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Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-hing and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Yau Shing-mu, at the Legislative Council meeting today (December 8):
Question:
It has been reported earlier that after a driver had parked his motor tricycle (tricycle) at an open private car parking space and paid the parking fee by Octopus Card, the Police still required the driver to drive his tricycle away from the parking space on grounds that "tricycles are not allowed to be parked at private car parking spaces", and if the driver did not do so, the vehicle would be towed away. It has also been reported that while the Police insisted that the driver had contravened the law, the Transport Department confirmed that tricycles were allowed to be parked at private car parking spaces, and this incident has reflected that government departments have not communicated with one another on standardising the use of private car parking spaces by tricycles, resulting in law enforcement blunders. In addition, some members of the public have relayed to me that the existing motorcycle parking spaces are insufficient. Regarding the parking spaces for tricycles/motorcycles, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) at which types of open parking spaces tricycles/motorcycles may be parked legally; if they include private car parking spaces, why the law enforcement officers of the Police did not allow the aforesaid tricycle to be parked at the open private car parking space;
(b) whether it knows the current number of parking spaces for tricycles/motorcycles in Hong Kong, and among them, the respective numbers of public and private parking spaces, as well as the shortfall in the supply of such parking spaces, with a breakdown by District Council district (list in table form);
(c) whether the Government had, in the past five years, conducted any review on the shortage of parking spaces for tricycles/motorcycles; of the details of the outcome of the latest review and the improvement measures in this regard; and
(d) whether the Government will conduct a comprehensive review of the shortage of parking spaces for tricycles/motorcycles in the near future?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the four parts of the question is as follows:
(a) It is stipulated in the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap 374) that a motor tricycle means a three-wheeled motor vehicle other than a motor cycle with a sidecar or a village vehicle. According to Section 5 of the Road Traffic (Parking) Regulations (Cap 374C), motor tricycles can, in general, use the parking spaces for vehicles other than medium and heavy goods vehicles, buses, motor cycles and pedal cycles, i.e. the parking spaces generally referred to as "private car parking spaces" (note). However, motor cycles should park at parking spaces designated for motor cycles. The Police have been taking enforcement actions in accordance with the law, and from time to time issue enforcement guidelines and advice to frontline police officers to ensure their full understanding and proper enforcement of the relevant legislation. This year, the Police provided their frontline police officers with advice on parking enforcement against motor tricycles and motor cycles in which particular emphasis was given on the structural differences between these two types of vehicles, with a view to helping the officers enforce the legislation properly.
(b), (c) and (d) As at end September this year, there were 39 licensed motor tricycles in the territory, and the number of publicly and privately owned general private car parking spaces available for use by motor tricycles totals 633,600. A breakdown of this figure by district is at Annex. Given the fact that general private car parking spaces outnumber motor tricycles and motor tricycles can park at such parking spaces, there is no shortage of motor tricycle parking spaces.
Separately, there were 37,784 licensed motor cycles in the territory, and the number of public and private designated motor cycle parking spaces totals 27,040. A breakdown of this figure by district is at Annex. The above-mentioned figure does not include non-designated parking places that do not cause obstruction, such as those in private garages and residence area. As such, there is no serious shortage of motor cycle parking spaces. Nonetheless, the Transport Department has been closely monitoring and reviewing the supply and demand of motor cycle parking spaces, and has implemented suitable improvement measures where needed. They include, inter alia, providing additional on-street parking spaces for motor cycles in various districts; allowing motor cycles to park at temporary car parks on short-term tenancy sites, with clear indication at the entrance of the vehicle types served and their parking fees; and requiring the provision of a certain number of motor cycle parking spaces inside private buildings to meet parking needs as far as possible.
Since 2008, the total number of motor cycle parking spaces in the territory has increased by over 2,500. We will continue to implement various measures to improve the supply and demand of motor cycle parking spaces, including providing as many additional motor cycle parking spaces as possible where road safety permits.
Note: Due to some special reasons, a small number of private car parking spaces are for use by private cars only. In other words, motor tricycles cannot park there. Such parking spaces are installed with the plate bearing the words "Private cars only" to facilitate identification by users. The parking spaces not designated for use by private cars only can be used by motor tricycles.
Ends/Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 13:26
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