Government plans to set up parking spaces for bike sharing programme

Bike sharing has been a part of the local community for years, but the lack of parking space has been a persistent problem that has yet to be solved, with many bikers choosing to simply park their bikes at non-designated areas.

Hoping to resolve the issue, the Housing Department is planning to set up parking spaces in public housing estates designated for the bike sharing programme.

Just next to the MTR's Hin Keng Station, a parking space for the city's bike sharing programme could be seen fully packed, while countless other bicycles were just parked in random spots around the area.

This regular practice has led to frustration among many locals.

This man complains that the vehicles often block the whole pedestrian path, and sometimes even injure children who are unaware.

Despite facilitating 60,000 parking spots for the bike sharing programme, under current legal restrictions, bikes can not park in these areas continuously for over 24 hours.

Offenders could see their vehicles seized by authorities.

This as a bike sharing operator say his staff would be sent on patrols each day to check and handle overtime or illegal parking situations.

He stresses his company's mobile app already indicates "red zones" where parking is banned, which include fire exits and pathways narrower than 1.5 metres.

Ken Ching, the founder of LocoBike, says many new users are unaware of the regulations and continue to park in restricted areas.

The parking problem has been on the Housing Authority's radar for some time, with the Housing Department stressing that it is currently holding talks with relevant operators to set up designated parking spaces in public housing estates.

Sources say a tendering process is underway, with a trial period for the measure set to be implemented at the end of this year.

Speaking on the measure's potential success, Sha Tin District Councillor Chan Tan-tan proposes expanding the parking space programme to government land.