Hongkongers face ‘most serious’ traffic delays in mainland China in years at start of ‘super golden week’ holiday
Cross-border bus association claims up to 90 per cent of coach services halted by heavy congestion along Guangzhou-Shenzhen motorway
Throngs of Hong Kong tourists and coach operators were held back in the city due to serious traffic jams clogging up a key motorway linking neighbouring Guangdong province at the start of the country’s “super golden week” holiday over the weekend.
The Hong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association on Sunday morning said that up to 90 per cent of coach services had to be halted due to heavy congestion along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, which connects Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen.
Shenzhen’s traffic police had been warning motorists via Weibo since Saturday that it was taking more than 10 hours to get from Shenzhen to Guangzhou and suggested drivers take alternative routes.
Political rancour and handover events boost Hong Kong’s ‘golden week’ visitor numbers
“This must be the year with the highest number of people on the road because too many people are going home,” it said in a post. Traditionally, Mid-Autumn festival is a popular time in China to visit one’s family.
Association secretary general Cheung Kim-ping said about 200 scheduled bus trips covering more than a dozen routes had to be temporarily suspended, affecting 5,000 to 6,000 cross-border travellers.
The main problem was a backlog in coaches and drivers returning to the city.
From Guangzhou and Zhongshan, about 99 per cent of bus companies have stopped services
“It’s serious,” Cheung said. “We set off at 6pm last night [Saturday] and did not arrive until [Sunday] morning. It took more than 10 hours to get to Guangzhou [from Hong Kong].” He estimated that about 99 per cent of bus companies had stopped services from Guangzhou and Zhongshan.
