The Transport Department was largely responsible for traffic jams on May 9 that paralysed three main roads in Kowloon, Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said yesterday. But she did not say what responsibility she and her bureau should bear.
It was the first time the minister had specifically named a department since making a public apology for the congestion a few days after the incident. 'In the present framework, I believe our staff have done their part. But of course, as the Department of Transport, we bear the responsibility,' she said.
Legislator Lau Kong-wah, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the Transport Department should not be the only body signalled out. 'This kind of criticism is a bit unfair to the department.' The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau should share responsibility for not having a contingency plan, he said.
The department was responsible for liaising with other departments, Dr Liao said, but had crisis management and communication problems in and between departments.
She was speaking after a government-appointed taskforce released a report yesterday examining the handling of the incidents, including a fallen tree and loose scaffolding that blocked three major roads in Kowloon after a storm on May 9. The taskforce made 56 recommendations, but did not apportion blame.
The Transport Department, one of several departments Dr Liao oversees, was in charge of the emergency transport co-ordination centre that received and spread information about traffic conditions. The centre was activated on the day of the storm due to earlier concerns about jams at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.
