Border-crossing car park full up, travelers warned

Authorities scrambled to decongest the Heung Yuen Wai control point carpark as the 450 parking spaces at the port were fully booked on the first weekend after its reopening.

One member blamed the chaos on a booking error.

The car park's website also showed the two parks - one for private cars and motorcycles and the other for freight trucks - are fully booked for the coming week, today to Sunday.

The Government Property Agency said yesterday many cars without advanced booking parked at Heung Yuen Wai on Saturday but failed to leave, despite their reserved time period having expired.

The agency urged motorists traveling to the mainland not to park at the port for a whole day. Drivers who had booked but could not get in were given a refund.

Chief transport officer Daniel Hue Ka-yiu of the Transport Department appealed to citizens crossing the border to use public transportation.

"Citizens planning to use the Heung Yuen Wai control point should take public transport services connecting the port, including bus routes B7, B8, B9 and minibus 59S. We have also reminded public transport operators to enhance services when needed," Hue said.

A staff member at the car park said the parking spaces were overbooked due to an error in the online booking system, causing many cars to wait.

The booking system was locked and it was not known when it could be reopened.

Photos of the full car park showed the site was filled with expensive cars such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Audi and Tesla.

The Heung Yuen Wai control point had served cargo transport since August 2020 and opened to receive travelers on February 6.

People may take public transport, private cars or walk through the pedestrian subway to reach the control point for immigration clearance. The port provides about 450 parking spaces.

A reserved parking space costs HK$9 per hour, HK$70 per day and HK$55 for an overnight stay from 6pm to 8am the following day. People have to make full payment at the time of booking.

The standard parking rates for people without bookings are HK$10 per hour, HK$80 per day and HK$60 for overnight stay.

Some travelers taking buses to the port yesterday morning said they did not see a huge crowd when crossing the border.

"I took the bus route B7 to the port and it was not crowded on the bus," a traveler named Lam said. Another citizen, Lee, who lives in Fan Ling, also crossed the border via the Heung Yuen Wai port yesterday.

"I am wondering if the port is convenient on weekends and holidays. I live in Fanling and I want to know how the new port is different from Lo Wu," Lee said.

New People's Party's lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king yesterday urged the government to only allow travelers with advanced bookings to park at the Heung Yuen Wai port.

"The public car park at the Heung Yuen Wai port was fully booked on the first weekend following its reopening. Some drivers with bookings could not even park there due to the chaotic arrangement," Lee said.

"The Transport Department should fully adopt a booking system at the port's car park and only receive private cars with bookings," he said.