Cars first, pedestrians last

Cars first, pedestrians last

She was 21 years old. Girl killed at a crossing in Pokfulam. The message came across my screen while in a meeting. I recognised the crossing instantly. We had asked for changes here several times. People cross Pok Fu Lam Road to catch the bus or to go hiking or to ride horses at the riding school along Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road. Traffic moves fast here. Two lanes north, two lanes south. It is on top of the knoll and bends in both directions limiting sightlines. 

It was said that the minibus driver in the near lane waited for her to cross. The franchise bus which overtook the minibus could not see the girl crossing. Hit hard she passed away in the hospital soon after. My heart goes out to her family, and the two bus drivers. Not so to the Transport Department. 

Our latest attempt to improve that junction was just seven months earlier. A letter urging for push button traffic lights and speed cameras here. The Transport Department had replied that they are worried that it may impact traffic flow. Yes, that is exactly the purpose. We want traffic to stop when people need to cross.

Hong Kong is strangely different from every other city in developed countries. We have hardly any zebra crossings. Because more people would get killed. 

At HKU I walked behind a professor who was nearly swept off his feet while on a zebra crossing. His small case hit the car though. The driver jumped out and an angry exchange started with the driver claiming that there were no lights so he had the right of way. 

Another time I stopped at a cautionary crossing – the ones with ‘look left’ and ‘look right’ marked on the road. However, the driver behind me did not and nearly hit a female pedestrian at the crossing. Admittedly, it was my fault for leaving enough room for the vehicle to overtake me.

It was, after all, not the first time. It was a comical moment years earlier when I drove out of a car park and politely stopped and tried to wave the pedestrians on the pavement through. They refused. I urged again. They refused. Cars and their drivers are not to be trusted. 

In other countries people stop for pedestrians who arrive at a crossing. They certainly do when you have a foot on the road. ‘Cars first, pedestrians last’ is the general mentality in Hong Kong. To be safe, never trust drivers until we find a way to shift this paradigm.

(Based on article published in Southside Magazine - October 2019 issue)

她的生命，止於廿一

星期一（9 月 9 日），一名 21 歲演藝學院女學生於薄扶林道過馬路時因車禍喪生。我在會議中途收到這不幸的消息，當場就認出事發的地點，皆因我們曾多次要求當局修正該處的設計。趕巴士的人、出發行山的人、去騎術學校騎馬的人等等，都會經該處穿過薄扶林道。事發地點車流急速，向南向北各兩條行車線，彎路起伏引致視線受阻，令該處險況大增。有人指出，當時慢線的小巴司機正停車等待她落車後過馬路，旁邊快線的巴士司機因此看不見過馬路的她。她受傷送院後不治。我對此深表哀悼，並向她的家人致以深切慰問。同時亦對兩位司機表以同情，運輸署有一定程度上的責任。我們對上一次要求他們改善過路處是七個月前。當時我們再次促請加設「按掣式交通燈控制的行人過路處」和俗稱「快相機」的偵速攝影機。運輸處回覆指他們擔心此舉會減慢該處的車流。對，讓高速的車輛停下待行人通過，正正是意義所在。

香港與其他已發展城市的做法大相競庭。我們甚少有斑馬線，皆因這會置更多人於危險當中。有一次在香港大學，走在我前面的教授差點在斑馬線被車輛輾過雙腳，代罪的則是被撞走的公事包。那名司機迅速跑下車與教授吵罵，指出那裡沒有交通燈，有權直過。另一次，我駕駛時在行人輔助線停下（路面寫有「向左」、「向右」的過路處），後方的車輛沒有停下並嘗試過頭，卻差點撞到了一名正在過馬路的女士。也許這是我的錯，我不應該給他空間爬頭的。

無論如何，這些都非偶然。多年前，有一次我準備駛出停車場時，在出口處停下並禮貌地向途人示意過路，卻遭到拒絕，再者亦然，但這笑話般的場面卻顯露駕駛者與行人間缺乏信任。在外國，駕駛者會讓路與過路處的行人，更不用說正在過馬路的人。「車輛先行，行人等候」是香港的普遍思想。安全起見，在整個意識改變之前，都是不要信司機為妙。

(立場新聞2019年9月11日連結: 她的生命，止於廿一)