Hong Kong lawmaker urges more checks as illegal parking fines top HK$70m a year

Traffic police have issued more than 220,000 tickets for parking-related offences in each of the past three years, raking in at least HK$70 million (US$8.92 million) a year for Hong Kong’s coffers, but a lawmaker said inspections could be enhanced to target more offenders.

In a written reply to the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said police issued 259,589, 242550, and 225,489 fixed penalty tickets in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively to offenders who breached metered parking regulations.

As fixed penalty tickets carried a fine of HK$320 before January this year, they generated at least HK$70 million per year over the past three years.

Chan emphasised that parking meter operators engaged by the Transport Department also regularly deployed staff to conduct inspections across the city.

“Such inspections are carried out at least once every four days. When spotting improper occupation of metered spaces, the operator will report the situation to relevant government departments and police for law enforcement,” she said.

She added that from 2023 to 2025, the department referred an average of about 120,000 cases of unlawful or improper occupation of metered spaces to police each year.

Lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung said spot checks should be more frequent to crack down on people defying metered parking regulations through other means.

“More spot checks should be conducted to target the occupation of parking spaces by shops with other objects, as well as repeated illegal parking,” he said.

Chan also said that since July this year, the department had selected four locations for installing new sensors in metered spaces: on Kut Shing Street in Chai Wan, Cheung Ning Street in To Kwa Wan, San Ma Tau Street in To Kwa Wan and Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan.

“The new sensors enhance the accuracy of real-time metered space information with artificial intelligence (AI) optical components, enabling motorists to obtain more precise parking space information,” she said.

She said the sensors could also record the occupancy status or the objects occupying the metered spaces.

The back-end system uses AI to analyse object types and determine whether spaces are occupied by vehicles or other obstacles, allowing relevant government departments to take follow-up or enforcement action.

Chong urged authorities to leverage the technology to detect repeat offenders. “Repeat offenders should face heavier penalties,” he said.