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Letters | Climate change means Hong Kong must aim for fewer cars, not more parking spaces
- About 80 per cent of the increase in global transport emissions since 1970 has been due to road vehicles
- Hong Kong should be promoting low-carbon mobility, like biking and walking, while strengthening public transport
The recent report issued by the Director of Audit recommended, among other things, the need to consider promulgating new guidelines on the provision of public parking spaces in public and private developments, and reviewing planning standards for parking spaces in housing developments (“Parking in Hong Kong is a problem and only getting worse, auditor says”, April 17).
The basis of such recommendations is that the number of cars is growing much faster than the availability of parking spaces, leading to a significant increase in the demand for private car-parking spaces.
While there is no denying that we need more parking spaces for coaches in the major tourist destinations, an overall increase in parking spaces may induce more cars, thus necessitating the building of more roads. A vicious cycle will begin.
The rather simplistic view on meeting demand for car-parking space is unfortunate but not surprising, given the narrow scope of such audit exercises. To reduce the risk of climate change, every city should strive for conditions that enhance accessibility and low-carbon mobility.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that about 80 per cent of the increase in global transport emissions since 1970 has been due to road vehicles. The provision of more parking spaces is obviously counter-productive to reducing carbon emissions.
It certainly makes more sense to manage the growth of car ownership given the other factors associated with car usage, like noise, air pollution and congestion.
Electric cars have the benefit of reducing roadside pollution but, unless electricity comes from clean and renewable sources, there may not be noticeable reduction in the overall carbon emissions.
Hong Kong has a very good public transport system. The audit report also acknowledges the government’s policy of relying on public transport. This is an area that Hong Kong should continue to improve on, for example, by providing better facilities for non-motorised transport, like walking and biking, at major transport interchanges and mass transit stations, and where space permits, automatic mover systems in areas with heavy pedestrian flows.
Parking space, particularly underground, is expensive to build and operate. It is understood that the typical American car spends 96 per cent of its time parked. If car ownership becomes more expensive, car-sharing and car-pooling facilitated by the use of apps may become attractive.
J. Leung, Pok Fu Lam
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