This Towngas work area blocked the pedestrian sidewalk, forcing pedestrians into the busy (and fast) Bonham Road. The company said the urgency of the 4-day job was behind the memory lapse.

Towngas has apologised after “forgetting” to implement government pedestrian safety guidelines at a work site on Caine Road this week.

Workmen at the site spent the last week or so digging the road, without once putting in place mandatory or even casual pedestrian safety arrangements for its sidewalk block.

When a sidewalk is completely blocked, as is the case for this work, Highways Department requires a tapered safety area for pedestrians, a raised walkway with toe-boards, separated with plastic barriers and highlighted by traffic cones on the road. The walkway should be at least a metre wide, and preferably 1.2m, according to the Code of Practice.

In an email to Transit Jam, Towngas says the four day blockage was of an urgent nature, and, given the time sensitivity for the repair work of the underground gas pipes, “the team took action to cordon off the area for repair works as soon as possible, forgetting to follow the guidelines set by the Highway Department.”

The company has apologised for any inconvenience caused to the public and road users, and says it is reviewing the workflow and strengthening its briefings to frontline staff members to familiarise them with the guidelines.

Highways Department regulations for contractors blocking a sidewalk