LCQ17: Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hok-fung and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk, in the Legislative Council today (December 18):
 
Question:
 
     Recently some members of the public have relayed to me that there is room for improvement in the clearance arrangements and facilities at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether the Government will study reserving a small number of daily quotas under the Quota-free Scheme for Hong Kong Private Cars Travelling to Guangdong via the HZMB for use by those who have an urgent need to go north on the same day after paying the relevant administrative fees; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as some members of the public have relayed that they had been made to wait for an extra of at least 15 minutes or more when queuing up for clearance at the HZMB Hong Kong Port, and they subsequently learnt that it was the time of shift changeover of staff, whether the authorities have provided guidelines for frontline staff currently, so that waiting vehicles are transferred to other queues during shift changeovers; if not, of the reasons for that;
 
(3) of the number of disputes involving vehicles queuing up for clearance at the HZMB Hong Kong Port that have occurred in the past year, and, among such cases, the number of those relating to the work handover during shift changeovers of port staff; whether the Government will deploy more staff for on-site co-ordination during peak hours or the time of shift changeovers;
 
(4) as it is learnt that the HZMB Zhuhai Port adopts a queuing arrangement of aggregating all vehicles waiting for clearance into a single queue before distributing them evenly among three kiosks, so as to even out the waiting time of each vehicle, whether the Government will adopt similar measures; if so, of the implementation timetable;
 
(5) as some members of the public have relayed that there are insufficient toilet cubicles at the HZMB Hong Kong Port and there is room for improvement in the hygiene conditions, whether the Government will provide more of the relevant facilities shortly; and
 
(6) as it is proposed under the Administrative Measures for Motor Vehicles of Guangdong Province Entering and Exiting the Automated Car Parks at Hong Kong Port via the HZMB Zhuhai Port (Draft for comments) issued by the Department of Transport of Guangdong Province last month that entering and exiting the automated car parks at Hong Kong Port via the HZMB Zhuhai Port should be made the first stage of the Guangdong private cars coming to Hong Kong scheme, and there are views that the knowledge of motorists from other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area about the road traffic rules in Hong Kong may be varied, whether the Government will require those who apply for the scheme to watch videos serving to popularise the road traffic rules in Hong Kong beforehand, so as to ensure driving safety?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the scheme) has been well received by the public since its implementation on July 1 last year. Cross-boundary passengers and vehicles using the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port have been continuously on the rise. The Government has been closely monitoring the operation of the control point and has made arrangements as appropriate to cope with the increasing service demands.
 
     In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, and the Health Bureau, my reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hok-fung is as follows:
 
(1)  To ensure smooth implementation of the scheme, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have agreed that northbound Hong Kong vehicles must reserve a specified date and time for travelling via the specified booking system. For each reservation received, it will take some time for the Transport Department (TD) to consolidate relevant information for transferring to the computer system of the relevant departments of both Hong Kong and the Mainland sides, so as to inform them whether bookings have been made for the vehicles passing through the port. To allow greater flexibility in travel arrangement, the TD has enhanced the booking arrangements since February 2024 by significantly shortening the time required for travel booking, from two calendar days to at/before noon on one calendar day before departure. The TD is paying close attention to the implementation of the scheme in collaboration with the relevant authorities of Hong Kong and the Mainland. Enhancement measures will be considered and implemented in a timely manner to provide greater convenience and better travel experience to citizens.
            
(2) to (4) The Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration Department, and the Department of Health, which implement customs clearance, immigration control and quarantine measures at the HZMB Hong Kong Port, jointly manage the operations of the private car clearance kiosks. The departments stay in close communication to adjust the number of immigration vehicle lanes in a timely manner having regard to the traffic flow of various types of cross-boundary vehicles in order to maintain a smooth operation at the port. During shift changeovers, staff of the relevant departments take over the operation of the clearance kiosks in an immediate manner to ensure that the services and operations of all vehicle lanes will not be affected. Therefore, shift changeovers of staff will not cause extra queuing time. Over the past year, the relevant departments have not recorded any dispute cases involving or stemming from vehicles queuing up for clearance.
 
     The relevant departments of the HZMB Hong Kong Port will continue to implement various enhancement measures to increase the clearance capacity of the control point, such as flexibly deploying manpower, making use of innovative technology, optimising workflow, exploring various queuing methods, and operating additional private car clearance kiosks during the rush hours of peak periods to cope with the service demands. They will notify the staff of the venue management services company as appropriate for on-site co-ordination should the circumstances so warrant, with a view to ensuring that cross-boundary private vehicles can queue up for clearance in a safe and smooth manner.
 
(5)  Currently, there are 26 sets of toilets in total inside the Passenger Clearance Building (PCB) of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. In this connection, the Government Property Agency (GPA) has required the contractor to clean the toilets in a timely manner having regard to their hygiene conditions. The GPA will continue to review the usage and hygiene conditions of the toilets inside the PCB and will discuss with the relevant departments on the feasibility of increasing the toilet facilities as necessary. Meanwhile, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will monitor the usage of its public toilets and enhance the cleansing work. It also plans to set up additional portable toilets near the public toilets during peak periods to meet the needs of travellers.
 
(6)  The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) is developing the automated car parks located on the HZMB Hong Kong Port Island. Upon arrival of Hong Kong Port Island via the HZMB, vehicles will access the automated car parks directly through designated routes, with clear traffic signs set up along the routes. The AAHK will also remind the applicants about the relevant road traffic rules of Hong Kong through the car park booking system.