Hong Kong’s pro-establishment lawmakers have criticised the government’s proposal to increase parking fines to HK$400, warning the move will cause “resentment” amid a shortage of car parks.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Transport Department, and the Hong Kong Police Force attended a meeting at the legislature on Friday for a debate on the proposal to increase tickets for traffic-related offences, including parking fines, from HK$320 to HK$400.
Lo Wai-kwok, a lawmaker representing the engineering sector, said that drivers, especially those driving commercial vehicles, suffered from a severe shortage of car parks.
“I’m sorry, but I have to say that your department is the one creating the most resentment in Hong Kong. The shortage of parking spaces is so severe. How can you handle it?” Lo said in Cantonese. He did not specify which government department he was referring to.
Lo said that in Kowloon City, trucks parked in front of their shops after work – which were not legal parking spots – were rarely ticketed in the past as the area was quiet. However, he suggested that the situation had changed.
“The other night, I saw a truck in front of a grocery store. It had its shutters down and was closed. Two beef jerkies!” Lo said, using the Cantonese slang for parking tickets. “These shops might not even make enough in a day to cover the cost of the beef jerkies.”
Pro-establishment lawmaker Frankie Yick said that although the number of carparks for private vehicles had increased over the past few years, there was still a severe shortage of carparks for commercial vehicles in the city.
Yick said that many trucks were often ticketed when the drivers rushed to use the toilets, urging authorities to handle the fines on commercial vehicles and on private vehicles differently.
In response, Liu Chun-san, undersecretary for transport and logistics, said the policy on illegal parking fines aimed to prevent traffic congestion and ensure road safety.
As both private and commercial vehicles are involved in these issues, there will be no distinction in penalties for the two types of vehicles, Liu said.
The authorities are actively working to increase various drop-off and parking spaces, but they encounter difficulties finding suitable spaces in urban areas, he added.
According to a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s Panel on Transport last week, the city’s illegal parking penalty has remained unchanged since 1994, while the Consumer Price Index has risen by more than 70 per cent.
