LCQ20: Enhancing clearance efficiency
*************************************
Question:
It has been reported that serious congestion occurred at various land boundary control points (BCPs) in Hong Kong on June 21 and 22 this year, and crowd management measures had to be implemented at the Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point, the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. On the night of June 22, Hong Kong vehicles travelling under the "Quota-free Scheme for Hong Kong Private Cars Travelling to Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge" ("Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme) even caused serious congestion on the Zhuhai Highway when they returned to Hong Kong. In addition, there are views that some vehicles under "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme have not travelled according to the reserved time slot, thus affecting the clearance efficiency at BCPs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has reviewed the main reasons for the serious congestion at land BCPs during the aforesaid period (e.g. whether it was related to factors such as the end of the examination seasons of primary and secondary schools, the improvement of the weather or activities organised by shopping malls in Shenzhen); whether the Government has put in place an inter-departmental joint early warning mechanism which incorporates school calendars and daily schedules of schools in general, weather forecasts as well as information on commercial activities in Shenzhen, so as to make advance assessments and forecasts on the passenger flow at BCPs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) as it has been reported that during the aforesaid period when crowd management was implemented at the Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point and when there were the peak hours for people returning to Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Bay Port, the authorities did not issue real-time alerts through official channels, whether the Government has reviewed the existing information dissemination mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) in order to avoid the aforesaid similar serious congestion in the future, whether the Government will consider implementing new measures, such as formulating temporary crowd management plans or deploying additional BCP personnel to enhance clearance efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) of the number of vehicle owners who have been penalised since the implementation of the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme for failing to travel according to the reserved time slot or failing to make a reservation (set out by penalty measure, including refusing to allow their vehicles to travel to Guangdong Province, suspending their eligibility for making another reservation and revoking the relevant licences issued to them); whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the existing penalty mechanism, and whether they will consider adjusting the mechanism to further ensure that vehicles under the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme will travel according to the reserved time slot?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, a reply to the questions raised by the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:
(1) With the increasing co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, exchanges at the community level have also intensified. We are pleased to learn that many Hong Kong residents like travelling to the Mainland during weekends or long public holidays, and are glad to learn that the number of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong is on an upward trend. The two-way travel between residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong has also brought economic benefits to both places.
During the weekend of June 21 and 22 this year, around 569 000 outbound passenger trips (Saturday) and around 586 000 inbound passenger trips (Sunday) were recorded at various land boundary control points (BCPs), of which about 80 per cent were Hong Kong residents, representing an increase of about 22 per cent and 18 per cent compared with the average numbers of outbound and inbound passenger trips during normal weekends this year.
Northbound travel has become a weekend routine for Hong Kong residents. Since travelling is very convenient and there is no need for advance planning, residents can make impromptu trips for different reasons, such as weather conditions on the day or individual preference. The reasons for the relatively higher numbers of inbound and outbound passenger trips in the aforementioned weekend as compared with normal weekends may include the end of the school examination season and improved weather conditions during the weekend.
The peak hours for outbound and inbound passenger traffic were from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, and from 4pm to midnight on Sunday, which are similar to the northbound travel pattern of Hong Kong residents at normal weekends. As for the vehicular flow, the number of outbound trips for private cars via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge (HZMB) on Saturday was 9 662, among which those under the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme (the Northbound Travel Scheme) accounted for 68 per cent, while the number of inbound trips on Sunday was 9 432, which was about 25 per cent higher than the numbers of outbound and inbound trips at normal weekends this year.
It is noted that the waiting time during the peak hours of cross-boundary traffic at the HZMB Hong Kong Port and Heung Yuen Wai (HYW) BCP was longer than usual. Relevant departments at various BCPs, including the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Customs and Excise Department, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Transport Department (TD), etc. have put in place an inter-departmental co-operation mechanism to monitor the real-time situations at BCPs during different festive occasions and mega events. In view of the heavy traffic at the BCPs over the aforementioned weekend, relevant departments had immediately activated the contingency mechanism. Through close co-ordination and flexible deployment of manpower, operation of additional clearance counters and kiosks, and implementation of appropriate crowd control and traffic diversion measures to maintain order at the BCPs, congestion was alleviated in an orderly manner.
