Property owner fined over $110,000 for not complying with removal order
An owner was convicted and fined a total of $110,400, of which $105,400 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday (August 18) for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
The Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts, the Kwun Tong Law Courts Building
The case involved the removal of an entrance door of a premises and its replacement with a glass door of inadequate fire resistance in a composite building on Tak Hing Street, Yau Ma Tei. As the alteration and addition works were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), and affected the fire-resisting construction of the building, contravening the Building (Construction) Regulation, a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD.
A spokesman for the BD said today (August 20), "Unauthorised building works may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take stringent enforcement action against owners who fail to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, to ensure building and public safety."
Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.
Source: AI-found images
TD leverages AI to enhance service efficacy and promote smart mobility
The Transport Department (TD) said today (August 20) that it will progressively launch projects under the co-ordination of the AI Efficacy Enhancement Team to make effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the quality and efficiency of licensing services, and advance towards digital traffic management to promote smart mobility, thereby achieving the goals of the Transport Strategy Blueprint.
A spokesman for the TD said, "The TD's services are closely related to people's livelihood. We will keep reviewing various kinds of public services and driving deeper integration of digital technologies and AI into traffic and transport to enhance our operational and travel efficiency, making services more time-saving and convenient for the direct benefit of the public."
Enhancing service efficacy
Since end-2024, the TD has introduced various e-licensing services, including enhancing the vehicle licence to provide convenience for vehicle owners, so they do not need to replace the paper licence after renewal; developing the e-Licensing Portal as a one-stop online platform for managing licences; setting up International Driving Permit (IDP) Self-service Kiosks; and launching E-Auction to enable the public to bid for their desired vehicle registration marks as well as the electronic driving licence to offer an additional option of a mobile phone display. At present, most applications for licences and driving test services commonly used by the public can be submitted online. From early 2026 to date, 51 per cent of full driving licence renewals and 63 per cent of IDP applications have been submitted online.
As for AI applications, the TD has also been applying AI technologies in services such as renewal of vehicle licences as well as applications for driving licences, IDPs and cross-boundary driving permits. This includes using Optical Character Recognition technology to verify supporting documents submitted online, saving some manual verification tasks and expediting processing time.
The TD is preparing for the launch of the Easy Licence Application Approval project by end-2026. Using advanced large language model AI technology, it will automatically recognise, cross-check and verify application documents for online vehicle licence renewals as well as applications under the two cross-boundary driving schemes, namely Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles and Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles, hence assisting in the automated approval of applications. The TD aims to substantially increase the proportion of automatic approval for online vehicle licence renewals to over 90 per cent, while markedly cutting the processing time by 90 per cent, from up to 10 working days to one. It also aims to boost the ratio of cross-boundary driving permit applications automatically approved by AI to over 50 per cent, shortening the manual processing time by about 20 per cent.
In addition, starting from end-June 2026, the TD has introduced an AI-enabled anti-bot solution and dynamic identification technology in the online appointment booking system for counter services for direct issue of the Hong Kong Full Driving Licence. It effectively identifies and blocks automated bot scripts, and elevates system capability in identifying abnormal traffic and mitigating non-human operations, thus ensuring fair and orderly access by applicants. Currently, the maximum waiting time for applicants successfully entering the booking system has been significantly reduced from up to about two hours to within 45 minutes, yielding remarkable results.
Promoting smart mobility
To foster smart traffic innovation, the TD is promoting the application of autonomous vehicles in an orderly manner and has commenced the driverless trial. The Smart Traffic Fund also subsidises projects covering AI technologies to foster smart mobility. The TD has launched the Smart Motorway Pilot Scheme on the southbound section of Ting Kau Bridge using AI technologies, significantly reducing the time taken to identify traffic incidents by nearly 90 per cent and enabling the operators to respond more swiftly. The system can also provide motorists with real-time and precise traffic information via traffic signals and message signs, guiding subsequent vehicles to steer clear of affected lanes in an orderly manner, thereby enhancing traffic efficiency and reducing journey times effectively. Furthermore, the TD is studying the establishment of a Traffic Management Platform using AI technologies to identify traffic bottlenecks and formulate contingency plans to rapidly respond to special traffic and transport conditions, thus minimising delays to the public in major events, adverse weather or unexpected incidents.
The TD is implementing the Real-time Adaptive Traffic Signal System (RTATSS) at about 50 suitable independent signalised junctions across the territory in phases. In the first quarter of 2027, the TD will roll out the Smart Traffic Signals project at the junction of Gloucester Road and Great George Street near Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, a junction with high vehicular and pedestrian flows and high variations. Sensors of the RTATSS will detect real-time vehicular and pedestrian traffic flows, computing appropriate signal timings through AI technology to balance the needs of road users and dynamically allocate more green time for pedestrians, which is expected to reduce the maximum pedestrian waiting time by 15 to 20 seconds.
"The people-centric approach remains the core principle of traffic and transport policies. The TD will continue to explore with the Digital Policy Office more extensive applications of cutting-edge technologies such as AI to optimise operational efficiency, reform traffic management and improve the overall transport efficiency to bring tangible benefits to the public," the spokesman added.
TD leverages AI to enhance service efficacy and promote smart mobility Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
TD leverages AI to enhance service efficacy and promote smart mobility Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
