The Guangdong government’s 2025 policy plan includes the aim of “steadily promoting the southbound travel for Guangdong cars”, a topic which Hong Kong and Macau representatives discussed during the recently concluded two sessions of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee – and in an interview with the Post yesterday, Transport Consultative Council member Chester Ku Heng Cheong said that the policy is crucial for enhancing economic development and urban connectivity in line with the nation’s development.
The implementation of “Macau cars going north” has been in place for over two years, while the “Hong Kong Vehicles Heading North” has also been in effect for nearly two years. There have been numerous reports about the proposed southbound travel of Guangdong cars to be implemented in both Hong Kong and Macau soon, but progress has been slow. It wasn’t until early November last year that the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation drafted a document on the matter, and by mid-November the Hong Kong authorities announced that the first phase would arrange for drivers from Guangdong and Macau to park their vehicles at designated transfer and visitor parking areas in Hong Kong, with the goal of implementation by early this year.
At the beginning of this year, the Hong Kong authorities reaffirmed that details of the policy were expected to be announced within this year. According to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation, the first phase of southbound travel for Guangdong vehicles is planned to use the parking area at the Hong Kong checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge meaning that the respective vehicles will not be allowed to enter other urban areas in Hong Kong, returning via the same route upon departure.
In an interview with the Post in Zape, Ku pointed out that the policies of “southbound travel of Guangdong vehicles,” “northbound travel of Macau vehicles,” and “northbound travel of Hong Kong vehicles” are interrelated and have been designed to complement the operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. He cited official data indicating that “this mutually beneficial northbound policy has allowed residents of Hong Kong and Macau to enjoy greater convenience in crossing borders, particularly stimulating consumption in Zhuhai and other cities in Guangdong,” noting that with the implementation of the policies for northbound travel of Macau and Hong Kong cars, the passenger capacity has meanwhile reached about 60 percent of the design capacity of the bridge, demonstrating that the bridge has not yet fully realised its actual benefits.
Therefore, he emphasised, “promoting the southbound travel of Guangdong vehicles is not only necessary but also a trend for future development”.
Talking about the possible impact of the policy on Macau’s traffic pressure and flow, Ku pointed out that the first phase of the southbound travel for Guangdong vehicles primarily involves parking at the bridge’s checkpoint and does not allow vehicles from the neighbouring province to enter the city, while the traffic pressure in both Hong Kong and Macau regions is expected to be manageable so that the impact would not be significant. He insisted that promoting the southbound travel for Guangdong vehicles will not cause a major surge in traffic pressure in Hong Kong and Macau.
‘There’s room for govt to improve its software facilities’
Ku also said that Macau’s hardware facilities in receiving the Guangdong vehicles have meanwhile matured, but “on the other hand, Macau’s software may need to be slowly optimised”. Ku added he believed that with the implementation of allowing the southbound travel of Guangdong vehicles, more mainland tourists would enter Macau through Hong Kong in the future: “Macau’s infrastructure development has progressed relatively quickly, with the establishment of the East Carpark in Macau during the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. However, the vehicular flow from this carpark to Macau’s various neighbourhoods still needs improvement…Finding effective ways to distribute visitors to different communities in Macau and further stimulate the community economy remains a challenge that needs to be addressed in the future”.
Concerning the point that many Macau residents appear to be concerned that after the implementation of the mutual recognition of mainlanders’ driving licences and the “southbound travel for Guangdong vehicles” policy, the differences in driving habits between the mainland and Macau may pose challenges, Ku said: “Just like now with Macau vehicles travelling north, we have already adapted to the mainland’s driving environment. Conversely, I believe that mainland drivers coming to Macau will also find adaptation manageable”.
However, he pointed out the differences in driving environments and habits, emphasising the government’s necessity to optimise the situation in terms of software, including accelerating the study and implementation of transfer discounts between buses and the light rail transit (LRT) system, considering the extension of the LRT and other transport options to the Macau-side of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint, and actively researching the introduction of smart parking meters and e-payment via WeChat mini-programs.
Macau has its unique advantages of being smaller in size and having shorter travelling time, making it suitable for short-haul and weekend visitors, Ku said. However, he was quick to add that in order to attract a high-end clientele in the future, it was necessary to raise tourists’ spending level, saying he believed that having Guangdong vehicles travelling southbound will help boost Macau’s economy.
He called on the government to make use of the opportunity to turn Macau into a transit point for mainland visitors to facilitate their travel to other destinations in Southeast Asia and, at the same time, make use of the opportunity of the southward movement of Guangdong vehicles to develop Macau’s civil aviation industry and attract high-end tourists to spend more money in Macau.
Transport Consultative Council member Chester Ku Heng Cheong poses after yesterday’s interview with the Post in Zape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
This file photo taken last year shows vehicles on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. – Photo: Xinhua
