Guangdong vehicles to be allowed into Hong Kong urban areas ‘in phases' as gov't vows to strengthen safeguards
Vehicles from neighbouring Guangdong province in mainland China will be allowed into Hong Kong's urban areas 'in phases' in a move to ease travel arrangements, transport chief Mable Chan has said, adding that authorities are drafting application procedures and guidelines.
The government aims to roll out the 'Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles' scheme by the end of this year, Chan said in an interview with state-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po on Monday.
Initially, mainland vehicles will only be allowed to park at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Chan said. Mainland drivers can then transit to nearby Hong Kong International Airport or use public transport to get to other districts.
The city's government would later allow Guangdong vehicles to drive into the urban areas of Hong Kong 'in phases,' Chan said, without disclosing a timeline or the definition of 'urban areas.'
She said authorities on both sides were considering the quota for vehicles, the border crossing arrangements, and support facilities.
Authorities will strengthen risk management, requesting Guangdong drivers to comply with Hong Kong laws, ensure the safety of their vehicles, and buy relevant insurance cover.
Mainland China drives on the right while the former British colony of Hong Kong drives on the left.
Chan headed to Guangdong on Monday for further talks on the scheme.
A scheme prolonged
Hong Kong introduced the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles on July 1, 2023, with local cars allowed to cross the border and drive into Guangdong province.
Four months later, the then-transport and logistics chief Lam Sai-hung announced that the government would introduce the southbound scheme by 2024.
Lam said at that time that Guangdong drivers would only be allowed to park at Hong Kong Port at the end of the bridge. Since Hong Kong was relatively small and crowded, authorities had not yet set a schedule for Guangdong vehicles to enter urban areas.
In May, former Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in a Facebook post questioned why authorities were delaying the scheme.
'To do something, you only need one reason; not to do something, you will have a hundred reasons. The scheme of Guangdong vehicles for southbound travel has been prolonged due to a hundred reasons,' Leung wrote in Cantonese.
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