Better Urban Planning Needed to Ease Traffic Problems

Shortage of parking spaces in certain districts may sow the seeds of illegal parking.

Chains of vehicles lining along roadsides never appears bizarre to citizens living in this cramped city.

In 1990, Hong Kong has already ranked third in terms of its traffic density, according to the data collected by the US Federal Highway Administration in the book called Cities and Automobile Dependence: A Sourcebook.

Roads are congested not only due to the moving vehicles on streets, but also those parked vehicles.

Mr. James Kong, Yat-hung, vice-president of Hong Kong Automobile Association, said, the number of car park spaces and road meters had not kept pact with the increasing number of licensed vehicles.

Statistics showed that there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of licensed vehicles in the past four years.

On the other hand, there was a nearly 7 per cent decrease in the number of parking spaces provided by the government.

This indicated a tight supply of parking spaces in Hong Kong.

People doubt if the shortage of parking spaces may be used as excuses for drivers to park illegally.

“It is not surprising to see cars parking at unauthorised places or people parking without paying their parking meter fees,” a police source said.

“We usually turn a blind eye to those parking on side streets if they don’t really obstruct traffic or cause any inconvenience to other road users.”

However, police figures showed that more than a million fixed penalty tickets were issued last year, nearly 40 per cent more when compared to the figures four years ago.

The situation was peculiarly acute in Kowloon East and the New Territories South where over 120,000 and 140,000 tickets were issued respectively.

The shortage did not only come after more vehicles were registered and licensed, but also the demolition of some multi-storey car parks. It immediately decreased the number of parking places, which made drivers find it even more difficult to look for places to park.

“If there are enough parking spaces nearby, I definitely won’t risk parking in those areas not designated for parking,” said Mr. Law, 25, a private car driver.

Last year, a multi-storey car park in Tsuen Wan that provided nearly 800 parking spaces was closed due to low utilisation rate.

This year, Middle Road Multi-Storey Car Park in Tsim Sha Tsui faced the same snag.

“Most of the time, the utilisation rate is not that representative. Low utilisation rate doesn’t mean that there isn’t an urge for parking spaces,” said Mr. Tse, legislator and a registered professional surveyor.

He further explained, “The demand of parking places are different at different times and in different districts.”

Same as the illegal parking situation, the parking space shortage is also regional.

Mr. Tse said that insufficient supply of car parks or parking spaces was not the main concern. The problem was that they were not appropriately distributed.

“Better urban planning is definitely needed,” he concluded.

Many vehicles are found parking at places with parking meters do not pay. After hours, still, there is not a single fixed penalty ticket issued.

Private cars dominate the streets in Tsim Sha Tsui on a Sunday afternoon.

Car parks are usually fully occupied during holidays. Cars have to wait till other cars leaving in order to save a place to park.

“This car park is always full, especially on Saturdays and Sundays,” said the car park security guard.

No one is above the law. Even a TV news van parking at unauthorised location can be charged illegal parking.

Double parking is easily found on various streets in districts like Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay. People find it convenient to have their cars parked outside where they eat.

People park their cars at hidden corners, and pedestrian roads where parking is not allowed.

Not only double parking is common, “triple parking” can also be found.

Illegal parking is common in densely-populated districts, such as Kowloon City. People living there said that they had already got used to it, however, it could also cause serious congestion on roads.

The above chart shows the utilisation rate of different government multi-storey car parks in Hong Kong.

The average utilisation rate is 61 per cent by the end of August this year, whereas the average utilisation rate is only 26 per cent 4 years ago. Among them, the utilisation rate of the City Hall Car Park is the lowest (i.e. 16%), while that of Tsuen Wan is the highest (i.e. 79%).

The increase in utilisation rate indicated there is a growing demand for parking spaces although the car parks are not fully utilized.

Mr. Tse said that most people prefer parking on streets. They are cheaper and convenient. “I mean those legal on-street parking.”

Besides, the utilisation rate of on-street metered parking spaces in Hong Kong is 39.4%. The rate for Kowloon and Hong Kong Island is 45.8% and 42.2% respectively, and only 31% for the New Territories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoSBrLoP4WE

“I have already chosen the shortest way to drive from Lok Fu to Tsim Shia Tsui. Still, I need to spend like ten minutes on Salisbury Road since my car got stuck because of the heavy traffic jams,” said Mr. Law, 25, a private car driver.

He added that there were quite a number of coaches parking on the road. This narrowed the passage and cars needed to take a longer time to pass through since only two out of three lanes could be used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRy-wcJX4LQ&feature=youtu.be

“I am very lucky to have my car parked on this busy street today as it is Sunday. What a surprise to me! You can see the sideways are fully occupied by private cars; some of them are expensive,” said Mr. Law.