ENG-2020 — Page 259

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Transport

government also provides a park-and-ride scheme at the public car park of Po Shek Wu Estate near Sheung Shui Station.

To help motorists find parking spaces, as at 31 December the parking vacancy information of about 400 government and non-government public car parks was available on the Transport Department's HKeMobility mobile application and website.

Road Safety

There were 15,298 road traffic accidents involving injuries in 2020, of which 1,912 were serious and 96 were fatal. The total number of fatal and serious road traffic accidents increased 3.6 per cent compared with 2019.

Pedestrian Transport

Improving the Pedestrian Environment

The Highways Department has completed the detailed design for a proposed elevated pedestrian corridor in Yuen Long Town connecting with Long Ping Station. It is reviewing proposed pedestrian environment improvement schemes in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay, taking into account the latest developments in the areas.

In 2020, the Transport Department continued to introduce improvements to Hong Kong's pedestrian environment. These included enhancing the pedestrian connectivity between Wan Chai and Sheung Wan; finalising the overall 'walkability' strategy for Hong Kong; implementing pedestrian enhancement measures in Central and Sham Shui Po; extending the coverage of the walking route search function of HKeMobility to the whole of Hong Kong; synchronising traffic lights at 18 staggered pedestrian crossings; and constructing covers for suitable walkways connecting public hospitals.

Hillside Escalator Links and Elevator Systems

A new lift and pedestrian walkway system was opened at Cheung Hang Estate in Tsing Yi in February. Three similar lift and pedestrian walkway projects are under construction in Kwai Chung: between Kwai Shing Circuit and Hing Shing Road; between Tai Wo Hau Road and Wo Tong Tsui Street; and between Castle Peak Road and Kung Yip Street. They are scheduled for completion progressively from 2021 onwards. Over the past few years, the Transport Department has received 114 proposals for hillside escalators links and elevator systems. It has screened, shortlisted and prioritised these to identify the next batch of projects to be taken forward.

Universal Accessibility

Where technically feasible, barrier-free access facilities such as lifts and ramps may be installed at footbridges, elevated walkways and subways that span public roads. The Highways Department installed 20 such facilities during the year.

A special scheme has been launched under the Universal Accessibility Programme to retrofit lifts at walkways in or connecting to the common areas of Tenants Purchase Scheme estates, public rental housing estates with properties divested and Buy or Rent Option Scheme estates

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