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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment, Mr Edward Yau (in the absence of the Secretary for Transport and Housing), in the Legislative Council today (April 16):
Question:
A member of the public has relayed to me that he was prosecuted by the law enforcement department concerned for speeding while driving along Fan Kam Road in the New Territories at a speed of 60-plus kilometres per hour. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether sectional speed limits have been set for Fan Kam Road; if so, of the details and the names of other major highways for which the same limits have been set;
(b) how the authorities effectively enable drivers to know the speed limits on the roads concerned in accordance with the existing arrangements for displaying speed limit signs;
(c) whether it has adopted the measure to erect appropriate speed limit signs at intervals of 200 metres on the roads concerned; if it has, of the details of the measure and its implementation, and whether there are any roads on which speed limit signs have not been erected in accordance with such measure; if so, of the reasons for that; and
(d) how and based on what criteria the government departments concerned enforce the law to combat speeding on roads on which speed limit signs are not erected?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The speed limit for the whole of Fan Kam Road is 50 kilometres per hour (km/h) with no sectional speed limits. Many roads in Hong Kong do not have sectional speed limits, such as Nathan Road, Hennessy Road and King's Road in the urban area as well as Texaco Road, Route Twisk, Kam Tin Road and Man Kam To Road in the New Territories.
(b) & (c) Under the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap 374), unless otherwise specified, the speed limit for roads in Hong Kong is 50 km/h. There is no provision in the law requiring the Commissioner for Transport (the Commissioner) to erect related traffic signs. Generally, the Commissioner does not display speed limit signs on roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h.
According to the same Ordinance, the Commissioner is empowered to prescribe a speed limit other than 50 km/h for any road section. The Commissioner may by notice in the Gazette announce the variation of speed limits other than 50 km/h, and he is required to erect speed limit signs on the road sections concerned. To effectively inform drivers of these different speed limits, the Transport Department erects speed limit signs in accordance with the following standards:-
(1) For road sections with a reduction in speed limit, the following arrangements for installation of signs are generally adopted to alert drivers of the speed limit reduction ahead: -
(i) a warning sign is erected 100 to 200 metres (m) before the starting point of a road section with reduced speed limit;
(ii) speed limit markings are painted on the traffic lanes near the starting point;
(iii)in the case of a major road with high speed leading to a slip road of lower speed, yellow hatch markings are painted on the deceleration lane leading to the slip road to alert drivers to slow down gradually; and
(iv) the speed limit sign is erected at the point where the reduced speed limit starts.
(2) For road sections with an increase in speed limit, there are generally no advance warning signs apart from the speed limit sign erected at the starting point. Drivers can accelerate gradually after passing the starting point, having regard to actual road and traffic conditions.
(3) In accordance with the different speed limits on roads with speed limits other than 50 km/h, speed limit signs are erected at different intervals along the roads, so that drivers are advised of the speed limits around every 15 to 20 seconds. The arrangements are as follows:-
(i) for road sections with a speed limit of 70 km/h or above, speed limit signs are erected along the road at an interval of 400 to 900 m; and
(ii) for road sections with a speed limit below 50 km/h, speed limit signs are erected along the road at an interval of 200 m.
The above arrangements for the erection of speed limit signs are in line with international standards.
(d) The Police carry out enforcement actions against speeding on roads, including those with a speed limit of 50 km/h where erection of speed limit signs is not required, in accordance with the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374).
Ends/Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:55
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