Law enforcement officers will adopt a lenient approach in the first month of the ban on idling engines, with verbal warnings given first before offenders are handed any HK$320 fixed-penalty tickets, environment officials said yesterday.
Up to 280 traffic wardens in uniform and 400 inspectors from the Environmental Protection Department will have the additional duty of enforcing the ban when it comes into force next Thursday.
Idling hot spots, including Causeway Bay and school areas, may be specifically targeted, while private car parks are a lower priority because enforcement will require prior consent from the property owners.
The public can file complaints to the department on suspected breaches.
The government drew up a draft ban in 2007, some six years after it was first proposed. But after negotiations with the transport industry, the resulting legislation passed in March represented a much toned-down version, with a series of exemptions.
The original ban covered all vehicles and roads all-year. It offered no grace period, no exemptions in extreme weather and excluded only the first two taxis waiting at a rank.
Now, all taxis at a taxi stand are exempt, as are the first two minibuses at stands. Drivers will also be allowed to idle their engines on days when the Observatory issues hot weather and rainstorm warnings.