Transport chief pledges to ensure road safety under southbound travel scheme
發佈日期: 2025-10-17 23:21
TVB News
Authorities are set to roll out the Southbound Travel Scheme next month.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the government will provide mainland drivers with information on Hong Kong traffic rules through pamphlets, promotional videos and mobile apps.
The Southbound Travel Scheme will begin with a daily quota of 100 Guangdong motorists who are allowed to enter the city and stay up to three days.
However, on the mainland, cars are driven on the right-hand side of the road while Hong Kong is a left-hand drive city.
Mainland drivers must familiarise themselves with the traffic regulations in Hong Kong.
At the Legislative Council's transport panel meeting today, some lawmakers expressed concerns over traffic violations.
Councillor Chau Siu-chung said, "Would you have a mechanism for the payment of fines? Will there be convenient payment options avaliable for one to pay the fines? Before they leave Hong Kong, can we find out whether they have paid the fines so that we can stop them from leaving?"
Mable Chan said, "We do provide e-payment means for one to pay fines. If people have breached the law, we do have arrangements with Guangdong authorities to share information."
Lawmaker Andrew Lam said, "I see that you are going to tell mainland drivers how to read the traffic signs in Hong Kong. But in a lot of times, mainland drivers simply follow the navigation system. That is a cultural gap or cultural difference."
Mable Chan said, "On the mainland, there are roads that allow cars to make U-turns. This is permitted on the mainland. For Hong Kong, roads here are narrow and we may not allow drivers to make U-turns on every road. For these kinds of details, we have to tell the mainland drivers. We will roll out travel guide as well as drivng guide for the mainland drivers. We have already produced several short videos. We will also make use of apps."
The transport chief also noted statistics showed that the accident rate on the mainland is lower than that of Hong Kong, adding that seminars will be held on the mainland to educate drivers on what they must pay attention to when driving in Hong Kong.
