On the second weekend since the opening of the new Huanggang Port, it coincided with Canadian superstar The Weeknd holding concerts for two consecutive days (Oct. 24 and 25) at Kai Tak Main Stadium, plus Halloween costume parties held early across multiple districts in Hong Kong, causing a surge in both foot and vehicle traffic. After the events ended the night before last, there was heavy congestion on the roads leading to the new Huanggang Port in the early hours of yesterday, with the queue of vehicles at one point stretching to the San Tin Interchange. Large numbers of travellers waited at cross-boundary bus stops, with some waiting for as long as an hour.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan said yesterday that he had instructed the Security Bureau to ensure safe, efficient and orderly port operations, and to open additional inspection counters and vehicle lanes early before peaks, and had asked the Transport and Logistics Bureau to continue closely coordinating with operators to reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower for flexible deployment.
According to online photos, cross-boundary bus stops in Mong Kok had long queues in the early hours, with the line at one point extending from Arran Street to Portland Street; passengers had to wait for six or seven buses before they could board. The direct bus stop to Huanggang at one point had over a hundred people queuing, and the queue had still not cleared by around 2 am. A long queue of vehicles also appeared on San Tin Highway towards Huanggang, and the port's buffer zone was filled with private cars waiting to cross.
In a post on social media, Eric Chan said he had made a special trip yesterday to inspect Shenzhen Bay Port and Huanggang Port on the ground, and had instructed the Security Bureau to continue making every effort to ensure safe, efficient and orderly port operations, to keep up advance assessment and passenger flow forecasting, and to open additional inspection counters and vehicle lanes early before peaks in crossing foot and vehicle traffic. He asked the Transport and Logistics Bureau to continue closely coordinating with public transport operators, supervising them to make preparations, including reserving sufficient vehicles and manpower and deploying them flexibly according to passenger flow, to meet the transport needs of cross-boundary travellers.
He said that major events and festive activities inject momentum into Hong Kong while also constantly changing cross-boundary transport and border-crossing travel patterns. He called on travellers to plan their trips in advance and travel at off-peak times, and suggested that after attending events they might consider staying overnight in Hong Kong to comfortably experience the city's diverse culture, urban vitality and festive atmosphere.
In response to media enquiries yesterday, a government spokesman said that to cope with the flow of travellers entering and leaving via Huanggang Port over the weekend, the Security Bureau had set up a forward command post in advance together with port departments and the Transport Department to coordinate cross-departmental real-time and on-site collaboration. At midnight, because most ports had already closed after the large concert at Kai Tak Sports Park ended, and Halloween events were being held in Central and other districts, the volume of northbound vehicles and travellers via Huanggang Port increased significantly. In response, the Transport Department had supervised cross-boundary bus and franchised bus operators to increase frequencies.
Night traffic was twice the normal weekend level
For northbound travellers, between midnight and 2 am on the Oct. 25, a total of 14,760 travellers crossed, an increase of 212% over the same period previously; during the peak period from midnight to 1 am, 9,375 people departed, an increase of 176%. All channels in the L5 departures hall had been opened early, with waiting times of about five to ten minutes during the midnight peak, and overall crossing was smooth and orderly.
For northbound vehicles, the number of taxis and private cars began to increase significantly from 11:30 pm on the Oct. 24. Between midnight and 2 am on the Oct. 25, about 1,200 vehicles headed to Huanggang Port, twice the normal weekend volume.
In response to the concert and Halloween activities, the Transport Department had supervised cross-boundary bus and franchised bus operators to increase frequencies, and police also activated a contingency plan immediately. The spokesman said the Security Bureau would continue to monitor port foot and vehicle traffic together with relevant departments, take timely measures, and open additional inspection counters and lanes early before peaks; the Transport Department would supervise public transport operators to reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower and deploy them flexibly according to passenger flow.
LegCo member proposes more 24-hour ports
LegCo member Perry Yiu said that traffic was overly concentrated, with too many vehicles arriving at the same time, and that drivers unfamiliar with the roads and slower speeds easily created bottlenecks, lengthening the vehicle queue. He believed there was still room to improve real-time border-crossing information, especially as this weekend, besides Halloween, also features events such as the Wine and Dine Festival, so traffic may be even busier. He called on the SAR government to convene a cross-departmental meeting to discuss countermeasures, and in the long run to consider adding more 24-hour ports.
Cheung Kim-ping, vice-chairman of theTheHong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association, acknowledged that although the new Huanggang Port's internal space had expanded and public transport routes had increased, the road capacity had not improved, and too many cross-boundary private cars entering at the same time had overloaded the roads around San Tin, making it difficult to absorb the huge flow of people and vehicles. Once the roads were jammed, increasing bus frequencies would be useless, he said, suggesting the government review the road infrastructure around the port as soon as possible.
He said frankly that setting up 24-hour ports is highly difficult to operate, as night-time passenger flow on ordinary days is limited. He suggested temporarily extending the service hours of Shenzhen Bay Port on peak days such as concerts and festivals to divert pressure, and noted that large numbers of illegal unlicensed hire cars use the new Huanggang Port at dawn — with low passenger capacity but hundreds of vehicles on the road at the same time, already enough to paralyse the roads leading to the port. He hoped the government would crack down strictly.
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The Weeknd adds two more shows at Kai Tak: Pre-sale begins today at noon (link included)
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