LCQ8: Public bicycle parking spaces
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Question:
Some members of the public are of the view that the Government should take measures to ensure that public bicycle parking spaces in the New Territories are put to good use. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the total number of public bicycle parking spaces provided by the Government in the New Territories South East (broken down by Legislative Council election geographical constituency) as at the end of last year, as well as the government departments responsible for the management of such parking spaces and the total area occupied by such parking spaces;
(2) as it is stipulated in the existing legislation that no bicycle shall be parked in a parking place for a continuous period of more than 24 hours, of the follow-up mechanism adopted by government departments against bicycles parked overtime at public bicycle parking spaces (including the frequency of follow-up actions and the ways to handle such bicycles); whether the Government has reviewed the existing arrangements for the management of public bicycle parking spaces; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) of the specific procedures of the inter-departmental joint operations taken by the Government against bicycles which have been parked for a long period of time, or which are unclaimed or abandoned at public bicycle parking spaces (including the government departments involved and the frequency of such operations); the number of such joint operations, the number of bicycles handled and the expenditure incurred for such operations in the past three years; whether it had assessed the effectiveness of such operations, and of the relevant assessment standards;
(4) of the number of complaints received by the Government in the past three years about public bicycle parking spaces in the New Territories South East being occupied for a long period of time or being used for stacking non-cycling articles, as well as the details of the measures taken by the Government in respect of such cases, including the specific division of work and collaborative mechanism among the law enforcement departments involved, and whether it has kept follow-up records in respect of the cityscape and hygiene problems arising from such cases; and
(5) whether the Government has considered using the New Territories South East as a pilot district to provide covered "smart bicycle parking spaces" (e.g. those equipped with anti-theft devices, surveillance devices, electronic locks and sensors, etc) on a monthly or hourly basis under the user pays mode, and making reference to the experience of other regions in the management of smart parking spaces to explore suitable options to enhance the management of public bicycle parking spaces in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
It is the Government's policy to foster a "bicycle-friendly" environment where road safety considerations and circumstances permit by adding cycling tracks and related facilities in new development areas and new towns as well as improving existing facilities (including bicycle parking facilities), with a view to facilitating the public use of bicycles for recreational or short-distance commuting purposes, thereby reducing the use of mechanised transport. In response to the question raised by the Hon Stanley Li, our reply in consultation with the related departments is provided as follows:
(1) As of the end of 2024, the Government is managing and providing about 10 000 public bicycle parking spaces, with a total area of about 11 000 square meters in the Legislative Council New Territories South East geographical constituency. The aforementioned parking spaces are generally managed by the Transport Department (TD), the Housing Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
(2) and (3) According to the Road Traffic (Parking) Regulations (Cap. 374C), on public roads with street lighting, bicycles can only be parked at a designated bicycle parking place. Any person who parks a bicycle in a bicycle parking place for a continuous period of more than 24 hours commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 1 (currently $2,000).
At present, related departments (including the District Offices under the Home Affairs Department, the District Lands Offices, the TD, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the FEHD) conduct joint operations as necessary based on actual circumstances and needs to remove illegally parked or abandoned bicycles. In the past three years (from 2022 to 2024), a total of 331 joint operations were conducted by the related departments, with over 20 000 illegally parked bicycles from public bicycle parking spaces being removed. The increase in the number of joint operations year by year and the slight decrease in the average number of bicycles cleared per operation have reflected the improved enforcement strength and the deterrent effect. The relevant breakdown is as follows:
| Year | Number of joint operations | Number of bicycles cleared | Average number of bicycles cleared per operation |
| 2022 | 89 | 5 969 | 67 |
| 2023 | 111 | 7 278 | 66 |
| 2024 | 131 | 7 646 | 58 |
| Total | 331 | 20 893 |
The joint operations and enforcement actions are conducted by relevant departments in accordance with established procedures and empowered by relevant legislations. More specifically, the TD and the HKPF will issue and post notices respectively regarding the temporary suspension of the relevant bicycle parking spaces at least 14 days prior to the joint operation. Since such areas are no longer designated public bicycle parking space during the suspension period, any bicycle parked there may be regarded as unauthorised occupation of government land. On the effective day of suspension (generally two days before the joint operation), the HKPF will cover the bicycle parking signage and close off the area. The relevant District Lands Office will post statutory notice on each bicycle still present within the operation area under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) and post notices at appropriate places, requiring the persons concerned to remove the bicycles by a specific date (i.e. the day of operation); otherwise the bicycles will be removed. On the day of joint operation, the FEHD will assist in removing the remaining bicycles parked in the area with notices posted, and hand them over to the local District Lands Office for taking over and disposal; the persons concerned cannot get back the bicycles. The bicycle parking spaces will be re-opened for public use after the operation.
The expenditures of joint operations are absorbed by the overall resources of the respective departments, and have not been separately identified.
(4) In the past three years, in respect of bicycle parking spaces in the New Territories South East, the Lands Department has received a total of 292 and 1 572 complaints about illegal bicycle parking in Sai Kung District and Sha Tin District respectively; and the FEHD has not received any complaint regarding the public bicycle parking spaces under FEHD's management being locked or with non-bicycle items piling up. As aforementioned, the Government conducted over 300 joint operations in the past three years; and if the FEHD detects accumulation of refuse in public bicycle parking spaces, immediate cleaning by contractors will be arranged.
(5) The Government has been committed to promoting the development of a smart city and has introduced intelligent technologies in various aspects to enhance service quality and public convenience. With the promotion and co-ordination of the Government, some private development projects have introduced "smart bicycle parking systems", while some have improved management quality by offering indoor bicycle parking spaces. The Government is studying to include bicycle parking spaces as ancillary facilities within land uses, requiring new development projects to provide sufficient bicycle parking spaces according to their land use and scale. These facilities, like other ancillary facilities, will be managed and maintained by the land developer or the responsible party to improve the facilities' overall quality and further foster a "bicycle-friendly" environment. Regarding public bicycle parking spaces, given the relatively high construction and maintenance costs of "smart bicycle parking systems", the Government will utilise facilities that are designed to be more effective and user-friendly, such as double-deck parking racks, and will give priority to allocating resources for more pressing transport infrastructure projects for now. Meanwhile, we will continue to keep in view the technological development of "smart bicycle parking systems", and assess their applicability in Hong Kong's public bicycle parking spaces in a timely manner.
Ends/Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:45
Issued at HKT 11:45
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