Traffic at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge hit peak levels in the first two days of the holiday, with passenger flows exceeding 192,000 and vehicles surpassing 30,000, leading to checkpoint queues sometimes over an hour. Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, honorary life president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association, said on Monday it marked one of the busiest periods in recent years.
Traffic at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge reached peak levels during the first two days of the extended holiday from April 3 to 7 for Easter and Ching Ming Festival, with checkpoint queues sometimes exceeding an hour.
Passenger flows topped 192,000 over Friday and Saturday, while vehicle numbers surpassed 30,000, Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, honorary life president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association, said on Monday. "Many Hong Kong drivers travelling northbound are in groups of three to five, often going in two or three cars," he said, adding that this had put additional pressure on the bridge and its border checkpoint.
The bridge is currently the only crossing point for northbound Hong Kong vehicles but is also used by southbound drivers from mainland China, as well as freight and passenger buses, making it one of the main corridors.
Hong Kong cars travelling north typically require a cross-boundary permit for land checkpoints such as Lok Ma Chau, Shenzhen Bay and Man Kam To. Launched in 2023, the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" scheme allows eligible private cars to enter Guangdong province via the bridge without a traditional permit, subject to preregistration and a daily quota system that adjusts based on projected traffic.