Police renew crackdown on jaywalkers

Marco Lam

Jaywalkers in Shau Kei Wan were each slapped with a HK$2,000 fine yesterday morning, with police having launched the year's first citywide operation combating traffic violations.

The operation targets a slew of violations that include careless driving, failure to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings, speeding, using mobile phones while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and violations related to traffic lights, traffic signs, and road markings.

From 9am yesterday, plainclothes police officers were deployed near the intersection of Shing On Street and Shau Kei Wan Road to intercept jaywalkers.

Most of those stopped by the officers were the elderly and foreign domestic workers. Within an hour, nearly 10 individuals were intercepted, with officers recording the details of the offenders for issuing summonses.

Some of the elderly told reporters they were unaware of the traffic light signals while some complained to the officers that they could not afford to pay the fine, saying that HK$2,000 would be a heavy burden for them.

The police force announced earlier that in the first three months of the year, Hong Kong witnessed 21 fatal traffic accidents, resulting in 23 deaths. The number of fatalities and fatal traffic accidents increased by approximately 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

Among the fatalities, 11 were drivers, including five motorcyclists. Three were truck drivers while the rest drove taxis, private cars, and public service vehicles.

Police also said that up to March, seven pedestrians had died in traffic accidents, with six of them aged 65 or above. The most common causes were disobeying traffic signals while crossing the road, jaywalking, or walking into blind spots of large vehicles. They also noted instances of people crossing multiple lanes and climbing over railings, leading to dangerous situations.