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Changes to Highway Code give UK pedestrians priority

Changes to Highway Code give UK pedestrians priority

A change to the Highway Code has put the pedestrians at the top of a new “road user hierarchy”, been announced by the UK transport secretary.

In order to boost cycling and walking all across Britain, plans will be made as part of £338m package from the Department for Transport (DfT)..


The proposed changes are due to receive parliamentary approval in the autumn, which will give priority to pedestrians at junctions and raise awareness about the dangers of speeding.

The funding is intended to encourage public to make “sustainable travel choices” to make “air cleaner and cities greener”. The DfT said the investment would also be used to upgrade infrastructures such as the construction of hundreds of miles of new cycle lanes.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads and do your bit for the environment. As we build back greener from the pandemic, we’re determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone.

“This £338m package marks the start of what promises to be a great summer of cycling and walking, enabling more people to make those sustainable travel choices that make our air cleaner and cities greener.”

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Apartments still burn as a major fire swept through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on November 27, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

55 dead and nearly 300 missing in Hong Kong housing estate fire

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  • At least 55 people killed and nearly 300 missing after major Hong Kong housing estate fire
  • Police say a construction company may have been “grossly negligent”
  • Three people arrested as authorities investigate unsafe renovation materials
  • Blaze now the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948

HONG KONG firefighters brought under control on Thursday a large blaze at an apartment complex that killed at least 55 people and left nearly 300 missing. Police said the fire could have been caused by a "grossly negligent" construction company that used unsafe materials.

Rescuers worked for more than a day in intense heat and heavy smoke after the blaze broke out, as they tried to reach residents feared trapped on upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po.

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