Hong Kong must target private cars to stop the city grinding to a halt

Ian Brownlee says chronic gridlock is eroding the city’s edge and calls for immediate action, such as pricing out private cars as a transport option and more efficient road pricing

Reading Time:4 minutes

Illegally parked cars mean delivery vehicles have to occupy traffic lanes. Photo: David Wong

Published: 9:01am, 7 Jan 2017Updated: 8:28pm, 7 Jan 2017

One of Hong Kong’s major competitive advantages over other Asian cities was that it was easy to get around and attend three or four business meetings a day. That is rapidly disappearing and we are becoming just another congested Asian city.

The administration of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has requested suggestions for the coming policy address and budget. The government must address traffic congestion and make better use of roads in the public interest, while at the same time increasing revenue.

The [2014 Transport Advisory Committee] report presented a number of realistic suggestions – none have yet been implemented

Illegally parked private cars occupy kerbsides, leaving vehicles unloading goods to block traffic lanes. It is taking longer for buses to complete their trips, and taxis taking short cuts to avoid the gridlock are now jammed by others seeking a free-flowing route.

In December 2014, the Transport Advisory Committee released a “Report on the Study of Road Congestion in Hong Kong”, analysing transport data and a public opinion survey. The introduction said: “If we do nothing to contain congestion, it will continue to erode the environment, sustainability, quality of life and competitiveness of our city. Immediate action is warranted.”

The report presented a number of realistic suggestions – none have yet been implemented.

The main problem identified was the uncontrolled growth in the size of Hong Kong’s vehicle fleet, which went from 524,000 in 2003 to 681,000 in 2013, up by an alarming 30 per cent. Road infrastructure cannot be increased to accommodate a continued growth of vehicles at this rate.