LettersRoad safety in Hong Kong is in dire need of attention
- Readers discuss the state of the city’s roads, and the lack of parking spaces for motorcycles
Having lived in Hong Kong for over 50 years, I have never known road safety to be so seriously in need of our government’s attention.
Pedestrians are crossing roads without checking for oncoming traffic in either direction. They are either absorbed by their phones or perhaps they simply haven’t a clue about the old rule of looking right, left and right again before crossing, which was drilled into us from early childhood. Crossing against a red light is only part of the problem.
There clearly needs to be a campaign to educate the public as it seems these rules are no longer taught at home.
But it’s not only pedestrians who need educating, drivers do too. Standards of driving have deteriorated beyond belief. Drivers not indicating and in general driving poorly seems to be the norm. Some motorbike drivers engage in hazardous behaviour as they rush to make food deliveries, passing on the inside, sometimes bashing into side mirrors and mounting pavements to advance and avoid traffic.
And finally, what has happened to our roads, which are in a most deplorable state of disrepair. Conduit Road, among others, is in a critical state. Potholes, temporarily filled with bitumen, have become an obstacle course for drivers trying to avoid damage to their tires. I recently replaced two rear tires only to find that I had a puncture at the end of August. The entire road needs permanent repairs and resurfacing.