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Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (February 11):
Question:
The Report on Study of Road Traffic Congestion in Hong Kong issued by the Transport Advisory Committee in December last year points out that private cars have been a major contributor to the overall vehicle growth in Hong Kong. From 2003 to 2013, the total number of private cars increased by 40%. As of September last year, the total number of registered private cars was 535 537, representing an annual growth rate of 4.6%. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it increased the number of parking spaces in public car parks in the past decade in response to the continuous increase in the number of private cars; if it did, of the relevant figures; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether it has regularly reviewed the standards for the provision of parking spaces set out in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines and, in accordance with the latest standards, specified in the newly granted land leases for residential development projects the numbers of public parking spaces to be provided by developers; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether it has considered following the practice of Singapore by introducing a system for bidding the quota of private car registrations, so as to restrict the growth of private cars; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) given that the authorities have already provided park-and-ride facilities at a number of public transport interchanges to facilitate drivers to change to public transport after parking, whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of these facilities in reducing the number of private cars entering the urban areas; and whether the authorities have plans to construct additional park-and-ride facilities and provide more concessions (e.g. concessionary bus fares) with a view to encouraging more people to park at such facilities and then change to public transport; if they do not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Andrew Leung is as follows:
(1) The Government's existing policy on parking provision is to provide an appropriate number of parking spaces to meet demand, but at a level which will not unduly attract potential passengers to opt for private cars in lieu of public transport, thereby increasing the number of private cars and aggravating road traffic congestion.
In the past ten years, the total number of parking spaces for private cars in Hong Kong increased from about 589 900 in September 2004 to about 646 400 in December 2014. Public parking spaces account for about 30% of the total number of parking spaces for private cars during the period.
(2) The Government has been closely monitoring the demand and supply of parking spaces for various types of vehicles in Hong Kong, and reviews the parking standards in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) as appropriate. For example, to allow for the more efficient use of newly developed private residential sites and reduce the overall vacancy rate of private car parking spaces, the Government amended the guidelines concerning the provision of private car parking spaces for private housing in the HKPSG in February 2014.
In planning for development projects, relevant departments will, after making reference to the guidelines set out in the HKPSG and taking into account the traffic conditions in the vicinity of the relevant development projects, formulate suitable requirements for parking spaces and incorporate these requirements into the land lease, including requiring developers to provide an appropriate number of additional public parking spaces in suitable development projects.
(3) Singapore currently adopts a vehicle quota system that requires members of the public to obtain, before purchasing a car, a certificate of entitlement through an open bidding system. Any vehicle quota system is contentious. The Government must carefully assess the pros and cons of the policy and its impact on the public. If the Government is to consider implementing a vehicle quota system in future, it will fully consult various stakeholders and the community.
(4) Park-and-Ride (PnR) car parks allow drivers to park their cars at transport interchanges and switch to public transport, with a view to reducing the amount of road traffic entering congested areas. According to the guidelines in the HKPSG, the Government encourages the provision of PnR car parks at suitable locations. In launching individual railway projects, as well as urban renewal and new development projects, the Government will consider introducing more PnR facilities at suitable locations.
Currently, there are 11 car parks providing PnR service in various districts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories (including urban and rural areas), providing a total of 3 871 parking spaces. These car parks are located at or near MTR stations, including Sheung Shui Station, Hong Kong Station, Kowloon Station, Tsing Yi Station, Choi Hung Station, Kam Sheung Road Station, Hung Hom Station, Olympic Station, Hang Hau Station, Wu Kai Sha Station and Tuen Mun Station, to facilitate drivers to switch to MTR. PnR users (i.e. those who park their cars and switch to MTR to travel to their destinations) can enjoy a parking fee discount of about 30% at these car parks. Other drivers (i.e. those who park their cars but do not switch to MTR) can also use these car parks, but will have to pay the full rate.
Currently, seven aforementioned car parks managed by the Transport Department and the MTR Corporation Limited (ie. those located at or near Sheung Shui Station, Hong Kong Station, Kowloon Station, Tsing Yi Station, Choi Hung Station, Kam Sheung Road Station and Hung Hom Station) provide a total of 2 886 parking spaces and were patronised by over 3 200 users per day on average in the fourth quarter of 2014, with PnR users accounted for more than 40% of the total number of users. For the remaining four car parks, the Government does not have the relevant figures as they are managed by private companies.
As regards bus fare concessions, all franchised bus routes are offering various fare concessions, including section fares, bus-bus interchange concessions, half-fare concessions for children and fare concessions for the elderly. Owing to physical constraints, it would be difficult to provide parking for park-and-ride purpose at bus termini and accordingly offer special bus-bus interchange concessions.
Ends/Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:02
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