ENG-2006 — Page 311

Transport 259

Link REIT in some public housing estates, and the private sector in multi-storey commercial/residential buildings and open-air public car parks. Park-and-ride facilities are operated by MTRCL at Choi Hung Station on the Kwun Tong Line, at Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations on the Airport Express Line, and at some commercial car parks located near Olympic Station on the Tung Chung Line and Hang Hau Station on the Tseung Kwan O Line. The KCRC provides park-and-ride facilities at West Rail Kam Sheung Road Station. In all, there are 195 000 off-street public parking spaces (excluding those in government car parks).

Road Safety

Traffic accidents involving injury decreased slightly by 1.4 per cent in 2006. There were 14 849 traffic accidents, of which 2 315 were serious and 135 fatal. This compares with 15 062 accidents in 2005, of which 2 504 were serious and 139 fatal.

In-depth investigations were carried out at 102 traffic accident blackspots to identify common accident causes. Remedial measures were recommended at 82 of these locations.

To deter red light jumping, the penalties were increased from January 2006 for ignoring traffic signals. The red light camera systems were also expanded to facilitate enforcement. At the same time prosecution for traffic offences such as using a handheld mobile phone or telecommunication device while driving, failing to drive in the nearside lane of an expressway, and driving motorcycles without the necessary lights illuminated have been made enforceable by way of fixed penalty tickets.

Road safety campaigns, including the promotion of 'Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal', continued to play an important role in reducing traffic accidents. Other road safety publicity and education work, especially on drink driving and obeying traffic lights, have continued.

Transport and Environment

Government planning for transport infrastructure projects is based on sustainable development principles. It strives for the best possible integration of land use, transport and environmental planning. It is also the Government's policy to accord priority to railways as the backbone of the passenger transport system. Five new railway lines or extensions of existing lines were opened between 2002 and 2005, with another two to be opened in the next two years.

Less reliance on road-based transport will alleviate the pressure on transport systems and, in turn, lessen the impact on the environment. At the same time, the rationalisation of bus routes and stops and the introduction of pedestrian schemes will continue. These will help reduce the impact of vehicle emissions and noise pollution.

Since late 1998, about 4 200 daily bus trips have been eliminated from the busy corridors on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island through service cancellation, frequency reduction, route truncation and amalgamation. In Nathan Road in Kowloon, about 1 100 daily bus trips have been eliminated since August 2002,