Independent Expert Panel releases recommendations to enhance highway safety

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The Following is issued on behalf of the Tuen Mun Road Traffic Incident Independent Expert Panel:

The Tuen Mun Road Traffic Incident Independent Expert Panel submitted its Report on Enhancement of Highway Safety to the Chief Executive, Mr. Tung Chee Hwa, on November 28, 2003.

The panel briefed the Panel on Transport of the Legislative Council on its key recommendations today (December 5). The full report was released simultaneously to the public and can be seen on the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau website at www.etwb.gov.hk.

Taking into account the circumstances of the Tuen Mun Road traffic incident on July 10, 2003, the panel examined safety issues concerning the three key components of the road transport system - road users, road infrastructure and vehicles - and made recommendations to improve the safety of Tuen Mun Road and Hong Kong's highway network in general.

The panel had assessed the current measures and standards of Hong Kong's road transport system against international practices, and concluded that Hong Kong's highway design and traffic management measures were generally in line with international standards.

The panel also considered that the safety of Hong Kong's road system was comparable to that of other major cities. However, the increase in the number of slight accidents and accidents involving public buses and public light buses signalled the need for improvement measures.

"To bring about a visible improvement in Hong Kong's road traffic performance, we should target efforts to promote good driving practices and foster a responsible and considerate driving culture. We should aim to make Hong Kong's system the safest, and the driving culture the most considerate and courteous among major cities in the world, " said Dr Cheng Hon-kwan, the panel chairman.

The panel considered that driving behaviour had the greatest bearing on road safety. It recommended improving driving behaviour through focused and sustainable publicity programmes.

It also recommended that the Government should explore the feasibility of introducing mandatory driver improvement courses for repeat traffic offenders, enhancing training for professional drivers, expanding the "probationary" driving licence arrangements to new private car and light goods vehicle drivers, and putting in place a "Quality Driving Instructor Course" to upgrade the skills of instructors.

As regards parapet design, an issue that attracted much public attention after the July incident, the panel pointed out that parapets provide only a passive line of defence to reduce the severity of accidents.

No parapet could have the perfect height and containment level to provide ideal protection for all vehicles under all conditions.

Taking into account the standards adopted for road design, and the measures in place to control various types of vehicles and drivers, the Panel considered that the various types of parapets in Hong Kong were suitable for general application and for uses on elevated structures.

However, there was room for further improvement at critical locations where penetration of the vehicular parapet might result in catastrophic consequences. A proper risk assessment procedure should be developed for such situations. In this connection, the Panel worked closely with the Highways Department to identify a list of high-priority locations with characteristics similar to those of the incident site.

The panel recommended that a detailed study be conducted immediately to formulate a package of road safety enhancement measures for these road sections.

Having examined past accident statistics and the geometric standards, the panel considered that Tuen Mun Road was intrinsically safe. There was no intrinsic deficiency in the design at the incident site either, but the panel considered it prudent to draw up a package of improvement measures for the road section in the vicinity of the incident site.

The panel also recommended that a comprehensive road safety review be conducted for Tuen Mun Road, with a view to identifying further safety enhancement measures.

The panel was appointed by the Chief Executive in July 2003 after the Tuen Mun Road incident. It was tasked to examine and make recommendations on safety measures to prevent similar catastrophes from happening in Hong Kong.

Apart from Dr Cheng, the other two panel members are Ir Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, past president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and Dr Wong Sze-chun, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong.

The panel members were selected for their knowledge of Hong Kong's transport system, experience in different engineering disciplines and expertise in transportation, highway design and traffic management.

Ends/Friday, December 5, 2003

( Floor / Cantonese / English )