Trial on new autotoll sign and road marking to improve safety

The Transport Department (TD) has developed a new traffic sign and marking arrangement to lead motorists to the autotoll booths with an aim to avoid sudden lane changing and hence improve road safety.

A trial scheme of the new arrangement was endorsed by the Road Safety Research Committee of the Road Safety Council in April this year and the Lion Rock Tunnel was selected for the trial.

Speaking at a press briefing today (August 30), the Engineer of TD's Road Safety and Standards Division, Mr Johnny Chan Chun-ping said TD hoped to standardise the autotoll arrangement for all tunnels and minimise traffic accident as a result.

This aim could be achieved by the trial during which TD:

	uses a new designed autotoll symbol replacing the existing wording painted on carriageway. Motorists will have a clearer indication on the location of autotoll booths;
	adds an autotoll symbol along existing autotoll signs erected above the autotoll booth;
	adds an information sign at 50 metres before the first autotoll symbol marking; and
	rearranges the traffic management arrangement in front of autotoll booths.

"For the trial scheme, we have partnered with the representatives of three universities to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme as a research project," Mr Chan said.

The three universities are University of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Mr Chan explained that the study involved two parts - the "Before" and "After" studies.

He said during the "Before" study, university students recorded the drivers behaviour by observation prior to the implementation of the trial scheme; conducted road side interviews and analysed the results for future comparison.

Concerning the "After" study, students would record drivers behaviours at the tunnel toll plaza after the application of the new arrangement and conduct road side interview after the implementation of the trial scheme.

"The information collected before and after the implementation will be analysed to work out the effectiveness of the new arrangement. The result of the study will be submitted to Road Safety Research Committee for endorsement.

"If there is no adverse comment on the proposed autotoll sign and road marking, they will be extended to other toll plazas," Mr Chan said.

Members of Road Safety Research Committee suggested in early 2002 to standardise the autotoll arrangement of all tunnels. They opined that the non-standardised arrangement of autotoll booths has caused confusion to motorist when approaching to autotoll booths.

End/Saturday, August 30, 2003