Hong Kong to prioritise public transport at Huanggang Port over Halloween weekend

Hong Kong authorities will give public transport priority at Huanggang Port this Halloween weekend, warning that cross-border private car travellers could face wait times exceeding an hour during late-night peak hours.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the peak departure window for outbound passengers and vehicles at the 24-hour control point would be 11pm to 2am across the three nights from Friday to Sunday.

He urged residents and visitors to avoid peak-hour crossings and use public transport instead, saying the nearby access roads and San Tin Highway could be heavily congested.

Hong Kong is hosting citywide Halloween celebrations, Canadian singer The Weeknd’s concert at 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium and the Wine and Dine Festival mega-event, prompting concerns of a similar traffic bottleneck that emerged last weekend.

“Through measures such as designated public transport lanes and police traffic controls, we will prioritise high-capacity franchised buses, green minibuses, and cross-boundary coaches. Put simply, public transport will be given priority clearance,” he said.

He added that private cars would be directed to the vehicular holding area to wait for clearance at control points, in case of congestion.

Speaking after a cross-departmental meeting on Wednesday, Chan said Huanggang could handle about 360 cross-boundary vehicles per hour, once all the vehicular inspection lanes were opened, based on an average clearance time of around two minutes per car.

But in the early hours of last Saturday, nearly 1,000 cross-boundary private cars crossed northbound via Huanggang Port within two hours, “far exceeding our capacity”, he said.

As a result, authorities opened vehicular holding areas to regulate flow, causing private cars to wait longer.

He appealed to visitors to adjust their trips by staying in the city for one to two more nights, adding the hotel room supply was sufficient. He also said discounts in different restaurants, bars and retailers would be offered to ticket holders of The Weeknd concert and Wine and Dine Festival.

“If everyone is going to be stuck in traffic for an hour, why not spend an extra hour having fun in Lan Kwai Fong instead? Wouldn’t that be better than sitting in a car idling for an hour?” he said.

Chan also said police and the Transport Department would step up enforcement action against illegal cross-border hired cars. The drivers would be prosecuted and their cars would be confiscated. He also said their closed area permits would be invalidated and the cases would be referred to authorities in Shenzhen for further action.

He said passengers would risk not being covered by insurance in case of any accidents as these hired cars were illegal.

Chan also said both police and Transport Department would enhance information released to the visitors about the situation at Huanggang Port.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said all the lanes for both vehicles and visitors at all the control ports would be opened before peak hours. The government would also ensure sufficient manpower for police, immigration and customs to handle the situation.

The government’s Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre and a frontline control centre at Huanggang would also be activated at noon on Friday to monitor the situation, he said.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said authorities would enhance cross-border bus services over the weekend. She said 40 buses would be reserved to enhance route SP12, which runs from Kai Tak Stadium to Huanggang.

The service of another route B13, which runs from Hong Kong Island to Huanggang, would also be enhanced after 11pm. A new route that runs from Central to Huanggang would be introduced between 1am and 4am.

Another 20 to 30 buses would be reserved for each of the five existing bus routes running from Mong Kok, Wan Chai, Jordan, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan to Huanggang, to enhance their early hours services.

Authorities had also requested some non-franchised cross-border bus operators to enhance their services, she said.