The government will open nine back-up lanes at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) vehicular checkpoint during peak traffic periods, with a maximum of 18 lanes operating at the same time, to cope with the traffic during the upcoming Labour Day “Golden Week”, the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) Public Administration Affairs Monitoring Committee President Zheng Anting said yesterday.
The mainland’s Labour Day “Golden Week” will run from Saturday through next Wednesday.
Zheng made the remarks during a press conference after the committee’s closed-door meeting with Macau Customs Service Director-General Vong Man Chong, Public Security Police (PSP) Commissioner Ng Kam Wa and other government officials.
Vong told reporters on the sidelines of the closed-door meeting it was estimated that it would take an average of one minute for each vehicle per lane to pass the checkpoint after the government’s optimisation work on the HZMB Macau Port.
Zheng said that the government was taking various short-term measures to improve the traffic situation in the area, including the widening of Avenida de Tun Seng, which connects the Zone A land reclamation area and the man-made island where the HZMB Macau and Zhuhai immigration checkpoints are located, which will be finished by Friday, making it a two-way-four-lane road.
Zheng quoted Vong as apologising for the traffic congestion during the Ching Ming holiday on April 5, noting that it was due to a large number of vehicles travelling to the mainland following the then recent implementation of the “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy.
Zheng said that the government will optimise the registration plate recognition system that is used to identify vehicle registration plates at the HZMB checkpoint, with a view to increasing the success rate of the identification from 70 to 99 percent, adding that it will also train backup staff and deploy technicians on public holidays when the traffic is busy.
In addition, as Zhuhai will no longer limit the daily Macau-Zhuhai commute via Gongbei and Qingmao checkpoints from Monday, Vong said, the Customs Service expects an increase in commuters at the respective immigration checkpoints, adding that it has been working with the Public Security Police (PSP) to prepare for a possible rush of travellers during the upcoming May Day holiday period.
Vong also said that the Customs Service will keep a close eye out for suspected parallel traders after Zhuhai lifted its curbs on commuting between the two cities on Monday, adding that the number of parallel traders had decreased compared to the COVID-19 pandemic period.
The Legislative Assembly’s (AL) Public Administration Affairs Monitoring Committee President Zheng Anting (left) and the committee’s secretary Lei Chan U address yesterday’s meeting in the legislative chamber. – Photo: Ginnie Liang
