A look back at 2007

I am sure the papers and the telly will be full of retrospective looks at Hong Kong. Anson Chan and democracy all of that, but for me it will be another year when the opportunity to effectively regulate red and green minibuses has been missed. This in the face of continued traffic accidents, death and general moronic behaviour of the drivers. It appears that it is just to hard to fit tachos to vehicles, have speed cameras with cameras in them, train drivers and instant loss of licence for traffic offences etc etc etc. The last prominent case where two minibuses were racing through red lights and killed a few people resulted in a six year driving ban and a short term in prison for one of the drivers. If you earn your living from driving a mini bus the penalties should be such that you think twice about breaking the law. For those who think this is a load of wittering jibberish read on Lo So lan, told Kwun Tong Court she was taking Tam Yee Kwan to school and had just alighted from the bus in Mong Kok about noon on January the 7th. with her daughter behind her when she heard the girl cry "mummy" once. "I turned around and saw her runing alongside the moving minibus" Lo said, bursting into tears. Resuming her evidence after she had composed herself, Lo said that her daughter was running alongside the moving minibus when she fell to the ground and her head was run over by the vehicles rear tyre. "I cried out for help. I chased after her," she said. "She was lying motionless on the ground. When I brushed aside her hair that was tangled and covering her face, I saw her vomit blood, but she didnt move. So I told her, "mummy loves you very much" and she moved her fingers once" The child had become trapped in the minibus door as the driver pulled away. She died in the accident. If that was your child I think you would want the book thrown at this guy. As a parent who sometimes uses these buses I do. But, like the double deckers that reguarly throw passengers through the top window and travel on expressways with people standing like sardines, the commuters have the smallest voice and often no choice. Governments are supposed to protect their people, not by erecting stupid notices or adverts on the telly, or saying dont walk on escalators, but by introducing legislation that requires minibus operators and drivers to operate in a sensible manner and buses to not have people standing when they are on expressways. Stiil Im sure the transport commitee are too busy discussing where the next road will be to worry about protecting commuters and if they do it will be a token jester like a half seat belt rather than a proper over the shoulder one.