Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced yesterday (Sunday February 11) that an independent inquiry will be held to review bus operations across the territory.
The announcement came after Lam visited victims of Saturday’s bus crash near Tai Po that killed 19 people and left over 60 injured – the worst bus accident that Hong Kong has seen in 15 years.
The inquiry will look at the safety of Hong Kong’s bus transport operations, including companies serving the Lantau community.
Bus safety has been a frequent topic of concern on Lantau recently, following a series of traffic accidents across the island.
On January 14, a bus travelling from Sunny Bay to Discovery Bay was involved in a collision with a cyclist on Cheung Tung Road, which runs alongside the North Lantau Highway.
Earlier the same month, 13 people were injured in an incident on the highway, when a medium goods vehicle and coach collided on the airport-bound carriageway, while on November 30, at least 19 people were injured when an N31 double-decker Long Win Bus collided with a medium goods vehicle travelling towards Tsuen Wan – one of three accidents to take place on the highway that morning, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The latest incident involving a bus on Lantau’s roads occurred yesterday, just hours after the fatal Tai Po crash, when a New Lantao coach crashed at around 7am on South Lantau Road, prompting residents to renew calls for bus companies to ensure that drivers are adequately trained.
Have you witnessed dangerous driving by bus drivers on Lantau roads? What do you think should be done to improve road safety? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below, or by emailing us at [email protected].
Image: RTHK and Facebook. Haiou Wu
Tags: kmb, new lantao bus, North Lantau Highway, south lantau road, transport hong kong
