Queues stretch past an hour as traffic jams hit mega bridge during Easter, Ching Ming

Traffic at the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge reached peak levels during the first two days of the Easter and Ching Ming holidays, with checkpoint queues sometimes exceeding an hour, raising concerns about whether current clearance arrangements can handle surging demand.Passenger flows exceeded 192,000 over the first two days, while vehicle numbers surpassed 30,000, marking one of the busiest periods at the cross-boundary bridge in recent years, Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, honorary life president of the China Hong Kong Automobile Association, said on Monday.“Many Hong Kong drivers travelling northbound are in groups of three to five, often going in two or three cars,” he noted, adding that this had put additional pressure on the bridge and its border checkpoint.“The bridge is currently the only crossing point for northbound Hong Kong vehicles, but it is also used by other drivers, such as those in southbound vehicles from Mainland China, as well as freight and passenger buses … it is one of the main corridors.”Hong Kong cars travelling north typically require a cross-boundary permit to use land checkpoints such as Lok Ma Chau, Shenzhen Bay and Man Kam To. The bridge is currently the only route open to ordinary private vehicles under the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme.Launched in 2023, the scheme allows eligible private cars in Hong Kong to enter Guangdong via the bridge without a traditional cross-boundary permit, subject to preregistration and a daily quota system that adjusts based on projected traffic.Lee warned that congestion remained a major concern during peak periods, with checkpoint queues sometimes exceeding an hour, particularly as passengers must disembark for immigration clearance while drivers waited in their vehicles.