Motorists given more room to maneuver this Lunar New Year?

It is the same question for motorists each Lunar New Year, will the police exercise discretion in issuing fixed-penalty tickets during the holiday?

On the other hand, political parties in Hong Kong were calling on the SAR government to increase government fines, including parking tickets, and to step up enforcement to bring in more revenue to the treasury to solve the city’s fiscal deficit.

Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee said last year that police can always exercise discretion in issuing fixed-penalty tickets, but the safety of road users will be taken into account first and foremost.

He said the issuance of the traffic tickets was not intended to bring in more revenue to the treasury, and it is impossible to draw a line on whether police will exercise such discretion during specific periods.

To some motorists in Hong Kong, they are just paying the parking ticket of HK$320 to park at their convenience, with no consideration for other road users or road safety.

Currently, the cost of a parking ticket is HK$320, a level which has not changed since 1994. In 2017, the SAR proposed raising the fixed penalty to HK$500, yet the government’s guaranteed majority in the Legislative Council rejected the move.

The department then modified its suggestion to HK$400, but the relevant Legislative Council sub-committee still rejected it, on the grounds that the government “should provide more parking spaces first.”

However, in recent months, a Hong Kong party headed by a top government adviser has suggested increasing traffic fines in a bid to reduce the city’s deficit.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of the New People’s Party and convener of key decision-making body the Executive Council, made the remarks after a meeting with the city’s finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po.

Former security chief Lai Tung-kwok, now a lawmaker with the New People’s Party, said Hong Kong's fines for traffic violations are relatively low when compared to other countries.

For instance, parking fines in London range from approximately HK$570 to HK$1,235, while in Singapore, fines range from around HK$398 to HK$2,557, said Lai, adding there is significant room for increasing fines in Hong Kong.

He noted that the fines in Hong Kong have not been adjusted for years, and as of 2023, the Composite Consumer Price Index has risen by 73.5 percent during the same period, an indication that the fines are not keeping pace with time.

Lai also argued that the lack of parking spaces and illegal parking are two separate issues and should not be conflated. The notion of "lenient enforcement of traffic rules during holidays" is merely a rumor and lacks a factual basis, he said.

Given the government's financial deficit, he believes the government should demonstrate courage and increase fines when necessary, as he trusts that the public will understand.