Macau (MNA) – The Macau government announced on Wednesday that the first day of traffic operations of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HMZB) has passed normally and with no major incidents.
“As far as I know everything is going okay […].There will always traffic lines, in the first day maybe things won’t go perfectly but fort he first day i think everything is going fine,” the Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo Arrais do Rosário.
The HMZB Macau border checkpoint opened for operations today at 9:00 am with some 8,619 entries and exits registered until 4:00 pm, including 1,249 to and from the Zhuhai side and 7,165 to and from Hong Kong, as well as 205 people who entered through the vehicle corridors. The average waiting period for immigration procedures was said to be at 20 seconds.
In regard to vehicles authorised to cross the Macau Customs border, a total of 46 vehicles were said to have entered the Macau side – including Hong Kong vehicles – until 3:00 pm with 59 vehicle exits being registered.
The Transport Bureau (DSAT) indicated that drivers of heavy vehicles considered that the signaling in the border area was clear, while private vehicles pointed out it was insufficient, especially in the curves of the corridors.
‘More provisional signaling will be added and later permanent signage will be affixed. DSAT will continue to review the work, listen to different opinions and improve orderly circulation and safety measures,’ the department stated.
A lot of attention was also given to traffic in Rua da Pérola Oriental in the Areia Preta North District near the entry point with the artificial island Macau border checkpoint, with the Public Security Police (CPSP) designating more police officers to maintain order, and with DSAT collecting data on the flow of vehicles in circulation.
DSAT also vowed that medium and long-term improvement measures will be initiated ‘as soon as possible’ and that it hoped they could be finalized within 120 days in order to start the next phase of traffic improvement constructions in the area.
In regard to the number of cross border rental vehicles allowed to drive between Hong Kong and Macau, the DSAT head, Lam Hin San, indicated that an agreement was reached with the Hong Kong government to increase the number of vehicles.
At the moment Hong Kong holds 60 quotas for cross-border rental vehicles with circulation allowed in Macau, while Macau holding 40 quotas for Hong Kong, with Lam considering that the number of quotas is still ‘temporary’.
A total of 113 shuttle buses between border checkpoints in the Hong Kong-Macau route were said to have circulated in the HMZB until 3:00pm, bringing a total of 4,742 passengers, while some 21 cross-border buses made the route and carrying 833 passengers.
Meanwhile, some 288 cars and motorcycles parked at the border artificial island West parking lot during the same period.
