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LCQ14: Proposed statutory ban on idling vehicles with running engines
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      Following is a question by Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):

Question:

      In connection with the proposed statutory ban on idling vehicles with running engines (the ban), will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the latest legislative timetable;

(b) whether members of the transport trades are still opposed to or have reservations about the ban; if so, of the details and the response of the authorities concerned;

(c) given that some members of the transport trades have relayed to me that during hot or stormy weather, drivers simply cannot open vehicle windows and switching off vehicle engines while idling will cause great inconvenience, whether the authorities will grant, to a certain extent, exemptions from the ban under such conditions; and

(d) given that some professional drivers have relayed to me that some passengers very much expect that during hot weather, the car compartment will already be cool and comfortable when they board the vehicle, of the measures the authorities have to respond to such an expectation?

Reply:

President,

(a) We are drafting the bill, with an aim to submit it to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for scrutiny within this year.  

(b) Overall, the transport trades express support in principle to the introduction of a statutory ban against idling vehicles with running engines (idling vehicles).  However, on the exemption arrangement, some representatives of the taxi, minibus, coach and goods vehicle trades consider that only a full exemption could cater for their operational needs.

     In considering an extension of the exemption arrangement to cater for the operational needs of the transport trades, we have to maintain a reasonable balance between the operational needs and the protection of the public from nuisances caused by idling vehicles.  We do not agree to provide full exemption to taxis, minibuses, coaches and goods vehicles; otherwise the effect of the proposed ban would be greatly diminished.  After careful consideration of the justifications of the trades, we have already put forward various additional exemptions, including:

* for taxis at a taxi stand, extending the exemption from covering the first two taxis to the first five taxis;

* for green minibuses at a green minibus stand, extending the exemption from covering the first two green minibuses to the first two green minibus of each route;

* for red minibuses at a red minibus stand, extending the exemption from covering the first two red minibuses to also the red minibuses with one or more passengers on board, plus the ones immediately behind each of these red minibuses;

*exempting coaches with one or more passengers on board; and

* providing a 3-in-60-minute grace period to commercial vehicles (except liquefied petroleum gas vehicles).  Since these vehicles are mostly equipped with turbochargers, the proposed arrangement will allow drivers to follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturers to idle the engines for a few minutes before switching them off, thereby avoiding aggravation of the wear-and-tear of the engine components.

     We had reported the above proposal to the LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs in February this year.  

(c) & (d) We note that the transport trades (particularly the taxi trade) propose lifting the ban during hot weather and rainy days.  Indeed, implementing a statutory ban against idling vehicles will cause some inconvenience to professional drivers and passengers.  However, we must strike a balance between such inconvenience and environmental nuisances caused by idling vehicles.  Having regard to this principle, we are of the view that the revised exemption proposal could effectively cater for the operational needs of the transport trades.  If the ban is suspended during hot weather, i.e. when environmental problems caused by idling vehicles are particularly serious, pedestrians and shops at the roadside would continue to suffer from the combined effect of vehicular exhaust emissions, heat and hot weather.  

     In fact, according to our information, most of the anti-idling legislations of other places do not provide any exemption based on weather conditions.  

     To succeed in controlling environmental nuisances caused by idling vehicles, it is essential to have the support and cooperation from different quarters of the community, including drivers and passengers.  To promote this good driving habit, we will continue to roll out public educational programmes and maintain dialogues with the transport trades to gather views from all sectors.

Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:06

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