TJ Weekly Wrap 23/8/24
Transit Jam is finally back to full-on daily publishing, woo hoo, so I’ll be restoring the weekly wrap.
Due to time constraints (I am also a full-time dad and Deliveroo rider), this weekly is mainly just a wrap of the published newspaper stories but also bonus “Stories we didn’t write” (which might become a regular) and Dashcam of the Week.
Thanks for reading, please share like nobody’s watching and be sure to follow transit_jam on X for the stories as they happen and the usual shitposting.
THE WEEK’S STORIES
POLICE ARREST PICKUP TRUCK DOG KILLER
Police last night arrested a 50-year-old pickup truck driver after video surfaced online of a truck running over a dog on a Yuen Long. A dashcam video posted online showed the blue […]
MTR DIRECTOR ONCE GUILTY OF “DELIBERATE COVER-UP” OVER XRL DELAY TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN UK’S RAIL TRANSFORMATION
The MTR Projects Director accused of a “deliberate cover-up” of budget, labour and construction problems with the Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) has surfaced as a leading proponent of the UK’s […]
TRAINING FIRM CAUGHT HELPING WORKERS CHEAT CONSTRUCTION SAFETY EXAM
An accredited government training provider has been struck off a construction safety training register for three months after government investigators found the firm allowed discussion of answers amongst trainees during a written […]
PRISON THE ONLY CURE FOR FIRE SAFETY SCOFFLAWS SAYS MICHAEL TIEN
Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien has launched a blistering attack on government plans to increase fire safety fines, claiming it was common knowledge that Hong Kongers are “not afraid of paying fines” and […]
MAN IN COMA AFTER BEING RUN OVER TWICE AT BAUHINIA TOURIST SPOT
A 69-year-old man remains unconscious after being knocked down by a taxi and then a private car at a tourist spot in Wan Chai yesterday. The victim, Mr Leung, was first knocked […]
“JUST A GIMMICK”: NATIONAL ECOLOGY DAY GREENWASH EXPOSED
When Chan Pak-cheung, Acting Director of Hong Kong’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), held up a bicycle placard at a group photo to launch China’s National Ecology Day in Hong Kong […]
FEHD STREET CLEANING FOREMAN JAILED UNDER BRIBERY LAWS
A cleansing and pest control foreman with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been jailed for four months for breaching the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, after accepting an unauthorised loan […]
DEATH TRAM FAMILY MAY HAVE “LOOKED IN WRONG DIRECTION”
Sources at the scene of a deadly Kennedy Town tram crash this morning told local media the family may have “looked in the wrong direction” from the safety of the pedestrian refuge […]
WANTED CRIMINALS CAN EASILY ESCAPE HK THROUGH SLAPDASH BRIDGE SECURITY: WHISTLEBLOWER
Loopholes and lax security at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) allow wanted criminals and unauthorised staff to slip in and out of Hong Kong undetected, according to a whistleblower investigation by HK01. […]
STORIES WE DIDN’T WRITE
The Chief Executive’s office admits the entire “Public” audience for the CE Policy Address Q&A was provided by Home Affairs Department, who pre-selected people nominated by the “patriots only” District Office — which may explain why the first burning question affecting Tai Po residents was… how the government would support stock brokers. Questions on how a citizen could get invited to such a forum went unanswered.
After the tragic tram crash which killed a little girl in Kennedy Town, we asked Transport Department if they would consider putting a “Look Left & Right” warning on the ground at that crossing. The crossing is tricky in that the tram goes against traffic and, if crossing on the red man (which I know you shouldn’t, but people do) then you may just look the wrong way. Transport Dept replied (paraphrasing) “no, that would be inappropriate”, as people are not supposed to cross on the red man anyway. The only signal pedestrians need is the green man. This seems unncessarily obtuse and also runs counter to the new “red light projector” concept, which acknowledges people may not look up at the red man and so need some sort of shining light on the road. One key element in road safety is to make the system more forgiving, and if an extra warning does that then why not?
KMB parent Transport International’s six months results for Jan-Jun 2024 show a $35.7 million boost from the reduced/managed tunnel toll system implemented last December. “The new toll plan also allows bus service operators to deploy the fleet in a more flexible way with the traffic congestion problem eased among the three tunnels, thus enhancing our operational efficiency,” KMB told Transit Jam on Tuesday. Who knew congestion charging could have such benefits?
DASHCAM OF THE WEEK
A real “keystone cops” moment as police try to apprehend an alleged villain in a Maserati. The way they all chase him backwards (with noone covering the front of the car) reminded me of the Aviation Industry Press five-a-side soccer team, London, 1996. Five clueless players all chasing the ball 😂