Chinese vice premier stresses travel safety during Spring Festival

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday emphasized putting safety first for transport operations and providing sound transportation services during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour of the Ministry of Transport.

While at the ministry, the vice premier virtually inspected traffic conditions on a number of routes in various areas, including Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Hainan. He also learned about weather conditions after the holiday, forecasts of return-journey passenger flows and preparation work relevant to responding to emergencies.

Some areas have continuously suffered from extreme weather conditions in recent days, He said, urging relevant departments to make early preparations for possible weather changes and emergencies on the return trip after the holiday.

The vice premier also noted the need to comprehensively strengthen workplace safety responsibilities and to promptly implement plans for road diversions and highway control, in order to resolutely eliminate safety hazards.

He also emphasized reinforcing the monitoring of return-journey passenger flows, guidance of travel information and the guarantee of smooth traffic logistics.