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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Raymond Ho and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (May 21):
Question:
In reply to my question raised at the meeting of this Council on May 23, 2007, the former Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works indicated that under regulation 3 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations, the Commissioner for Transport might erect on a road traffic signs to prohibit a driver from using a vehicle audible warning device within a restricted area, and that under regulation 59, the Police might prosecute any driver who failed to comply with the traffic signs. The Secretary had also undertaken to work in collaboration with the Police to examine the possibility of enhancing the efficiency of law enforcement. Yet, the situation of noises created by drivers indiscriminately sounding horns has so far not improved and, on the contrary, has shown signs of deterioration. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of districts in Hong Kong where traffic signs have been erected to prohibit drivers from sounding horns within restricted areas;
(b) given that at the meeting of the Council's Panel on Environmental Affairs on April 28 this year, the representative of the Environmental Protection Department pointed out that all districts in Hong Kong were subject to regulation 43 of the above Regulations and, therefore, drivers must not sound horns indiscriminately or they would be prosecuted, whether the authorities will issue guidelines to police officers on duty to enhance law enforcement in all districts, including "silent zones"; and
(c) what publicity and educational work focusing on indiscriminate sounding of horns by drivers was undertaken by the authorities last year?
Reply:
Madam President,
Regulation 43 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap. 374G) provides that no person shall use any audible warning device on a vehicle on a road except to warn any person on or near a road of danger. We have been undertaking publicity and educational work targeted at drivers' undesirable behaviour of sounding horns indiscriminately. In parallel, the Police will take appropriate action in accordance with different circumstances.
My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Under regulation 3 of Cap. 374G, the Commissioner for Transport may erect a traffic sign on a road to prohibit a driver from using a horn within a restricted zone. Currently, restricted zones prohibiting the sounding of vehicle horns have been designated in 11 road sections in Hong Kong, 4 of which are on Hong Kong Island, 2 in Kowloon and 5 in the New Territories.
(b) The Police's efforts to enhance road safety cover many areas, including publicity, education, warning, issuing fixed penalty tickets and summonses, as well as making arrests in serious cases. In order to deploy resources effectively, the Police focus enforcement actions on offences that have a direct bearing on road safety and smooth traffic flow. The Police's priority is on those offences which may endanger vehicles and lives, such as speeding, failure to comply with traffic signals, careless lane changing and drink driving. Police officers on routine patrol will keep an eye on the improper sounding of vehicle horns and, depending on the circumstances, take appropriate actions such as issuing verbal warning and instituting prosecution.
(c) We have all along attached importance to improving the driving behaviour of drivers. Hence, we have, in partnership with the Road Safety Council, launched various publicity and educational activities for road users, including a road safety campaign with the theme "Smart Driving with Courtesy" to help drivers improve their driving behaviour by, for example, staying alert and giving way to others, and to enhance their awareness of road safety. We have also compiled and uploaded onto the Transport Department's website a Road Users' Code. Apart from setting out the provisions and restrictions on the use of vehicle horns under the current legislation, the Code also explains the guidelines and restrictions on the use of horns while the vehicles are on the move and when stopping. Meanwhile, we will, through publicity, traffic safety seminars and regular meetings with various transport sectors, continue to emphasise the messages of driving with courtesy and road safety to drivers, and remind them not to sound horns indiscriminately.
Ends/Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:15
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