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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (April 9):
Question:
It is learnt that quite a number of neighbouring countries and regions are proactively promoting cycling tourism to let visitors experience local street cultures and enjoy the natural landscape by means of low-carbon tourism. Those countries and regions offer visitors affordable bicycle rental services through public-private partnerships and provide suggested routes for cycling tours. They also conduct relevant courses to reduce conflicts between cyclists and other road users. Regarding the ancillary facilities for cycling and promotion of cycling tourism, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the details of "SmartBike", which will soon be launched officially; of the number of times the bicycles were hired and the expenditure on repairs and maintenance during the trial run of such service; the plans put in place by the authorities to promote the service, when they will conduct an interim assessment on the effectiveness of the service, and the timetable for extending the service to other districts;
(2) of the numbers of Hong Kong residents and visitors who were prosecuted for illegal cycling on pedestrian ways or carriageways in the past three years; the first five districts where the highest number of such offences occurred and the relevant figures; whether the authorities have conducted studies on visitors cycling in Hong Kong during their visits and, drawing reference from overseas practices, formulated policies on promoting cycling tourism; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for not conducting the relevant studies with a view to promoting low-carbon tourism and providing diversified ways of touring;
(3) how the authorities implemented last year the improvement measures recommended in the report of the Traffic and Transport Consultancy Study on Cycling Networks and Parking Facilities in Existing New Towns in Hong Kong, including those on the improvement works for cycle track networks, cycle parking facilities, directional road signs, etc., together with a breakdown by the anticipated year of completion; and
(4) whether it has drawn reference from the experience of overseas countries and regions in promoting safe cycling and introduced courses to enhance cyclists' road safety awareness; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the various parts of Hon Chan Yuen-han's question is as follows:
(1) "SmartBike" is a cycling programme launched by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to complement the future provision of cycle tracks in the park within the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) for recreational and leisure uses by the public, and to encourage visitors to use bicycle as a sustainable commuting mode within the WKCD in future. It is understood that the WKCDA has appointed the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals BiciLine Cycling Eco-Tourism Social Enterprise (BiciLine) to operate and promote the programme, which will commence starting from mid-April 2014 in phases. In order to strike a balance between the expectation of the community and the operational cost, the basic bicycle rental fee will be fixed at HK$20 per hour. The WKCDA will assess the effectiveness of the service with BiciLine after it is launched for a certain period of time.
A free trial run of the programme with 20 bikes offered on a first-come-first-served basis was arranged on 15 designated days in February 2014. About 1 600 people participated during the said period. The WKCDA does not have information at the moment on the repair and maintenance costs as the programme is still at the trial stage.
The Government will keep in view the development of the relevant public bicycle rental system, and consider the appropriateness of extending similar systems to other districts. There is no timetable at the moment.
(2) The number of prosecutions instituted against local residents for illegal cycling on footpaths and non-footpaths from 2011 to 2013, and the top five police districts with the highest number of prosecutions instituted against illegal cycling and the respective figures in 2013, are set out in Annex. No prosecutions have been instituted against visitors for illegal cycling during the same period.
The Government has not conducted any research at the moment on the use of bicycles by overseas visitors during their stay in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, the Government, through the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), has been promoting green tourism and outdoor activities like hiking and cycling to diversify our tourism offerings, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong's appeal as a premier tourist destination. In the past five years, the HKTB has been promoting green tourism through the "Great Outdoors Hong Kong" marketing platform to provide overseas visitors with guided hiking and cycling tours, encouraging visitors to explore various hiking trails, outlying islands and cycling routes which feature different scenic views and themes.
In addition, the HKTB plans to collaborate with relevant departments and organisations to host the first "Hong Kong Cycling Festival" in October 2014. The tentative starting and finishing points of the race route are in Central. There will be different categories for contestants of different levels to join.
(3) In March 2013, the Transport Department (TD) completed the Traffic and Transport Consultancy Study on Cycling Networks and Parking Facilities in Existing New Towns in Hong Kong (the Study). Based on the preliminary improvement measures recommended by the consultant, a pilot scheme has been implemented in Tai Po to assess the effectiveness of the measures. The majority of improvement works under the pilot scheme have been substantially completed. The TD is assessing the effectiveness of these new improvement measures, and the assessment is expected to be completed in the second half of 2014.
To further implement the improvement measures recommended in the Study in other new towns, the TD has commissioned a feasibility study under which the existing cycling facilities in nine new towns (i.e. Sha Tin/Ma On Shan, Tai Po, Fanling/Sheung Shui, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O) requiring improvement will be thoroughly examined. Suitable improvement proposals and implementation timetables will be formulated for each location.
The TD is consulting relevant district councils and other stakeholders on the feasibility study. Once the improvement proposals are finalised, the TD will devise a work schedule.
(4) The Government has all along attached great importance to cycling safety. The Road Safety Council (RSC) organises the Safe Cycling Training Programme to educate primary and secondary students about the safety rules of cycling. Under the programme, professionals are invited to introduce the protective gear that should be worn during cycling, as well as how to choose, check and adjust bicycles, etc. Besides, the RSC publishes the Safe Cycling Training Programme Handbook for distribution to students participating in the programme. The Handbook is also put on the RSC's website for downloading by the public. In 2013, about 1 900 students from 40 primary schools and 1 100 students from 21 secondary schools joined the training programme.
In addition, the TD, the Police and the RSC have been enhancing public awareness of cycling safety through publicity and education, such as producing educational videos and Announcements in the Public Interest, providing information about cycling safety on the TD's website and organising carnivals, distributing leaflets on promoting cycling safety, etc.
The Government will continue to take reference from the practices and experience in other places regarding cycling safety.
Ends/Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:02
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