Tougher action on illegal parking and an increase in policing in Central has led to a 9 per cent rise in the number of fixed-penalty tickets issued between January and last month, from the whole of last year.
According to police, the figure rose to 30,000, from 28,000 last year, and is expected to reach between 33,000 and 34,000 by year-end, as a crackdown involving more than 400 officers would continue.
Superintendent Eric Leung Yan-kit, from the Central Police Station, yesterday attributed the rise in the number of fixed-penalty tickets to increased policing that started more than a month ago.
Leung said the crackdown was necessary because the illegal parking situation had worsened. 'There has been an increase in the number of complaints about traffic jams and the figures on the issuance of fixedpenalty tickets keep rising,' he said.
As each ticket costs drivers between HK$320 and HK$450, the crackdown also helped the government pocket at least HK$10 million in revenue.
Leung admitted that the habit of chauffeurs waiting for their bosses outside their offices on busy roads in Central was among the factors that had exacerbated the traffic woes.
As of last Friday, Central police received 8,051 traffic-related complaints this year, or about 14 per cent of their total annual caseload.