Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (November 27):
Question:
The number of private cars in Hong Kong increased from 402 000 in 2006 to 626 000 in September 2019 (representing a 56 per cent increase). However, the ratio of parking spaces for private cars to such vehicles dropped from 1.51 in 2006 to 1.1 in 2019, reflecting that the shortage of car parking spaces has aggravated. Regarding parking spaces for private cars, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the numbers, projected for the coming three years, of new car parking spaces to be provided by the Government and private developers, and among such car parking spaces, the number of those for private cars (with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district);
(2) of the numbers, projected for the coming three years, of (i) public multi-storey car parks to be newly completed and commissioned, and the total number of car parking spaces to be provided therein, as well as (ii) government sites to be let by way of short-term tenancies for use as temporary car parks, and set out the location and the number of car parking spaces to be provided therein for each of such sites;
(3) whether, in order to alleviate the shortage of car parking spaces, it will expeditiously (i) amend the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines to raise the standards on the provision of parking spaces for private cars in housing development projects (e.g. changing the current standard of one car parking space per six to nine residential flats to one car parking space per four to five residential flats), and review the demand adjustment ratio, the accessibility adjustment ratio and the development intensity adjustment ratio, as well as (ii) take measures to encourage developers to provide more car parking spaces, so that more parking spaces can be provided in newly completed housing development/redevelopment projects; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) given that the continued increase in size of the private cars manufactured in recent years has made it increasingly frequent that the body of a vehicle crosses the boundary lines of a car parking space and the space between vehicles parked adjacently is insufficient for the vehicle doors to be opened for boarding and alighting, whether the Government will review the size standard for parking spaces; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) as the Transport Department is taking forward pilot projects of automated parking systems involving six sites with a view to providing more car parking spaces, of the projected numbers of parking spaces to be provided by such projects in the coming three years?
Reply:
President,
The Government's current policy on the provision of parking spaces is to accord priority to considering and meeting the parking demand of commercial vehicles (CVs), and to provide an appropriate number of private car parking spaces if the overall development permits, but at the same time not to attract passengers to opt for private cars in lieu of public transport, so as to avoid aggravating the road traffic. The Government is pursuing a host of measures to increase parking spaces as appropriate, including following the principle of "single site, multiple uses" to provide public parking spaces in suitable "Government, Institution or Community" facilities and public open space projects, as well as taking forward pilot projects on automated parking systems (APSs).
My reply to the various parts of the Hon Jimmy Ng's question is as follows:
(1) and (2) The Transport Department (TD) has been closely monitoring the parking needs of different districts, and will continue to take forward various measures to increase the provision of parking spaces. Since the number and progress in the provision of new parking spaces through the various measures hinge on a host of factors, including the views of stakeholders as well as the progress of seeking funding approval for and the actual implementation of the works projects, etc, TD is not in a position to make a precise projection on the number of parking spaces to be provided in the coming three years.
As regards fee-paying car parks at government sites let by way of short-term tenancies (STTs), according to the Tender Forecast published by the Lands Department (last modified on October 8, 2019), the proposed sites to be let by way of STTs under the Abbreviated Tender System for use as fee-paying car parks from November 2019 to March 2020 and the numbers of parking spaces involved under the respective District Lands Offices' purview are tabulated below:
| District Lands Office | Proposed sites to be let by way of STTs under the Abbreviated Tender System for use as fee-paying car parks | Estimated number of parking spaces |
| Hong Kong East | 1 | 176 |
| Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing |
7 | 1 342 |
| Sha Tin | 1 | 99 |
| North | 1 | 207 |
(3) TD is conducting a consultancy study on parking for CVs, which includes reviewing the respective standards on parking spaces and loading/unloading bays for CVs in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG). TD will also review, as part of the study, the guidelines on the provision of parking spaces for private cars in the HKPSG, with a view to updating the requirements for provision of private car parking spaces in housing developments, thereby increasing the number of private car parking spaces in future housing developments. We anticipate that after completion of the review, the revised guidelines will be promulgated in 2020. Prior to that, TD will also require developers to provide parking spaces at the higher end of the current parking standards under the HKPSG for new developments.
(4) TD is reviewing the parking space standards set out in the HKPSG, including the length, width and minimum headroom of parking spaces for different vehicle types. The review will take into account the prevailing dimensions of licensed vehicles and their distribution ratio. TD will make reference to the review results to decide whether it is necessary to update the existing standard dimensions of parking spaces.
(5) TD is taking forward six APS pilot projects so as to acquire and consolidate experience in building, operating and managing different types of APSs and the associated financial arrangements. This will pave the way for wider application of APSs in government and privately operated public car parks in future.
So far, TD has identified four sites for launching APS pilot projects, having regard to such criteria as parking demand, geographical environment, planning restrictions and impact on local traffic, etc. The identified sites include an STT site in Tsuen Wan, an open space at the junction of Yen Chow Street and Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, the proposed government building on Chung Kong Road in Sheung Wan and the proposed government building on Sheung Mau Street in Chai Wan. For the STT site in Tsuen Wan, TD has already secured support from the Tsuen Wan District Council and it is expected that tender invitation for the site may take place in early 2020. As regards the pilot project in Sham Shui Po, TD is currently assessing the technical feasibility after securing support from the Sham Shui Po District Council. For the proposed government buildings in Sheung Wan and Chai Wan, TD will consult relevant District Councils in due course. Subject to technical feasibility, the pilot projects in Tsuen Wan and Sham Shui Po are expected to provide about 70 and 200 additional parking spaces respectively. The numbers of parking spaces that could be provided under the pilot projects in Sheung Wan and Chai Wan are being assessed.
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