Hong Kong watchdog takes aim at bikes blocking paths around leisure facilities
Ombudsman calls on Leisure and Cultural Services Department to better enforce rules for rental services at 14 recreational venues
The Hong Kong government watchdog has urged officials to take more “decisive” enforcement against bike rental companies after discovering their vehicles had blocked pathways around facilities run by the leisure services authority.
The ombudsman made the call on Thursday as it released a report on how the Leisure and Cultural Services Department handled the obstructions along passageways at 14 recreational venues under its management.
Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi called on the department to closely monitor the operators and take better enforcement action.
“The [department], as the venue manager and permits issuer, is duty-bound to monitor the operators of bicycle rental services,” Chan said.
“Our multiple site inspections found that it seems to be a common practice for operators to leave bicycles lying around in contravention of the regulations, and this has invited doubts as to whether the [department] had reminded the operators of the irregularities or has taken enforcement action against them in the past.”
Chan said operators placing their bicycles outside the permitted area not only blocked the passageways, creating inconvenience for members of the public seeking to use the facilities, but could also pose a safety hazard.
The ombudsman made eight recommendations for improvements, including that the department take “decisive enforcement action” if the operators were found to continue occupying the space outside the permitted area.