The TD has always maintained close liaison with local and cross-boundary public transport operators, and would co-ordinate with them to flexibly adjust the frequency of public transport services connecting each BCP during peak cross-boundary travel periods in order to meet the travel needs. During the above-mentioned weekend, public transport operators closely monitored changes in the number of passengers, increased the service frequency during periods of particularly high passenger demand, as well as deployed additional staff to assist passengers and maintain order at the stations, with a view to expediting the dispersal of passengers.
(2) The Government has disseminated information through various official and unofficial channels, including radio broadcasts, websites, and online media such as social media platforms, to assist residents and passengers in planning ahead and avoid making their journeys during busy periods as far as possible. Passengers may visit the ImmD's website to check the estimated waiting time of each BCP, and the TD's "HKeMobility" mobile application or the TD's website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access the snapshots of traffic conditions at outbound and inbound vehicle clearance plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They may also browse the relevant websites and mini programmes, etc. of the Shenzhen and Zhuhai authorities to know more about the clearance status of BCPs in the Mainland.
The HKPF will continue to monitor the real-time situations at various BCPs and disseminate the latest information to the public timely through the media or social media in the event of serious congestion at individual BCP, including appealing to the public to adjust their itineraries (e.g. switching to other modes of transport or using other BCPs for boundary crossing) in order to ease passenger and vehicular flows.
Moreover, the TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates 24 hours a day to closely monitor traffic conditions and public transport services in different areas of Hong Kong, including various BCPs and major stations, and will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels. Members of the public can check the latest traffic news released by radio, television, and the "HKeMobility".
(3) Northbound travel over weekends has become a norm for Hong Kong residents, and the two-way travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong is also a future trend. We therefore need to get well-prepared, and enhance the responsiveness of relevant departments as well as the level of clearance facilitation at the BCPs in order to cope with the increasing demand for clearance services.
The departments at the BCPs will enhance the co-operation mechanism, constantly monitor the real-time situations at various BCPs, and maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanisms to ensure smooth operation of the BCPs.
With respect to the traffic and vehicular flow at the HZMB Hong Kong Port, the HKPF will, depending on the circumstances, deploy additional police officers to the major roads of the port for on-the-spot observation of traffic conditions, and remind drivers to comply with road markings and drive with care, with a view to ensuring road safety and smooth traffic. When the vehicles enter the clearance plaza and its maximum capacity is reached, the HKPF will also implement traffic control measures in a timely manner to maintain order on the spot.
In addition, to further increase the handling capacity of the HYW BCP, enhancement works are being carried out at its passenger departure hall. Upon completion of the works, the total number of e-Channels in the passenger departure hall will be increased from 14 to 18. As some of its traditional counters have to be closed temporarily in the course of the enhancement works, the ImmD has flexibly deployed resources to set up four temporary counters in the passenger departure hall to minimise the impact of the enhancement works. We will also explore the possibility of further increasing the number of e-Channels.
As stated above, the two-way travel between residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong is a future trend. We need to enhance the handling capacity of BCPs in order to meet the increasing passenger traffic. In particular, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is collaborating with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to press ahead with the redevelopment project of the Huanggang Port in full steam. The redeveloped new Huanggang Port will implement the co-location arrangement and the "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode to provide greater convenience for cross-boundary passengers. The new Huanggang Port will be equipped with 134 "collaborative inspection" automated channels and 68 traditional manual counters, representing a significant increase compared to 39 traditional e-channels and 45 traditional manual counters currently available at the Lok Ma Chau (LMC) Control Point. Its design flow is about 200 000 passenger trips per day. Compared to the LMC Control Point which now serves a daily average of about 37 000 passenger trips, it is believed that the redeveloped new Huanggang Port can meet the future demand for clearance services between the two places.
(4) As stipulated in the terms and conditions of "the Northbound Travel Scheme", if any participants violate the travel arrangements (including travelling without booking in advance or not travelling within the specified period), the relevant departments of the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments may refuse to allow relevant vehicles to travel to Guangdong Province via the HZMB, and may suspend their travel booking eligibility, or even revoke the relevant permits. At present, the TD regularly shares the booking information on "the Northbound Travel Scheme" with relevant departments at the Hong Kong Port to facilitate their daily operations at the HZMB Hong Kong Port. The TD has also been maintaining close liaison with the relevant Mainland authorities, and conducting spot checks on the cross-boundary records of vehicles under "the Northbound Travel Scheme", with a view to reviewing the situation of compliance with the terms and conditions.
Ends/Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:20
Issued at HKT 12:20
NNNN