Five Hong Kong men have been arrested over allegedly driving electric bicycles and scooters on the road illegally.
Five men aged between 34 and 63 were arrested in Kwun Tong, Sau Mau Ping and Tseung Kwan O on Wednesday in a police operation to crack down on the illegal use of electric mobility devices in the city. A total of three electric bikes and two scooters were confiscated.
The arrestees were suspected of driving an unregistered vehicle, operating a motorcycle on a pedestrian walkway, driving without a valid driving licence, using a vehicle without third-party insurance and failing to wear an approved protective helmet while driving.
The five men were released on bail pending investigation. They have to report to the police in mid-December.
“Police reiterate that electric mobility devices should not be used on the same roads as regular vehicles and are not suitable for pedestrian walkways or bicycle paths,” police said in a Chinese statement on Wednesday.
The use of electric mobility devices, such as electric scooters, electric hoverboards and electric unicycles, are currently banned in Hong Kong under the Road Traffic Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation.
Individuals who use such devices on carriageways, footpaths or cycle tracks may commit a criminal offence and those convicted could face a maximum fine of HK$10,000 and up to one year behind bars.
The police arrested 267 people in 2023 for illegal use of electric devices, according to data from the Transport Department. The number of arrests in 2021 and 2022 were 207 and 236, respectively.
The long-standing policy of the Hong Kong government has been to not register or license electric mobility devices under the existing ordinance because of the varied quality of unregulated devices, the Transport Department wrote in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in June 2023.
The document pointed to 72 accidents involving such devices over the past four years, resulting in six casualties. There were also concerns over safety, especially in relation to the quality of batteries in electric mobility devices, which may leak and overheat and cause fire.
The government said last June that it would commence a legislative amendment exercise on electric mobility devices. So far, no amendment has been submitted to the legislature for scrutiny.
In June, the Transport Department said the government was formulating proper regulatory arrangements for electric mobility devices to ensure their safe and effective use, while allowing more room for the adoption of new technologies and innovation.
The authorities proposed categorising the devices into personal mobility devices, such as electric scooters, motorised skateboards, electric unicycles, and power assisted pedal cycles, referring to bicycles or tricycles that were equipped with an auxiliary electric motor and motorised assistance.
The department said it was considering the views of relevant government departments and stakeholders and making drafts of the amendments. The proposed legislative changes would be submitted to the LegCo in due course, it said.
