Transport official hints no plan to change Hong Kong’s left-hand traffic

The Transport and Logistics Bureau hinted on Wednesday that it has no plan to change Hong Kong’s left-hand traffic into right-hand traffic adopted by the mainland and the US after a lawmaker asked if authorities will relax the registration of left-hand drive vehicles. 

The question was raised by Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who also asked if authorities will consider adopting China’s standards for vehicle examination in the future, since the city now adopts the European standards for examining imported vehicles. 

In a written reply, Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san said Hong Kong currently follows the traffic rule of driving on the left side of the road (left-hand traffic), and transport infrastructure and traffic management measures are designed and developed based on this traffic rule. 

“On left-hand traffic roads, the steering wheel of a vehicle is positioned on the right side, which corresponds to a right-hand drive vehicle,” Liu said. “The design of left-hand drive vehicles generally does not align with the transportation and road systems of left-hand traffic.” 

He continued that the field of vision of motorists will be narrowed and limited when driving left-hand drive vehicles, posing a higher risk on the motorists especially when overtaking, turning right at priority junctions, using roundabouts, or merging onto expressways from slip roads. 

He also noted that most of the payment facilities at car park entrances or exits in Hong Kong are positioned on the right side of the vehicle for the convenience of drivers, whereas the doors for picking up and dropping off passengers and the facilities for passenger queuing are mainly positioned on the left side of the vehicle. 

Still, Liu pointed out that the Transport Department may, subject to certain terms and conditions, issue permits to authorize the use of individual left-hand drive vehicles on Hong Kong’s roads under particular circumstances. 

Liu also said the department has been regularly reviewing and revising existing legislation and guidelines in response to relevant vehicle standards in different countries and regions to cope with the latest development of the automotive market. 

“Since 2010, the department has accepted Guobiao standards as one of the approved specifications for approving electric vehicles (EVs). 

“The department will also provide the trade with the latest technical guidelines in response to the development of automotive technology, in which applicable Guobiao standards and standards of other regions will be suitably listed.”