Police to clamp down on jaywalkers in safety drive

Police will mount a large-scale enforcement action on road safety this month after a surge in jaywalkers as tourists return to Hong Kong.

The Traffic Kowloon West acting chief inspector (support), Chow Lap-kei, said they would target pedestrians - whether they were tourists or Hong Kong residents - who jaywalk and they would be liable to a maximum fine of HK$2,000.

He said: "We will charge anyone who breaks the law, no matter the background, age or whether they are tourists. Our ultimate goal is not to charge the public but safeguard public safety."

Police yesterday distributed leaflets in Tsim Sha Tsui on road safety.

Hong Kong saw more than 4,000 mainland tour groups last month, and many tourists are unfamiliar with the traffic rules here, Chow said.

The Travel Industry Authority said 4,060 mainland tour groups with more than 130,000 members visited Hong Kong last month, up 40,000 on June.

"With resuming normalcy, the rising number of travelers inevitably caused the number of traffic accidents to increase," Chow said after a traffic safety publicity activity near the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui.

There were 53 fatal traffic accidents in the first half of this year compared to 39 in the same period last year, with pedestrians accounting for the highest number of deaths, at 32, police figures showed.

To reduce traffic accidents, a two-week publicity and education campaign on road safety was launched on Monday at 25 locations across the SAR.

The campaign includes interacting with the public at different venues and distributing stickers on good and bad behavior as an encouragement or reminder.

As part of the campaign, police and road safety patrol officers yesterday distributed traffic safety leaflets written in English and traditional and simplified Chinese to pedestrians. The contents included rules such as traffic driven on the left-hand side, not to run a red light and mandatory wearing of helmet when cycling.

Apart from using pedestrian crossings, Chow hoped people would also remind others about traffic safety.

Different publicity work has been carried out at traffic black spots in West Kowloon, while education activities for drivers were ongoing, he added.

The police and Transport Department will jointly organize driving safety lectures and will cooperate with logistics companies to explain driving safety to their drivers, Chow said.

The chairman of the Road Safety Campaign Organizing Committee for Yau Tsim Mong District, Paul Law Siu-hung, hoped drivers and pedestrians would exercise caution and follow the rules.