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Dennis Ho Folders
Special Report by Dennis C. Y. Ho on the most serious traffic disaster happened in Hong Kong
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A DOUBLE-DECKER KMB BUS PLUNGED OFF AN ELEVATED HIGHWAY IN HONG KONG |
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On Thursday, July 10th, 21 innocent bus passengers and driver were killed in the most serious road accident in Hong Kong. I was completely shocked when I first heard about this tragedy from a Citybus driver. This is surely the most saddening and ridiculous bus crash since I started my research on transportation in 1995, and indeed since the first people who settled in Hong Kong. It happened on Tuen Mun Road Ting Kau Section at 6.35am. A bus from Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Ltd. (KMB) was involved, which was serving its first journey of the day on service 265M from Lai Yiu to Tin Heng Estate in Tin Shui Wai.
"More like an air crash", eyewitnesses from Ting Kau Village said.
The location of such an accident was the 25-year old Tuen Mun Road, a busy corridor linking between the south-west of the New Territories of Hong Kong and Tuen Mun, with sections of elevated highway. Although many road-users have complained the poor design and the potential dangers on this route, the government has done little on accident prevention. The structure of road safety barriers is being examined as a possible contributing factor of this accident. The bus driver Chan Wai-lin, in his 40s, involved, was amongst the deaths. He had a clean record of bus driving in the past 6 years in the company. He joined the 265M crew two years ago. KMB and reports claimed that Chan being tired as a cause of the accident was very unlikely as he had his long holiday break two days before the accident. It was believed that after the articulated truck came close to the bus, the double-decker broke through the railing and then slowed down. The KMB bus plunged off the slope 90 seconds later. Skid marks were left on the road. According to intellectual reports and eyewitnesses, the accident might be due to an articulated truck with a 12-metre trailer broadsided the double-decker, pushing it through the barrier. The police prepared charge the truck driver, Lee Chau-wing, 53, for dangerous driving causing deaths of other people.The bus was embedded into the earth on the slope of Ting Kau Village, surrounded by debris and bodies.
The KMB bus in the accident was the first departure of the day while bus driver Chan drove a Neoplan Centroliner from the south-west of the New Territories. The KMB Neoplan Centroliner fleet was imported from Germany two years ago, replacing the retiring non-air-conditioned "old" KMB buses. Neoplan Centroliner has a good reputation of service from both bus passengers and supporters - wide screens, comfy seats, wheel-chair accessible features, environmentally-friendly engines and pleasant compartments. All franchised buses are regularly checked, tested and monitored in depots in Hong Kong (Photographs of Neoplan Centroliner above, taken in December 2002 by myself). KMB has a total of 162 buses of the same model. The bus has a maximum capacity of 126 persons, 12m long, 2.5m wide, 4.35m high and weighs 16,340 kg. (16 tonnes). This bus design has passed the inclination test.
As a gesture of sympathy, KMB will provide HK$30,000 to the families of each of those who died in the accident and the same amount to each of the injured passengers. Secretary for Environment, Transport and Work Dr Sarah Liao, claimed that the safety rail on Tuen Mun Road met the international safety standards. Legislator Mr Albert Chan Wai-yip believed that increased safety could have prevented this tragedy. He brought forward the problem in Tuen Mun District Council meeting in 1988. Some sections of the road in Hong Kong do not use a strong parapet to protect railways or housing underneath an overpass and elevated highway. I personally interviewed with several bus drivers at a bus terminus, who drive regularly on elevated highways in Hong Kong. They were all saddened by the tragedy on Tuen Mun Road. Some believed that responsible driving was very important for road users. One reinforced that Tuen Mun Road has always been a disaster that it is always busy, with lots of dangerous turns and irresponsible drivers. He added that all professional drivers know that all articulated lorry drivers like switching lanes, making other vehicles behind brake. The second most serious traffic accident on the record: In 1973, 17 passengers were killed with 23 injuries when a bus on Lantau Island plunged down a ravine.
Acknowledgements: Neoplan Centroliner Images - Dennis Ho's own archives. South China Morning Post - English Apple Daily Hong Kong - Chinese Yahoo! Hong Kong News - Chinese Ming Pao Daily - Chinese KMB Official Web site - www.kmb.com.hk Cable TV (visual) - Chinese TVB (visual) - Chinese ATV (visual) - Chinese
© 2003 Dennis C Y Ho. All rights reserved. |
