The Olympic flame could be transported across Hong Kong inside vehicles during the torch relay next week if the city is hit by a severe rainstorm or typhoon, Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Yam Tat-wing said yesterday.
Mr Yam said police and the relay steering committee had planned for disruptions caused by bad weather.
'If people cannot run, [the torch] could be driven by vehicles. The length of the relay on the roads could be shortened,' he said, adding that torch-bearers would run with the flame as much as possible.
The torch is scheduled to be carried on an eight-hour journey from Kowloon through the New Territories to Hong Kong Island on May 2.
These plans would be affected if a No8 typhoon signal or a black rainstorm warning is in force on the day. The Observatory said yesterday that a weather forecast for the torch relay would not be available until Friday.
In the past 20 years there has been one No 8 storm signal raised on May 2 - in 1999 - and two red rainstorm warnings - in 1998 when 62.9mm of rain was recorded, and in 2006 when 70.1mm fell. In 1989, the city received a 208.4mm drenching on May 2.