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Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (October 24):
Question:
The Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance (Cap. 611) (the Ordinance) came into operation in December of last year. In recent months, some members of the public have complained to me that in many places in Hong Kong (such as school districts, tourist spots and loading/unloading areas), motorists often do not switch off idling engines of their vehicles. Furthermore, some environmental groups have pointed out that the authorities have been too lenient in law enforcement, thus limiting the deterrent effect of the Ordinance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the idling engines black spots throughout the territory (set out in table form); since the Ordinance came into operation, (i) the number of publicity activities and law enforcement actions conducted against motorists at these black spots, (ii) the number of verbal warnings given and fixed penalty notices issued by law enforcement officers to motorists who did not switch off idling engines, together with a breakdown by vehicle class, and whether government vehicles were involved;
(b) whether the authorities have conducted any reviews and surveys on issues such as the enforcement and effectiveness of the Ordinance, including the practicability of the provisions on idling engines, enforcement practices, enforcement difficulties, the actual effect on improving roadside air quality, as well as the changes of motorists in their awareness of the relevant provisions and their attitude towards switching off idling engines; if they have, of the results, including whether any improvement measures have been suggested; and
(c) whether the authorities will strengthen support to the development and application of new technologies, such as developing an air-conditioning system which can still operate after the vehicle engine has been switched off, promoting the popularisation of electric vehicles, and expediting the retirement of franchised buses of old models or diesel commercial vehicles, so as to improve roadside air quality, thus complementing with the measure of switching off idling engines?
Reply:
President,
The Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance (Ordinance) came into force on December 15, 2011. The government encourages drivers to develop green driving habits through law enforcement and publicity. The detailed reply is as follows.
(a) We will list locations where complaints about vehicles with idling engines are often received as idling engine black spots, and request Traffic Wardens to pay more attention to these black spots during normal patrol duty. We will also conduct publicity-cum-enforcement activities at these locations. The idling engine black spots are listed in Annex A. Since the enactment of the Ordinance and up to October 9 this year, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) conducted some 340 publicity-cum-enforcement activities.
As of end September 2012, Traffic Wardens and Environmental Protection Inspectors have so far timed 806 vehicles with idling engines. Three drivers received fixed penalty notices for idling engines for more than three minutes as permitted by the law. The vehicle classes of the vehicles involved are at Annex B. No government vehicle is involved. The Government has already reminded all government drivers to comply with the idling engine ban.
(b) We have been monitoring the implementation of the Ordinance. Since the enactment of the Ordinance, the number of drivers who switch off idling engines has substantially increased. As to those individual drivers who do not comply with the requirement, virtually all of them will switch off the engines when law enforcement staff start timing. Apart from urging drivers to develop the driving habit of switching off idling engines through law enforcement, we also remind the public and drivers to switch off the idling engines of stationary vehicles by distributing leaflets, staging outdoor roving exhibitions and mounting publicity through various platforms (such as television stations, radio stations, advertisement on parking metres, posters, banners, newspapers, advertisement at bus shelters, online advertisement and advertisement on smart phone applications) etc.
(c) The Environment and Conservation Fund has sponsored the Hong Kong Productivity Council to develop a retrofit device that maintains the operation of the air conditioning after the engine is switched off. The transport trade can also apply to the Pilot Green Transport Fund to try air-conditioning systems that operate after the vehicle engine has been switched off if they can meet the objective of the Fund. The Fund received three applications for testing this type of products. They are being processed.
Besides, to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs), the Government has extended the waiver of First Registration Tax for EVs till end March 2014, and continues to expand the charging network for EVs. At present, there are over 1,000 standard charging facilities. The number of quick chargers will be increased to ten by the end of this year. As regards new buildings, we have been encouraging developers to put in place at the building construction stage the basic infrastructure to facilitate future installation of EV standard charging facilities having regard to the needs of carpark users through granting concessions on Gross Floor Areas for carparks. As regards existing buildings, a set of guidelines on the technical requirements and arrangements for setting up EV chargers has also been issued, while a dedicated hotline has been set up to provide information and technical support to parties interested in setting up EV chargers.
The Government has also fully funded the franchised bus companies to purchase six hybrid buses and 36 electric buses for trials. It is expected that the trial will commence in 2014.
Aged buses and diesel commercial vehicles are a key source of roadside air pollution. All pre-Euro buses have now been phased out. According to the bus replacement plan provided by the franchised bus companies, we anticipate that all Euro I buses will retire by 2015. As for Euro II and Euro III buses, they have been retrofitted with particulate reduction devices to reduce emission of respirable suspended particulates. We are working with the franchised bus companies to test out retrofitting them with selective catalytic reduction devices, with a view to upgrading their emission performance to Euro IV level or above. Preliminary testing results show that the retrofit is feasible and can effectively reduce nitrogen oxides emission. The trial will be completed by the end of this year. If the retrofit is proved to be technically viable, the Government will fully fund the retrofit of the relevant devices on Euro II and Euro III franchised buses.
As for expediting the retirement of old diesel commercial vehicles, we launched grant schemes to encourage vehicle owners to replace their vehicles as early as possible. In the meantime, we are studying other measures to expedite the retirement of these heavily polluting old vehicles.
Ends/Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:35
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