Allowing vehicles from Guangdong province to enter Hong Kong’s South Lantau must be approached with “caution,” Hong Kong’s transport chief has told lawmakers.
At a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said that authorities would have to consult local residents and the district council, citing recent cases of vehicles from Guangdong illegally entering the restricted scenic roads on rural South Lantau.
Addressing a question from lawmaker and rural leader Kenneth Lau, Chan said: “Regarding reviews of quotas and other potential improvements for self-drive tours on Lantau going forward, we will cautiously and carefully monitor the situation. We will also consult and explore options with local residents and the Islands District Council.”
Vehicles under the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme have been operating smoothly, and testing centres in Guangdong have provided drivers with information on Hong Kong’s traffic rules, she added.
Under the southbound travel scheme, which took effect in December, up to 100 private cars from Guangdong province are permitted daily to drive into Hong Kong’s urban areas via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and stay for a maximum of three days.
The transport minister had previously touted the scheme as a boon for Hong Kong’s economy, driving tourism and trade while enhancing “integration” for citizens in both regions.
The government launched the Driving on Lantau Island Scheme in 2016, allowing a daily quota of 50 private cars to access closed roads to Ngong Ping, Tai O, Cheung Sha and Mui Wo on weekdays. The second phase was launched in 2022, with the daily quota increased from 25 to 50.
Under the scheme, some 12,000 quotas are available for allocation each year, with all of them filled.
Citing official figures, Chan said that the Transport Department received about 84,000 applications in 2023 and about 30,000 in each of the subsequent two years. She attributed the high number from three years ago to pandemic-related travel restrictions that limited residents to local tourism.
Responding to a suggestion by lawmaker Chan Hok-fung to extend South Lantau permits from one day to two or three days, the transport minister said the authorities would look into extending the permit period to include weekends.
But she added that any quota extensions must balance tourism development and local residents’ traffic concerns.
