31 May 2010
Clerk to Bills Committee on Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Bill Legislative Council Secretariat 3/F Citibank Tower 3 Garden Road Central, Hong Kong
(By Fax: 2121 0420)
Dear Sir/Madam
Re: Bills Committee on Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Bill
The Hong Kong Business Coalition on the Environment (BCE) supports in principle the bill to prohibit the idling of motor vehicles.
The BCE, a partnership of about 30 business and private sector organizations in Hong Kong, shares the community’s concern over air quality. Apart from being a health hazard, air pollution has long been recognized by the business community as a threat to our competitiveness.
Motor vehicles are the main causes of air pollutants at street level in Hong Kong. Although the prohibition will only produce a relatively small impact in reducing the overall roadside emissions, we believe that it will cultivate behavioural changes among drivers and the public at large. We also agree that there should be practicable and enforceable penalties with flexibility for vehicles which need to keep their engines running for operational reasons.
We would also like to urge for more concrete efforts by the HKSAR Government to tackle the local and regional air pollution problems, and pledge our continuous support to effective measures.
Thank you very much.
With best regards,
Jens-Erik Olsen
Convenor
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