Following is a question by the Hon Duncan Chiu and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):

Question:

     Under existing legislation, the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap. 374G) impose a fixed penalty of $2,000 on pedestrians crossing a road in contravention of light signals, while the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance (Cap. 570) imposes a fixed penalty of $3,000 on depositing of litter or waste. However, there are views that the fixed penalty mechanism lacks flexibility. Apart from increasing the financial burden on the grass roots, such measure may not lead to sustained behavioural changes or improve public law-abiding awareness, and the Government should consider introducing alternative measures that are more targeted and of educational significance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of prosecutions instituted against pedestrians crossing a road in contravention of traffic rules over the past three years, and among these, the respective numbers of cases in which verbal warnings were issued and fixed penalties were imposed;

(2) of the number of pedestrian casualties in traffic accidents over the past three years, with a breakdown of the relevant number by cause of accident and severity of casualties;

(3) over the past three years, (i) of the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the authorities against depositing of litter or waste, and (ii) at which locations (e.g. tourist attractions, urban areas, country parks) did depositing of litter or waste occur most frequently, with a breakdown of such cases by the 18 districts across the territory;

(4) whether the authorities will consider drawing on the practices of domestic and overseas countries and regions by adopting a model of "combining punishment and education" to introduce the option of non-financial penalties in lieu of fines, such as requiring those who commit minor traffic offences to assist in maintaining road traffic order, or requiring those who deposit litter or waste to take part in street cleaning work; if so, of the relevant plans and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) apart from law enforcement, of the Government's specific strategies and measures in place to step up publicity and education, with a view to raising public awareness of road safety and maintaining a clean environment, thereby reducing the occurrence of the above unlawful behaviour at source?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the reply to the question raised by the Member is as follows: 

(1) The Government has always been concerned about the issue of pedestrians crossing roads without complying with traffic rules, and has adopted a strategy of combining education with enforcement, in order to change the habit of crossing roads without complying with traffic rules and to ensure the safety of road users. The fixed penalty regime does not cover the offence of crossing roads without complying with traffic rules. The HKPF prosecutes pedestrians for crossing roads without complying with traffic rules by way of summons, and the court imposes appropriate penalties based on the severity of the case. According to current legislation, violators are liable to a maximum fine of $2,000.

     The figures of pedestrians prosecuted and given verbal warnings for crossing roads without complying with traffic rules in the past three years are as follows:
 

Year	Prosecution	Verbal warning
2023	8 912	527
2024	9 105	745
2025	6 689	301

(2) The figures of pedestrian casualties in traffic accidents over the past three years, broken down by contributory factors and degree of injury, are provided in Annex 1. On the whole, the number of pedestrian casualties in traffic accidents decreased from about 2 800 in 2023 to about 2 500 in 2025, representing a decrease of about 8 per cent.

(3) The numbers of fixed penalty notices issued for littering in the past three years by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) in public places, and by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at venues under their management, broken down by the 18 districts in Hong Kong, are provided in Annex 2.

(4) and (5) The Government attaches great importance to road safety, and has adopted a multipronged strategy encompassing legislation, improvement of transport facilities and traffic management, application of technology, stepping up of enforcement, as well as publicity and education with a view to safeguarding the safety of road users. In 2026, the HKPF has launched a total of four territory-wide thematic operations on pedestrian safety. Regarding publicity and education, the Transport Department and the HKPF have been collaborating with the Road Safety Council to promote road safety among all road users (including pedestrians) through various activities, which include production and broadcasting of television and online publicity video clips, publication and distribution of Road Safety Bulletins and leaflets, affixing publicity covers on traffic signal controllers, conducting road safety talks in primary and secondary schools as well as elderly centres, and disseminating information on social media platforms, to educate different road users about road safety matters that require their attention, including obeying traffic rules and traffic signals, proper use of pedestrian crossing facilities and staying alert at all times.

     Moreover, given that the elderly account for the majority of traffic fatalities, the HKPF has implemented a series of activities tailor-made for them, which include organising talks for the elderly, vehicle blind spot experiences, road safety drama performances, and introducing virtual reality experiences to further enhance the elderly's road safety awareness and reduce instances of crossing roads without complying with traffic rules.

     Regarding environmental hygiene issues, the Government strives to maintain cleanliness in public spaces while raising public awareness of environmental hygiene through enhancing regulations, stepping up enforcement, optimising cleaning services, leveraging technology, and promoting public education. The FEHD continuously conducts publicity and public education through various channels, such as its social media accounts, the "Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak" theme page, posters and banners. The FEHD also organises talks and activities, such as the outreach activity day held in Tai Po District on October 22, 2026, and deploys a promotional vehicle as the Mobile Education Centre to make visits to schools, housing estates, and public parks to promote personal and environmental hygiene awareness.

     Concerning the proposal to introduce non-monetary penalties such as community service as alternatives to fines, the Government has to consider various factors, which include deterrent effect, legal issues, court operation mechanisms, and practical implementation factors such as administrative resources. Having balanced these considerations, the Government considers that the existing prosecution and penalty mechanism is effective and provide adequate deterrence. The Government will continue to review the arrangements and adopt a multipronged approach through publicity and targeted enforcement to continuously enhance public awareness of road safety and environmental hygiene.

Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:25

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