A bad cycle: why is Hong Kong’s Sha Tin district littered with bikes?
Residents and community leaders say misuse of public parking spaces for bikes is a challenge that has long persisted in district
Outside Tai Wai MTR station in Hong Kong’s Sha Tin district, a resident from the nearby Mei Lam Estate stops near a long row of parking racks with dozens of bicycles packed tightly together.
It took the resident, surnamed Wong, minutes to rummage through the clutter before he could find a spot next to some old bikes with pieces missing.
“There are lots of bikes, and it is harder to park during working hours,” said the 70-year-old, who regularly cycles to the station to catch the train and shop at the nearby shopping centre.
Residents and community leaders told the Post that the clusters of bikes were a long-time challenge for the district, with some people using the free public parking spaces as dumping grounds for their old bicycles.
Others have also exploited the system to park their bikes for extended periods, believing they will not be caught for breaking rules that cap parking at 24 hours per session.
Lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing and Sha Tin district councillors said they and the government had been receiving complaints from residents for years about illegal bike parking, including cases of bicycles being abandoned, in areas such as cycle tracks and public transport interchange stations.