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More sites needed for permanent parking of goods vehicles
In a report to the Transport Advisory Committee on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations by two transport consultancy studies, the inter-departmental Working Group that was formed to examine and implement solutions to parking and other freight transport problems, revealed that there was a total shortfall of 53,100 overnight parking spaces for goods vehicles.
Compared with the situation in 1994 when the shortfall was 75,700, this was a significant improvement. The situation would further improve in 2001 with a shortfall of 43,000 spaces.
The two studies, namely the Parking Demand Study and Freight Transport Study, were completed in December 1995 and April 1994 respectively. Both studies had come up with recommendations to improve, among other things, the supply of parking spaces, particularly for goods vehicles.
Since then, the Working Group had succeeded in increasing the number of goods vehicle parking spaces significantly in the last two years.
Major achievements focused on three areas: short-term tenancy sites, additional off-street facilities and on-street overnight spaces.
More than 40 new short-term tenancy sites with some 5,600 parking spaces were identified and secured for parking.
Territory-wide search was conducted of on-street suitable spaces that could be used for parking of goods vehicles overnight and 700 parking spaces had been identified.
There has also been a reduction in the goods vehicle fleet size, which, together with the progress the administration had made in implementing the recommendations of the two studies, resulted in almost a balance between the supply and demand of parking spaces for medium heavy goods vehicles and container vehicles.
However, since some of the spaces were on tolerated sites and short-term tenancy sites, they did not represent permanent solutions.
Thus, the current shortfall of 53,100 are therefore that of light goods vehicles. Although some of the light vans could park in non-domestic private car spaces, other larger light goods vehicles could not be accommodated.