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| Electric bike (photo from amazon.com) |
A Filipino learned a lesson today that simply riding an electric bicycle could land him in serious legal trouble, because Hong Kong law classifies it as driving a motor vehicle which has a range of requirements that he failed to meet.
Michael
Galang, a 39-year-old waiter, was fined a total of $5,000 today at Eastern
Court after he pleaded guilty to four charges that arose from his driving an electric
bicycle last Sept. 24 near the corner of King’s Road and Shell St in Causeway
Bay.
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
- Driving a motorcycle without wearing an approved protective helmet, as required by the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations under the Road Traffic Ordinance.
- Using a motor vehicle without third party insurance required by the Motor vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Ordinance.
- Driving without a driving license, which is against section 42(1) and (45) of the Road Traffic Ordinance.
- Driving an unlicensed vehicle, because the bicycle he was driving was not registered and licensed in as required by the Road Traffic Ordinance.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
Magistrate So told Galang he could now recover the bike from the Police, but advised him to get rid of it because the next time he is arrested for riding it, he will likely be meted a jail sentence.
Galang's arrest was followed up with a major police crackdown on the use of electric mobility devices, including bicycles, on Lantau island.
A total of 88 fixed penalty notices and 22 summonses were issued on November 6, covering such violations as illegal parking, lack of valid road closure permits, failure to display vehicle registrations, and jaywalking.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Among those arrested were a 41-year-old Indian man and a 43-year-old Filipino, who were charged with a number of serious violations, including driving without a valid licence, operating unregistered and unlicensed vehicles, driving without third-party insurance, and riding electric mobility devides without approved helmets.
All those arrested have been released on bail but were told to report back to the relevant departments in January next year.
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