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224
October '83
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CROWN LAND CLEARANCE
Oct '83 to Mar '84
Junk (lorry loads)
Month Sites Refuse (baskets) Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong Kowloon October 48 78 1 440 8 046 125.5 209 November 84 70 1 242 9715 20.25 158.75 December 84 71 980 8735 86.5 126.5 January '84 65 71 240 5955 81 121.5 February 86 81 1 037 8976 79.75 146.5 March 40 — 1 271 6133 74 52.57. MR. L. H. KWAN asked the following question (in Cantonese):—On the pavement around Pan Hoi Street and Westlands Road, on the northern side of King's Road, Quarry Bay, there is a large number of hawkers selling various goods, causing obstruction to pedestrian traffic and bad effects on public hygiene and the general environment. The situation is worst in front of Tak Lee Building, Wai Lee Building, Po Lee Building and Sunway Gardens.
(i) How would the Urban Council improve the situation there and solve the problems caused by the hawkers?
(ii) May I know the record of hawker arrests made by the General Duties Team there in the past 12 months?
(iii) Does the Urban Council have a long-term plan to resite these hawkers somewhere else?
MR. SHUM CHOI-SANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question concerns the hawker situation in parts of King's Road, Quarry Bay, enquiring firstly, what action can be taken to improve the situation and solve the problems caused by hawkers; secondly, the number of arrests made by the General Duties Teams in the past 12 months; and thirdly, the Council's plan to resite the hawkers elsewhere. I will deal with these issues in the order they are raised.
There are 74 licensed fixed pitch hawkers and some 40 unlicensed ones regularly trading on the northern side of King's Road around Pan Hoi Street and Westlands Road. They often cause quite serious obstruction and generally spoil the local environment. But they are badly needed in the area and until proper provision is made to resite them, it is not practicable to remove them altogether. To try to improve the situation, raids are carried out twice every day at peak trading hours. This results in arrests of unlicensed hawkers and seizure of their paraphernalia and regular summonses for obstruction in the case of licensed hawkers. Special operations are also mounted to clean up the hawker area at least once a week in addition to regular daily beat sweeping. Resources permitting, it is the intention to intensify law enforcement action and to cleanse the streets at more frequent intervals.
In the 12-month period from 1 May 1983 to 30 April 1984, a total of 621 arrests of illegal hawkers were made by the General Duties Teams in the area. In addition, 592 seizures of hawker paraphernalia were made and 77 summonses taken against licensed hawkers for obstruction.
Lastly, on the question of the Council's long-term plans for these hawkers, the aim is to resite them into the Quarry Bay Market which is to be built nearby and which should be ready by 1987.
In the meantime, a reordering exercise affecting these hawkers will have to be carried out to facilitate the construction of a number of footbridges across King's Road. This exercise will be completed before August 1984 and should improve things in the area.
MR. KWAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, according to the figure, in the past 12 months, we prosecuted unlicensed hawkers for 621 times. In other words, according to the figure of 40 unlicensed hawkers, you prosecuted each 15 times a year or roughly one summons per month, is it adequate? As to the second question, the General Duties Teams had only prosecuted these 40 unlicensed hawkers about 600 times a year, it seems that they have issued only one summons in the morning and one summons in the evening. What about the productivity?
MR. SHUM (in Cantonese):-Unless we have decided to re-site hawkers altogether, then the radical solution will come forward. But if we accept that the hawkers are providing an essential facility service to the area, we must not take very drastic action. If we consider clearing and prosecuting all of them, we must increase the number of the General Duties Teams operating in this area. We have only 70 people belonging to the General Duties Team in each shift and they have to cover a large area in the eastern sector. For each hawking area, we could have very few people, they are already carrying two raids per day, I think it is very good enough. Only when the hawkers cause serious obstructions, we will then prosecute them.
