Failures on 2 fronts led to Hong Kong’s seat belt U-turn, experts say
Officials and lawmakers have to put themselves in the public’s shoes when formulating policies, political observers say
Failures on both fronts should serve as a wake-up call for officials and lawmakers to do much better and put themselves in the public’s shoes when formulating policies, they said.
In an embarrassing about-face, authorities announced on Friday that they would repeal the law that came into force on Sunday requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts or risk a fine of up to HK$5,000 and three months in jail, following strong public criticism and the revelation that the rule only covered new vehicles registered from late January.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan conceded that the legislation – which was endorsed by the Legislative Council without drama – had “deficiencies” as it had failed to reflect the policy’s intent of extending the statutory wearing of seat belts to all vehicles where available. She noted the law was well intentioned, aimed at better protecting passengers.
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Hong Kong to suspend bus seat belt rules over ‘deficiencies’ in law
The new law quickly sparked confusion and dissatisfaction among passengers after taking effect on Sunday. Commuters accused authorities of failing to consider the inconvenience the rule might cause and how it could be enforced.