Border queues frustrate holiday returnees

Motorists had to wait at least two hours at the Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on Monday on their return to Hong Kong from the mainland after the Chung Yeung Festival long weekend.

Hong Kong recorded over 664,000 inbound passengers on the last day of the festival, with about 576,000 Hongkongers returning to the city, according to the Immigration Department.

More than 82,000 people entered Hong Kong via the mega bridge on Monday, of which 71,790 were returning local residents.

On Monday evening some drivers posted online that it took them at least two hours to get to the border inspection station as there was a traffic jam in the Gongbei Tunnel in Zhuhai, and others said they arrived in Hong Kong after midnight.

Other checkpoints - Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Shenzhen Bay Port, and the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus - also saw long waiting lines.

A Facebook user posted around 10pm Monday that it might take four hours to get back home as the lobby of Shenzhen Bay Port was crowded with people returning to Hong Kong, and they still had to line up for buses and taxis after crossing the border.

"All 100 turnstiles in Futian port were open, with about 100 people queuing to pass each turnstile," posted another online, who said it took about one hour to pass the border.

Many said they needed to arrive at the high-speed railway station two hours before departure to ensure they could catch the train.

More than 130,000 outbound travelers left Hong Kong through the West Kowloon station from Saturday to Monday, and about 49,000 came to Hong Kong by high-speed rail on Monday.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said yesterday that the government would continue to review ways to streamline the cross-border process, in order to ease congestion at checkpoints.

He acknowledged that the government needs effective crowd management measures but claimed the large influx at West Kowloon station proved "the success of the government's efforts to promote integration with the mainland."

"We hope to bring good traveling experiences to every visitor, but we have to balance between safety and convenience when making measures," Lee said, adding that it is inevitable that waiting time will increase when there are more travelers.

Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei called on the government to allocate more staff to help ease overcrowding during holidays in the short term and reduce baggage checks to just one at West Kowloon Station.

Leung also proposed to allow passengers to get on the train at other stations besides the Futian high-speed rail station one hour before departure or within one hour after the train leaves.

Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu said authorities may have underestimated the number of people coming back as not all counters were open in some ports. He also appealed to the government to increase high-speed rail trains, as many rushed to other ports after train tickets sold out.

Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan urged officials to extend the opening hours of land ports. He advised changing the closing time of the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint from 10pm to midnight and allowing people 24-hour access to Shenzhen Bay Port Heung and Yuen Wai Port.

He also suggested a single-identity-card-check model under which travelers could complete ID verifications of the two places at one counter.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com