Traffic congestion expected during the Olympic torch relay test-run today may be aggravated by bad weather as a typhoon is affecting Hong Kong.

But the government said that classes would not be suspended and students sitting public examinations would not be affected.

More than 200 bus routes and minibus routes will be affected today during the community torch relay, which is a rehearsal for the Olympic torch relay on May 2.

Some roads will be closed during the event.

Traffic in Hong Kong Island will be put to test as the flame will reach Central and Wan Chai between 3pm and 6pm, which is when commuters usually head home.

The Observatory issued the tropical cyclone standby signal no 1 yesterday but did not expect a higher signal.

Transport Department principal transport officer Albert Su expected traffic to get worse because of the weather.

"We expect the traffic condition to deteriorate with the changing weather," he said. "In addition traffic in Hong Kong Island on Fridays is always slow."

He added that closed roads will reopen as quickly as possible after the convoy passes, and more MTR trains will be running if necessary.

Some schools also expressed fears that lessons and examinations will be affected by the relay.

Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School in Sha Tin, located along the relay route, will be used as a public examination venue on May 2 morning.

Principal Cheng Cho-chak expressed concern that students' performance may be affected.

"There may be protests and violence. I wonder if we should lock down the school to prevent unpleasant incidents from happening," he said.

Hennessy Road Government Primary School (afternoon session) decided to suspend classes on May 2.

"There will be a lot of people watching the relay on that day. Traffic will be seriously affected. It may be difficult for the school buses to take students back home," said the school principal Cheng Wai-ling.

But Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau said it was not necessary to ask all the schools along the route to suspend classes.

"The public exam is in the morning, and students need to arrive at the exam hall by 8:30am. But the relay will not start until 10:30am. I doubt if the relay will really affect the exam in any way," Yau added.

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said exam hall supervisors could postpone the exam by a maximum of 15 minutes should one-fifth of the candidates fail to arrive on time.

Wan Chai District Council chairman Suen Kai-cheong said he was not worried as members of the public should be used to contingency measures adopted for large-scale events by now.

(HK Edition 04/18/2008 page1)