Priscilla Leung Mei-fun (inset) says Hong Kong’s lack of cycling data is unacceptable and the Transport and Housing Bureau is not taking its job seriously

Lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun says the government failure on cycle statistics is “completely unsatisfactory” and says she will push for a motion of full debate on cycling safety if the Secretary for Transport and Housing doesn’t properly respond to her questions.

Leung’s comments came after Transit Jam revealed Secretary Frank Chan had concealed crucial cycle safety data when briefing lawmakers during a Q&A session yesterday.

“Bicycle safety is very important, it’s not just for cycling enthusiasts, it’s a livelihood issue,” says Leung, lawmaker for Kowloon West, who says more young people are taking up cycling because of their environmental beliefs.

“The lack of data is totally unacceptable, they should be more prepared,” she says. “It’s this hurly burly way the government operates, this square-minded bureaucracy, they are not taking their jobs seriously.”

“I can’t understand why the government cannot provide more comprehensive statistics on cycling,” she says. “Everyone is expecting statistics to allow us to follow up these matters in a reasonable way.”

Leung says she is considering a motion to debate cycling issues in the council, looking at road safety, environmental protection and the uptake in cycling in other cities around the world.

In a written reply to Leung’s question on cycle safety, Frank Chan Fan had said there was no government data on bicycle delivery rider safety, when in fact the police and Transport Department had prepared such data last December. Chan’s staff excused the omission, saying Chan had meant there was no full-year data while the data actually available covered only a nine-month period.