Hong Kong officials ‘learn lesson’ after new year transport chaos, come up with measures to avoid repeat during future mega events
- Government has identified key strategies to ensure smooth cross-border travel during big events in city
- Economist warns more convenient cross-border travel may prove counterproductive for Hong Kong’s economy
Hong Kong officials have “learned a lesson” and come up with measures to avoid a repeat of transport chaos that left thousands of cross-border visitors stranded at new year, including holding a high-level cross-departmental meeting ahead of all future mega events.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Tuesday that he would chair the meetings, among three key strategies to ensure smooth cross-border travel, along with holding discussions with mainland authorities on extending operating hours at checkpoints connected by railway services and increasing the number of 24-hour border crossings.
Chan, flanked by three ministers at a press briefing, said the cross-border stranding of thousands of northbound mainland Chinese visitors was a result of 227,000 tourists – a daily record for 2023 – flocking to the city on New Year’s Eve.
Among them, 26,000 chose to return to mainland China that night through the Lok Ma Chau control point, which caused the bottleneck, a lesson the government had learned, he said.
“After the fireworks [on Sunday night], there were too many people crossing the border to go home through the 24-hour Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang checkpoint, and many travelled by car, which led traffic jams to spill onto San Tin Road,” he said.
“We have come up with three ways to better coordinate transport ahead of future mega events.”
Asked about government measures for the coming Lunar New Year holidays, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said his bureau had learned a lesson and would strengthen cross-departmental collaboration.