of vehicle headlamps and hazard warning lights, introduction of the Driver Improvement Scheme and the extension of the rear seat belt requirement to Public Light Buses.

Road safety campaigns continued to play an important role in reducing traffic accidents. The main theme chosen for campaigns in 2002 was 'Smart Driver, Bright Pedestrian'. The message was conveyed through television and radio announcements, printed materials and on the Internet.

Transport and Environment

In planning for transport infrastructure projects, the Government is guided by sustainable development principles. It strives to ensure a better integration of transport provision with land use planning so as to reduce the number of trips