Hong Kong may increase parking fines to HK$400, speeding tickets by 50%
Government intends to raise penalty to better manage traffic as Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated in budget blueprint in February, insider says
The Hong Kong government plans to raise the fixed HK$320 (US$41) penalty for illegal parking to HK$400, while fines for speeding and other more severe traffic offences will increase by about 50 per cent, the Post has learned.
A source said on Wednesday that the fee review, part of a bigger strategy announced earlier to boost revenue amid a huge budget deficit, was expected to be completed this year.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau said traffic violation fines and parking meter fees had remained unchanged over the past three decades despite a 70 per cent inflation rate, adding an appropriate adjustment was essential to reinforce road safety and improve traffic management.
“Hong Kong’s traffic violation fines are notably low compared with other international cities. For instance, parking violations in Singapore, London and New South Wales in Australia, can be penalised [with fines] up to 10 times more, and speeding fines up to 22 times more than in Hong Kong,” a spokesman said in a post on Facebook.
“Recent traffic data reveals a persistent and even increasing trend in dangerous driving behaviours like speeding, ignoring road markings, crossing double white lines and using mobile phones while driving.
“Alarmingly, fatal traffic accidents in the first quarter of this year have surged by 40 per cent compared with last year, and illegal parking has remained consistently high for the past three years.”