An Office of the Ombudsman probe has revealed that combined operations by various government departments to clear bicycles that are illegally parked outside shops that rent them out have had a short-lived effect.

The watchdog on Monday said it came up with 17 recommendations to regulate this illegal practice, including the possibility of installing double-deck parking racks.

The operations came after officials received complaints in the middle of last year that bicycles were being parked illegally outside rental shops in Sha Tin.

A cross-departmental working group took repeated actions to combat such illegal practice over a one-year period that ended this June.

Ombudsman Jack Chan noted that almost 1,000 statutory notices were issued during such operations that managed in clearing out a total of 41 bikes that had been illegally parked, but that the problem resurfaced soon after each action.

"Our investigation revealed that both before and after the joint operation, over 100 bicycles remained parked on the pedestrian walkway outside the bicycle rental shops," he said in a report.

Chan added that while his office found no maladministration on the part of the working group’s handling of the complaints, the departments should further strengthen inter-departmental collaboration to improve people's livelihood.

He gave 17 recommendations in a bid to eradicate the problem, which were all accepted by the group.

They include the possible introduction of smart surveillance systems to identify illegally parked bicycles, a possible increase of the number of parking spaces in the area, and the feasibility of installing double-deck parking racks.