Shop noise ban plan too harsh, fine too high: lawmaker
The last thing shops and other vendors struggling to recover from the pandemic need is to be hit with restrictions on touting their wares to passersby, lawmaker Gary Zhang warned on Thursday, as he urged a rethink on proposed new noise laws. The government is considering outlawing the use of loudspeakers for peddling in public areas, a move that would affect shops, market stalls, hawkers, bars and restaurants.  But Zhang told RTHK that there's no need for such a "harsh" ban on the use of speakers. "Definitely we need to take care of the needs and concerns of our residents on noise levels created by these kinds of commercial promotions by shops... but I think it's also important to point out that Hong Kong is now in a very delicate and very important recovery process from the impact of Covid," he said. "So we need to strike a balance between noise control and a friendly and open environment for businesses to promote their business." Zhang said officials could focus solely on tackling noise nuisances in problem areas, such as Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok, or allow the use of speakers during certain hours of the day.  "During some busy business hours, we could allow for promotions but maybe, say after 8pm when most people already go home and get ready to rest, perhaps we start a ban," he said. The lawmaker added that he supports the administration's idea of introducing fixed penalties for shops and other premises which create noise disturbances, but said the suggested HK$10,000 fine seems too high. "If we compare this to some other fixed penalties, such as in terms of hygiene and environment control, mostly the range is about HK$3,000 to HK$5,000, they are not as high as HK$10,000."