Cross-border traffic jam at Hong Kong's New Lok Ma Chau checkpoint after Halloween events
A surge of mainland Chinese tourists returning from Halloween events and a concert in Hong Kong caused severe congestion at the New Lok Ma Chau checkpoint overnight on 25 October. Industry figures blame cross-border private cars and suggest dedicated bus lanes to ease the bottleneck.
Large numbers of mainland Chinese tourists who attended Halloween activities or a concert at the Kai Tak Sports Park last night created severe congestion at the New Lok Ma Chau (Sun Kong) checkpoint as they returned to Shenzhen. Online footage showed a long queue of private cars waiting to cross the border outside the joint inspection building, with traffic backed up from San Tin to the checkpoint. In Mong Kok, long queues also formed at direct coach stops serving the New Lok Ma Chau route.
Choi Sun-kei, chairman of the Hong Kong Non-Franchised Bus Association and deputy general manager of Cross-Border Express, said that from around 11 pm, large numbers of taxis and cross-border private cars headed for the New Lok Ma Chau checkpoint, causing congestion on San Tin Road near the San Tin Transport Interchange. He noted that private cars holding permits for Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok, Heung Yuen Wai, and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints were allowed to use the New Lok Ma Chau checkpoint in the early hours, which he believed contributed to the jam. He suggested setting up dedicated lanes for buses and coaches.
Chui Ting-pong, secretary-general of the Tourism Promotion Society, also attributed the congestion to the high volume of cross-border private cars using the New Lok Ma Chau checkpoint. He predicted that more mainland tourists would visit Hong Kong for Halloween events this coming Saturday and Sunday. He recommended that authorities implement traffic control measures from around 8 pm on peak days, such as establishing priority lanes for buses and coaches on San Tin Road near Yuen Long's Kam Tin Garden and on Fanling Road near Sheung Shui.
