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Speeding heavy vehicles a danger
Wed, Jun 23, 2010
my paper
HAS there been a change to traffic rules which allows commercial vehicles to occupy the fast lanes on roads and expressways?
Don't the rules require such vehicles to stay on the left-most lane unless their drivers are overtaking others?
The road situation has worsened since the upward revision of speed limits on commercial vehicles in certain categories to 70kmh.
Click here to find out more!
Vans and pickups stick to lanes for faster traffic, including the right-most lane, followed by lorries, heavy trucks and buses.
When drivers of such vehicles keep to the speed limit in these lanes, other drivers have to slow down or are forced to overtake them.
This is road-hogging.
Another more common scenario which happens daily is when drivers of commercial vehicles travel at 80-100kmh and tailgate other vehicles on faster lanes.
Recently, on two consecutive days during the morning peak hour, there were two accidents involving commercial vehicles in the fast lanes.
In one, a private bus on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) crashed through a central divider, overturned and landed on the opposite expressway.
Also, two men died yesterday when their lorry overturned on the PIE. Another man involved in the accident died in hospital.
I hope the authorities could consider these measures:
Raise road-safety awareness among commercial-vehicle drivers during driving lessons and tests, and when licences are converted.
Display more notices via road signs, electronic boards and road markings, such as those in Shanghai.
Raise enforcement levels. If necessary, consider employing external contractors to do this.
Revert to a speed limit of 60kmh for commercial vehicles.
This would also help ease enforcement.
With commercial vehicles accounting for about 20 per cent of the vehicle population, I hope something can be done.
With a proper system in place, traffic flow can be improved.
MR IVAN HO
Wed, Jun 23, 2010
my paper
HAS there been a change to traffic rules which allows commercial vehicles to occupy the fast lanes on roads and expressways?
Don't the rules require such vehicles to stay on the left-most lane unless their drivers are overtaking others?
The road situation has worsened since the upward revision of speed limits on commercial vehicles in certain categories to 70kmh.
Click here to find out more!
Vans and pickups stick to lanes for faster traffic, including the right-most lane, followed by lorries, heavy trucks and buses.
When drivers of such vehicles keep to the speed limit in these lanes, other drivers have to slow down or are forced to overtake them.
This is road-hogging.
Another more common scenario which happens daily is when drivers of commercial vehicles travel at 80-100kmh and tailgate other vehicles on faster lanes.
Recently, on two consecutive days during the morning peak hour, there were two accidents involving commercial vehicles in the fast lanes.
In one, a private bus on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) crashed through a central divider, overturned and landed on the opposite expressway.
Also, two men died yesterday when their lorry overturned on the PIE. Another man involved in the accident died in hospital.
I hope the authorities could consider these measures:
Raise road-safety awareness among commercial-vehicle drivers during driving lessons and tests, and when licences are converted.
Display more notices via road signs, electronic boards and road markings, such as those in Shanghai.
Raise enforcement levels. If necessary, consider employing external contractors to do this.
Revert to a speed limit of 60kmh for commercial vehicles.
This would also help ease enforcement.
With commercial vehicles accounting for about 20 per cent of the vehicle population, I hope something can be done.
With a proper system in place, traffic flow can be improved.
MR IVAN HO