8. MRS. MARGARET LI asked the following question (in Cantonese):—As a result of problems in booking the City Hall as venue for district functions by the Central and Western District Board (i.e. for their District Festival in 1983, and for a District Exhibition to promote voters' registration later this year), I would like to know:-
(i) the booking arrangement of the City Hall together with a breakdown of actual bookings made for the year 1984-85 so far;
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224
October '83
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CROWN LAND CLEARANCE
Oct '83 to Mar '84
Junk (lorry loads)
Month
Sites
Refuse (baskets)
Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong Kowloon
Hong Kong Kowloon
48
78
1 440
8 046
125.5
209
November
84
70
1 242
9715
20.25
158.75
December
84
71
980
8735
86.5
126.5
January '84
65
71
240
5955
81
121.5
February
86
81
1 037
8976
79.75
146.5
March
40
1 271
6133
74
52.5
888
7. MR. L. H. KWAN asked the following question (in Cantonese):—On the pavement around Pan Hoi Street and Westlands Road, on the northern side of King's Road, Quarry Bay, there is a large number of hawkers selling various goods, causing obstruction to pedestrian traffic and bad effects on public hygiene and the general environment. The situation is worst in front of Tak Lee Building, Wai Lee Building, Po Lee Building and Sunway Gardens.
(i) How would the Urban Council improve the situation there and solve the
problems caused by the hawkers?
(ii) May I know the record of hawker arrests made by the General Duties
Team there in the past 12 months?
(iii) Does the Urban Council have a long-term plan to resite these hawkers
somewhere else?
MR. SHUM CHoi-sang, ChaIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question concerns the hawker situation in parts of King's Road, Quarry Bay, enquiring firstly, what action can be taken to improve the situation and solve the problems caused by hawkers; secondly, the number of arrests made by the General Duties Teams in the past 12 months; and thirdly, the Council's plan to resite the hawkers elsewhere. I will deal with these issues in the order they are raised.
There are 74 licensed fixed pitch hawkers and some 40 unlicensed ones regularly trading on the northern side of King's Road around Pan Hoi Street and Westlands Road. They often cause quite serious obstruction and generally spoil the local environment. But they are badly needed in the area and until proper provision is made to resite them, it is not practicable to remove them altogether. To try to improve the situation, raids are carried out twice every day at peak trading hours. This results in arrests of unlicensed hawkers and seizure
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 30 of 233
25
of their paraphernalia and regular summonses for obstruction in the case of licensed hawkers. Special operations are also mounted to clean up the hawker area at least once a week in addition to regular daily beat sweeping. Resources permitting, it is the intention to intensify law enforcement action and to cleanse the streets at more frequent intervals.
In the 12-month period from 1 May 1983 to 30 April 1984, a total of 621 arrests of illegal hawkers were made by the General Duties Teams in the area. In addition, 592 seizures of hawker paraphernalia were made and 77 summonses taken against licensed hawkers for obstruction.
Lastly, on the question of the Council's long-term plans for these hawkers, the aim is to resite them into the Quarry Bay Market which is to be built nearby and which should be ready by 1987.
In the meantime, a reordering exercise affecting these hawkers will have to be carried out to facilitate the construction of a number of footbridges across King's Road. This exercise will be completed before August 1984 and should improve things in the area.
MR. KWAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, according to the figure, in the past 12 months, we prosecuted unlicensed hawkers for 621 times. In other words, according the figure of 40 unlicensed hawkers, you prosecuted each 15 times a year or roughly one summons per month, is it adequate? As to the second question, the General Duties Teams had only prosecuted these 40 unlicensed hawkers about 600 times a year, it seems that they have issued only one summons in the morning and one summons in the evening. What about the productivity?
MR. SHUM (in Cantonese):-Unless we have decided to re-site hawkers altogether, then the radical solution will come forward. But if we accept that the hawkers are providing an essential facility service to the area, we must not take very drastic action. If we consider to clear and prosecute all of them, we must increase the number of the General Duties Teams operating in this area. We have only 70 people belonging to the General Duties Team in each shift and they have to cover a large area in the eastern sector. For each hawking area, we could have very few people, they are already carrying two raids per day, I think it is very good enough. Only when the hawkers cause serious obstructions, we will then prosecute them.
8. MRS. MARGARET LI asked the following question (in Cantonese):—As a result of problems in booking the City Hall as venue for district functions by the Central and Western District Board (i.e. for their District Festival in 1983, and for a District Exhibition to promote voters' registration later this year), I would like to know:-
(i) the booking arrangement of the City Hall together with a breakdown of
actual bookings made for the year 1984-85 so far;
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