ENG-2009 — Page 316

and Hang Hau Station on the Tseung Kwan O Line. In all, there are 203 000 off- street public parking spaces (excluding those in Government car parks).

Road Safety

Traffic accidents involving death and injury fell by 1.8 per cent in 2009. There were 14 316 traffic accidents, of which 1 943 were serious and 126 were fatal. This compares with 14 332 accidents in 2008, of which 2 004 were serious and 138 were fatal.

In-depth investigations were carried out at 100 traffic accident blackspots to identify common accident causes. Remedial measures were recommended for 84 of these locations.

Since the enactment of the 'Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2008', there have been requests from the public for heavier penalties to be imposed on drink driving and dangerous driving offenders to enable sentences handed down by the court to better reflect the seriousness of these offences. In response, the Government is drawing up legislative proposals for stricter penalties for drink driving. and dangerous driving in three ways: (a) introducing a scale of penalties according to different levels of blood alcohol concentration; (b) introducing a new offence of 'dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm'; and (c) bringing in 'drink driving as an aggravating factor in all dangerous driving offences'.

The Government's road safety strategy during the year centred around a campaign called 'Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal' which carried the theme '3C Responsible Drivers', appealing to drivers to exercise due 'Care' on the road; show 'Concern' for the safety and rights of other road users; and to make a 'Commitment' to being a responsible driver. The Government also continued carrying out other ongoing campaigns on anti-drink driving, safe cycling and pedestrian safety.

Public Transport and Environment

Government's planning for public 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 give priority to railways which it sees as the backbone of the passenger transport system. Eight new railway lines, or extensions of existing lines, were commissioned between 2002 and 2009.

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 bus stops and the introduction of pedestrian schemes will continue. These will help reduce the adverse effect of vehicle emissions and noise pollution.

Since late 1998, about 4 300 daily bus trips have been eliminated from the busy traffic corridors of Hong Kong Island's northern shore through service cancellation, frequency reduction, route truncation and route amalgamation. On Nathan Road in