I REFER to Mr Alan Stroud's letter headlined, 'Major accident inevitable' (South China Morning Post, April 28).
It is acknowledged that Tai Po Road is a heavily used link between the New Territories and the urban area and that a substantial number of goods vehicles choose to use this route in both directions throughout the day. However, our accident records for the two junctions mentioned, that is, 'Tai Po Road/Lower Shing Mun Road' and 'Tai Po Road/Sha Tin Heights Road', indicate that only one injury accident occurred at each of these junction during the whole of 1994 and therefore we do not classify these locations as 'black-spots'.
A location is classified as a black-spot if the number of accidents exceeds either six or more pedestrian injury accidents per year, or nine or more injury accidents of any description per year. I should also mention here in passing that the criteria for classifying 'black-spots' have been tightened and this has reduced the number of accidents in recent years.
On any busy road, right turning vehicles present a potential problem and they have to wait for a suitable gap to occur in the main road traffic flow to execute their turning movement. The installation of traffic signals to facilitate side road movements becomes justifiable only if the side road traffic flow is significant.
In this instance the side road peak hour flow on Sha Tin Heights Road is 53 (two-way) compared with the Tai Po Road two-direction flow of 2,338. The side road traffic flow is therefore too small to warrant the installation of a traffic signal.
To overcome the problem of right-turning traffic, motorists may consider adopting a left-in and left-out approach tactic. In addition this department has reviewed the road and signing layout and proposed certain signing adjustments including the installation of advance signs advising motorists to reduce speed on the approach on either side of Sha Tin Heights Road, to help ameliorate the problems Mr Stroud has outlined.