LCQ19: Illegal parking in public housing estates
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Question:
It has been reported that the problem of illegal parking in public housing estates has become increasingly serious in recent years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of parking spaces in public housing estates under the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society (including those sold to enterprises such as Gaw Capital Partners and Link Real Estate Investment Trust), with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district;
(2) of the number of vehicles illegally parked in the public housing estates mentioned in (1) above that were subject to enforcement actions in each of the past three years, with a tabulated breakdown by type of enforcement action (including towing, impounding, issuing fixed penalty notices in accordance with the Housing (Traffic Contraventions) (Fixed Penalty) Bylaw (Cap. 283 sub. leg. C) by authorised staff of the Housing Department, etc) and District Council district;
(3) whether cases of evading law enforcement by parking the vehicles on the footpaths of public housing estates were found in the past three years; if so, of the number of vehicles involved and the follow-up actions taken by the authorities; and
(4) of the measures put in place by the authorities in the past three years to improve the problem of illegal parking in public housing estates, and whether they have assessed the effectiveness of such measures?
Reply:
President,
Regarding Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu's questions, our reply is as follows:
(1) As at March 31, 2023, the number of carpark spaces in public rental housing (PRH) estates under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) by respective District Council district is listed at Annex 1.
As at March 31, 2023, the number of carpark spaces under the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) by District Council district is listed at Annex 2.
(2) In the past three years (i.e 2020/21 to 2022/23), the numbers of vehicles being towed away, impounded and the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by Housing Department staff due to illegal parking in HA's PRH estates by respective District Council district are listed at Annex 3.
The number of vehicles towed away or impounded by the HKHS due to illegal parking in the past three years (i.e 2020/21 to 2022/23) by District Council district is listed at Annex 4.
During the same period, there was no case involving vehicles being issued FPN by HKHS staff for illegal parking.
(3) When the Estate Office (EO) has found someone putting sundry articles (including motorcycles parked or abandoned in pedestrian passage) in the public areas of the PRH estates under the HA and the articles are causing obstruction, the HD will take follow up action according to established procedures. Under normal circumstances, the EO will issue a written warning to the owner to remove the relevant object within specified timeframe; if in vain, the relevant object will be removed and seized in accordance with the power conferred by the Housing Ordinance (Cap. 283). If the owner fails to claim the object and pay the fee within specified date and timeframe, the Housing Department will dispose of the seized property according to established procedures, including selling or disposing of it in other appropriate ways. The EO will also conduct joint operations with other departments to remove illegally parked or abandoned vehicles in the area having regard to the actual circumstances as necessary.
(4) Tackling illegal parking is part of the regular work of estate management staff, including combating illegal parking through patrolling and law enforcement actions, and publicising the message to the drivers not to park illegally and cause traffic obstruction through publicity and education. In order to manage the estate roads and passages effectively, apart from stepping up patrols at illegal parking blackspots within the estate, the EO will also take surprise enforcement actions during non-office hours, including impounding the illegal parked vehicles, issuing FPN, etc. The Housing Department will continue to review the situation of illegal parking in PRH estates and effectiveness of our work, and will deploy manpower having regard to the actual circumstances to step up enforcement.
Ends/Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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