​In response to media enquiries on “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” (the Scheme), a Government spokesman gave the following response today (May 1):

     The governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong announced at noon today that the Scheme will be open for application from eligible Hong Kong private cars from 9am on June 1 this year, and approved Hong Kong private cars will be allowed to travel between Hong Kong and Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) starting from 0.00am on July 1.

     The Government’s early announcement of the implementation time and detailed arrangements of the Scheme today would allow sufficient time for the public to learn about the Scheme, obtain Mainland driving licences and prepare the documents required for application in advance, etc. There is also a one-month interval between application commencement and the start of travel of the approved vehicles, with a view to allowing ample time for more members of the public to orderly complete the relevant application procedures.

     To ensure that the Scheme is implemented in an orderly manner, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have agreed to set a cap on the number of applications to be accepted, which will be allocated by computer balloting, at the initial stage of launching the Scheme (200 applications will be accepted per working day in the first week, followed by 300 applications to be accepted per working day from the second week onwards). The Government will review the application situation and progressively increase the number of applications to be accepted as necessary.

     As for vehicle examination, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have been devising measures to enhance the examination arrangement while complying with the Mainland regulations. We believe the examination capacity will be sufficient to meet the demand under the Scheme. The governments of the two sides will closely monitor the situation and launch further enhanced measures in a timely manner. 

     To ensure a better northbound travel experience for the approved applicants, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have also agreed to set a daily cap on the number of northbound vehicles. Applicants who have obtained the relevant licences for the Scheme may book for travelling within a designated period via the online booking system. The HKSAR Government is now in discussion with the Guangdong Provincial Government on the daily cap, and will separately announce the details in due course after reviewing the application situation.

     To cope with the upsurge of workload in the first quarter this year, the Transport Department (TD) has implemented a range of measures to expedite the processing of Closed Road Permit (CRP) applications, including streamlining the application procedures, arrangement of staff for overtime work on weekdays and weekends, and deployment and recruitment of additional staff. With the efforts, all applications pending processing have been vetted by end of April this year. Currently, new CRP applications can be completed within five working days as in the past in general, while renewal applications can be completed within one day. To facilitate the implementation of the Scheme, the TD will continue to utilise electronic service, deploy and recruit additional staff, etc. for continued enhancement of the application handling capacity.
 
     As regard the fees for participating in the Scheme, the State Council announced in November last year that eligible Hong Kong private cars under the Scheme are exempted from paying customs duties or applying for guarantee arrangements with Mainland customs, thereby largely reducing the relevant fees. The fees that applicants need to pay include the CRP application to the TD, vehicle examination and buying insurance (i.e. Compulsory Traffic Accident Liability Insurance for Motor Vehicles of the Mainland or “unilateral recognition” insurance policies of Hong Kong) in accordance with the Mainland requirements. The fees will vary subject to the vehicle conditions, duration of policy period, etc. Generally speaking, the fees for a maximum of one-year validity period amount at around 2,000 to 3,000 Hong Kong dollars; while those for one-month validity period amount at around 1,000 Hong Kong dollars.

     In the longer term, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong will draw on the implementation experience of the Scheme at the HZMB and proactively study the extension of the Scheme to a Shenzhen/Hong Kong land boundary control point, such that Hong Kong private cars can travel to both the eastern and western parts of Guangdong.

     In response to media enquiries on the tree collapse incident at Perth Street, Ho Man Tin this morning (September 16), the Development Bureau (DEVB) as well as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) gave a response as follows:

     The 9.5-metre high Delonix regia located at the pavement outside 6 Perth Street is under the LCSD’s maintenance. It is not an old and valuable tree. LCSD staff had all along been monitoring the health of the tree and conducting regular tree maintenance work including pruning. During the last inspection carried out by LCSD staff on April 22, no signs of decay were found on the branches, trunk and the surface of the tree roots.

     The Tree Management Office (TMO) of the DEVB is highly concerned with the incident and requested the LCSD to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the tree collapse by early October.

     Meanwhile, members of the LCSD’s tree team had also preliminarily inspected the other 34 trees managed by the department at Perth Street and confirmed that no irregularities were found.

     The TMO of the DEVB has requested the LCSD to conduct detailed inspections on the health and structural conditions of the trees there. The TMO will take prompt follow-up actions once the report on tree collapse is completed by the LCSD.  

     Moreover, the TMO has already requested all tree maintenance departments to review the situation of large Delonix regia located near the roadside within the area under their management in order to ensure public safety.

     ​In regard to media enquiries on the waiver of fees relating to the hanging of national flags at the lamp posts under the purview of the Highways Department, a Government spokesperson gave the following response today (July 22):  

     It is the Government’s policy to promote education on patriotism. All along, the Government has been encouraging community organisations and members of the public to, on the premise of respecting the national flag, the regional flag and their designs, celebrate together National Day, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day or any other special occasion and express patriotic feelings. This includes the use of the national flag. 

     In August 2021, the Highways Department received an application for the first time from a local group for hanging national flags at the lamp posts under its purview to celebrate National Day. It handled and approved the application, and the group paid the related administrative fees and inspection fees, according to the established procedures. Later, the Government received a request for granting discretionary exemption to the fees above and, taking into account its policy to promote education on patriotism, approved the waiver of them.     

     By policy, the Government will strengthen education on patriotism by enriching contents relating to the proper handling of national flags being hung. It will cover relevant elements in the course of formulating publicity and education details.  

     The Government will also formulate an appropriate system to handle the necessary follow-up on national flags being hung, including the proper handling of the national flags hung by community organisations and members of the public (which will cover detailed arrangements on the waiver of the fees relating to the hanging of national flags at lamp posts in the future overall), and enhance their understanding of the requirements concerned. The aim is to encourage various sectors of the community to, on the one hand, express patriotic feelings on the premise of respecting the national flag and, on the other, ensure that the activities concerned are conducted and arrangements made in a proper, safe and orderly manner.