Border crossing checks in cars 'not a bridge too far'

A motorists' group called on mainland and SAR authorities on Monday to implement in-vehicle inspections and immigration clearance on a wider scale to shorten queues during peak travel periods. Currently, travellers driving across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge under the northbound travel scheme have to get out of their vehicles for such procedures. Ringo Lee, honorary life president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association, told an RTHK radio show that in-vehicle checks could have sped things up during holidays such as the current Easter and Ching Ming break, when there are large numbers of cross-boundary travellers. Passenger and car flows at the bridge exceeded 192,000 and 30,000 respectively during the first two days of the current holiday, he pointed out, adding that he expects the figures to hit record highs in the future. "At the Zhuhai section [of the bridge], many groups of people are already undergoing inspection and clearance procedures while they stay inside the vehicle – for example, elderly people aged 70 or above, children, or those who have difficulty walking," Lee said. "There are already systems in place, including automatic scans, facial and fingerprint recognition, and scans of home-return permits. "They're all there, but it's just that they're only used under limited circumstances." Even if there is a long queue of vehicles waiting to pass through boundary crossings, Lee said, it will save time for travellers to stay in their cars to wait for checks to be made instead of having to get on and off. He hopes that ultimately, on-board clearances at the bridge can be arranged around the clock instead of just during peak hours. More than 146,000 Hong Kong residents have passed through the bridge to enter the mainland on Friday and Saturday, according to the Immigration Department. Edited by Cecil Wong