Jaywalking in Hong Kong: pedestrians have ignored little green man for 50 years, so is it time for a new tactic?
Despite being on Hong Kong traffic lights for half a century, the green man is still routinely ignored and thousands are prosecuted for jaywalking every year. Perhaps the city should look to China to see how it is dealing with offenders
This month on June 8, a small man, with whom we are all familiar and whose goal in life is to keep us safe, turns 50.
He is the little green man, the signal added to traffic lights across Hong Kong by the now-defunct public works department as a measure to improve pedestrian road safety.
But despite his appearance at junctions around the city, pedestrian safety remains a major concern, with jaywalking as popular as ever.
According to police figures, pedestrian-related offences for the first three months of the year ending March 31 show that 4,372 pedestrians were prosecuted for offences, the vast majority for jaywalking.
That compares with 2017 figures that show 18,229 enforcement actions were taken, down from 21,398 in 2016.
Walk along any busy Hong Kong street and it is obvious that many people ignore that the green man signal exists or, at best, regard it as informal advice about road-crossing conditions – despite campaigns by the city’s police department to combat the problem.
But still people choose to flout the rules, despite jaywalking offences incurring hefty fines (under the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations, pedestrians who cross a road without regard to the traffic light signal is liable to a fine of HK$2,000).