Letters | Why Sham Shui Po should give the green light to lower speed limits
If traffic in the district already moves slowly, it is the ideal place to try out a 30km/h speed limit. Meanwhile, the Transport Department should take a more coordinated approach to road engineering.
For that is exactly why it would make sense to have a 30km/h trial in this location. Why not give it a go? If, as the councillor says, traffic is already moving at 30km/h, how can it have any negative effect on traffic flow? On the contrary, outside rush hour, it will have an effect on road speed and may save lives.
The department should also listen to the views of the district councillors and take other road engineering measures at the same time, such as widening pavements to prevent illegal parking, bus- and taxi-only routes to speed up public transport, specific unloading areas and times to prevent congestion, increasing the number of pedestrian crossings in the area, increasing the number of traffic wardens to take enforcement action, and identifying suitable private car parking areas to encourage people to park and take public transport or walk.
The Transport Department needs to be more coordinated in how it approaches road engineering and put forward a complete package, which would hopefully gain more support, rather than what appears to be the present piecemeal approach.