Sha Tin district councillor seeks to launch city's first bicycle-share system
Although policymakers refuseto embrace cycling as a green mode of transport for the city, a district councillor is gearing up to launch a bike-sharing scheme in Sha Tin, writes Elaine Yau
If Gary Yeung Man-yui had his way, Sha Tin would become a "cycling city". A keen advocate of bicycles as an eco-friendly and inexpensive form of transport, Yeung's first motion as Sha Tin district councillor in 2008 was to propose that the council introduce a bike-sharing and rental scheme.
Sha Tin district, stretching from Tai Wai to Fo Tan and Ma On Shan in the eastern New Territories, is ideal for such an initiative, with its large population and flat land. Many residents are already using bicycles to run errands, commute between neighbourhoods, or ride directly to work.
The government sees bicycles as a leisure tool instead of an eco-friendly means of transport
But after years of unsuccessful lobbying, Yeung, who also heads the Ma On Shan Youth Association, is pushing ahead to launch his own scheme at the end of the year.
"I have been talking to the government for so many years, but nothing has come of it. So I've decided to run a pilot myself through the youth association," he says.
He expects to assemble a fleet of about 140 bicycles to link seven pick-up and drop-off points, including the Science Park, Sha Tin Town Hall and University Station. The first 30 minutes will be free; after that users are charged between HK$3 and HK$5 for each half hour.
The start-up will require about HK$5 million but Yeung is confident he will raise the capital from charities and sponsors, and hopes to break even within three years of the launch.
