​Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):
     
Question:

     Last year, the Office of The Ombudsman released an investigation report on the Government's regulation of illegal parking caused by bicycle rental shops, revealing that bicycle shops in Sha Tin District (such as the Tai Wai area) had persistently occupied pavements and rear lanes by placing large numbers of bicycles there. Even after interdepartmental joint enforcement operations were carried out, the improvement was short-lived and the problem quickly recurred, posing safety concerns for and causing serious obstructions to pedestrians. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) in the past five years, (i) of the number of complaints received by the Government each year concerning the illegal occupation of pavements and public places by bicycle rental shops in Sha Tin District, and (ii) the number of joint operations conducted by the relevant departments in the District to clear illegally parked bicycles, the total number of statutory notices posted, and the number of illegally parked bicycles that were ultimately removed, with a breakdown by year;

(2) as it has been reported that some bicycle shops have switched to mobile operations and extended the area of illegal bicycle parking to rear lanes, whether the authorities have formulated enforcement strategies against this new mode of operation to plug regulatory loopholes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether it has comprehensively reviewed the enforcement effectiveness of the prevailing Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228) and the relevant land legislation, particularly in cases where it is difficult to prosecute shop operators by summons on the spot; whether it will consider amending the legislation to enhance the deterrent effect and improve prosecution efficiency;

(4) given the Office of The Ombudsman's recommendation to introduce AI to assist in law enforcement, whether the authorities have plans to install smart surveillance systems on a pilot basis in Sha Tin District to enhance the effectiveness of detecting and combating illegal bicycle parking; if so, of the expected time of implementation and the expenditure involved; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) whether it will consider increasing the number of public bicycle parking spaces near the black spots of illegal bicycle parking in Sha Tin District, and, with reference to the recommendation of the Office of The Ombudsman, introduce double-deck bicycle parking racks on a trial basis to alleviate the demand for bicycle parking; if so, of the timetable and details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government attaches great importance to the various improvement recommendations put forward by the Office of The Ombudsman concerning the handling of illegal parking caused by bicycle rental shops. Various departments will work closely together to rigorously examine viable measures and devise concrete action plans, with a view to implementing the improvement recommendations and bringing about an effective solution to the problem of illegal bicycle parking.

     In response to the question raised by the Hon Dominic Lee, and having consulted the Development Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Security Bureau, a consolidated reply is set forth as follows:

(1) Regarding the illegal bicycle parking caused by bicycle rental shops in Sha Tin District, the Working Group on Tackling Illegal Bicycle Parking in Sha Tin District with members from the Sha Tin District Office, the Sha Tin District Lands Office, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Transport Department (TD) will, having regard to the actual circumstances, carry out joint operations in accordance with the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) to remove bicycles illegally occupying government land. The table below sets out the relevant information, including the number of complaints received and the number of joint clearance operations conducted in Sha Tin District in the past five years:
 

Year	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Number of complaints received by member departments of the Working Group	91	37	40	125	238
Number of joint clearance operations conducted	4	2	3	7	11
Number of statutory notices posted	664	357	484	717	1 619
Number of illegally parked bicycles removed	39	25	11	16	57

(2) and (3) With regard to the enforcement strategies and the applicable legislation, the Working Group will, having consulted the Sha Tin District Council on March 19, 2026, reinforce the existing mode of joint clearance operations conducted pursuant to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) to address the issue of illegal bicycle parking by bicycle rental shops in the vicinity of Tsuen Nam Road and Chik Sau Lane in Tai Wai. In future joint operations, if the FEHD identifies bicycles in connection with the carrying on of the business of a bicycle rental shop placed on pavements outside the shop (including back alleys) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse and causing obstruction to the public, the FEHD may issue a fixed penalty notice to the shop. Where necessary, the FEHD may also issue a warning notice requiring the removal of the obstructing bicycles. If the warning is not complied with, the FEHD will remove the bicycles concerned.

     To ensure the smooth implementation of the refined joint clearance operations, the Working Group will, prior to the commencement of such operations, apprise the relevant bicycle rental shops of the revised enforcement arrangements, the applicable penalties and the procedures for removal. Concurrently, publicity initiatives will be undertaken in tandem with enforcement actions to draw individuals' attention to the repercussions of illegal bicycle parking. The relevant departments are currently finalising the details for the implementation of the new arrangements, with a view to adopting the new operation mode at the earliest juncture.

(4) In respect of the recommendation to install smart surveillance systems on a pilot basis to enhance effectiveness of enforcement, under the "SmartView" programme, the HKPF will identify locations with high crime rates and pedestrian flow across all 18 districts in Hong Kong, and install closed-circuit televisions at strategic locations of each district to combat crime. The HKPF will continue to review the applicability and priority of using the "SmartView" system in various scenarios based on operational needs.

(5) In response to the suggestion on the provision of public bicycle parking spaces near the illegal bicycle parking black spots in Sha Tin district, the TD has completed the relevant assessment, and now plans to provide a public bicycle parking area of about 50 parking spaces adjacent to the cycle track near Sunking Industry Building on Shing Chuen Road in Tai Wai. The TD expects the public bicycle parking area to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026, thereby improving the supply of public bicycle parking spaces in the district.

     Regarding the feasibility of introducing double-deck bicycle parking racks, due to their operational requirements, in addition to the space for bicycle parking, a loading and unloading area of two metres must be reserved in front of the double-deck parking racks to allow cyclists to access bicycles parked on the upper level. Due to road safety concerns, the rear of the double-deck parking rack should be positioned immediately adjacent to a structure as far as practicable. The TD will continue to review and identify suitable locations in the district for installing such facilities to increase the supply of bicycle parking spaces.

Ends/Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:53

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