GBA mega bridge sees increased private travel

Traffic over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has increased significantly since July, following implementation of the northbound travel program and an inbound and outbound travel peak during summer.

The daily number of vehicles including passenger cars and trucks, which enter or leave the Chinese mainland via the bridge, hit 8,832 in July, according to the Gongbei Customs in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

On Sunday alone, the number of inbound and outbound vehicles traveling across the bridge reached a record high to surpass 10,000, according to data from customs.

"It takes only one hour to drive from Hong Kong to Zhuhai, which I need to visit frequently to do business," said a businessman surnamed Chan from Hong Kong.

Convenient customs clearance and advanced supporting facilities through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will help incentivize more private car owners from the two special administrative regions to travel northbound to the mainland, according to Chan.

The northbound travel program for Macao and Hong Kong vehicles traveling via the mega sea-crossing bridge, which connects Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai, took effect on Jan 1 and July 1, respectively.

With the increased number of car owners obtaining customs clearance qualifications, it is expected that the maximum daily traffic volume at ports will continue to rise, according to the customs.