Opinion | Open southbound car travel with caution

Thanks to the accelerating drive for cross-border integration, tens of thousands of Hong Kong motorists have benefited from a special scheme that started in July last year which gives their vehicles direct access to Guangdong province. However, the same convenience has yet to be extended to mainland drivers, who are to enter the city in phases under tighter restrictions. While there is probably room to align the arrangements in the longer term, the city’s limited space and traffic capacity must be taken into account.

Eyebrows were raised following a call by Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to overcome barriers in the roll-out of the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles” during a local briefing. Elaborating on the spirit of the Communist Party of China’s third plenum, which stresses the importance for the city to embrace national development, the mainland official noted that “some measures” would have to be taken to facilitate southbound travel, and pointed to the new road link between Zhongshan and Shenzhen to underscore the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge’s “enormous potential”.

Only several hundred Macau and Guangdong vehicles will be allowed to come via the bridge and park at a facility near the airport under the first phase of the southbound scheme, to be launched by the end of this year or in early 2025. Thus, the travel convenience and economic benefits of the scheme are limited. Meanwhile, the northbound arrangement has benefited some 64,000 vehicles.

The lack of detail or a timetable for the second stage has raised concerns whether the city can cope with a bigger influx if the vehicles are eventually allowed to reach other parts of the city. But given greater southbound access also will bring wider economic benefits, there is no reason why authorities should not explore such a move. This also could make better use of the mega bridge, which is still underutilised during weekdays. There have been calls to allow mainland and Macau motorists to travel on Lantau Island under a quota system, or for park-and-ride facilities to enable travel to other parts of the city via urban railways. Officials should explore ways to reduce hurdles and promote cross-border travel and integration, taking into account the city’s capacity and constraints.