Interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements releases latest information and appeals to public and visitors to plan cross-boundary trips in advance for Labour Day Golden Week of Mainland
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, released the following information today (April 29) on the traffic and public transport arrangements for the upcoming Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland.
During the Labour Day and the Birthday of the Buddha holidays, in anticipation of a large number of members of the public, vehicles and Mainland visitors travelling to and from the Mainland or Macao via various land-based boundary control points (BCPs), particularly on May 1, 3 and 5, the Transport Department (TD) urged the public and visitors to plan their trips in advance and allow sufficient travelling time.
The TD has co-ordinated with local and cross-boundary public transport operators (PTOs) to strengthen their services during the holidays, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) to less than one minute during peak hours, and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to about two minutes at its highest frequency, as well as increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services. The frequency of local franchised bus B routes connecting various land-based BCPs will also be increased to a level higher than that of normal weekends or Sundays while franchised bus operators concerned will reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of passengers. The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the train services of the East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau at different times from May 1 to May 5 to provide convenience for the travelling public and visitors. It is anticipated that the waiting time for public transport services, including the Gold Bus, may be longer. Passengers should make their journeys during non-peak hours, observe order while queuing and heed advice from on-site Police and staff of PTOs concerned. Passengers of cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.
Of note, motorists are advised that, subject to actual traffic conditions, special traffic arrangements may be implemented at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point and the Shenzhen Bay Port from May 1 to 5 to allow smooth access of public transport vehicles to the above control points. Cross-boundary private cars may need to queue up for crossing the BCPs. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the roads. In case of traffic congestion, they should remain patient and follow the instructions of on-site police.
For the HZMB, to plan their journeys ahead, members of the public can make use of the TD's HKeMobility mobile application (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access snapshots of traffic conditions at inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They can also check real-time situations of the vehicle clearance plaza of the Zhuhai Port through WeChat official accounts "hzmbzhport" or "zhuhaifabu" (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/) (Chinese only), and check the forecasts of peak hours of inbound and outbound vehicles at the HZMB Zhuhai Port through the WeChat official account of the HZMB integrated information dissemination platform (mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PXLza25svheLQZuTXSbwFQ) (Chinese only). Moreover, motorists are reminded to always comply with the traffic control measures implemented by the Zhuhai authority when driving on the HZMB Main Bridge. Vehicles shall not occupy the emergency lane unless instructed by the Zhuhai authority.
The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will continue to operate 24 hours to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of different districts including various BCPs and major stations. The TD will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio and television broadcasts, and the HKeMobility application.
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements is tasked with holistically co-ordinating and steering the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, as well as strengthening information dissemination to enable the public and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
