Traffic woes loom as HKZM Bridge opens

By Evaldo Leong

Residents are worried that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) is going to add to Macao’s traffic problems. The HKZMB entrance to Macao is located in the north of the “Areia Preta” which is a traffic bottleneck connecting to one of the busiest intersections. There is a lot of traffic every day. The government has repeatedly proposed in the past two years to develop mid-term and long-term solutions, but still no plans have been released at present. If the planning is not appropriate, vehicles from the bridge will not be effectively diverted leading to a traffic concentration in the “Areia Preta” district.

 

“There were 32 million people who came to Macao through various entry points last year, and the maximum daily inbound and outbound traffic reached 428,000. All the visitors need to travel when they arrive in Macao. We expect the number would

grow more in the future,” a superintendent of the frontier station of the public security police said.

 

The total number of outside vehicles coming to Macao, either from Hong Kong or mainland China will be difficult to estimate at the moment. HKZMB will provide more opportunities for Macao’s economic growth, but the authorities need to be prepared for a public traffic jam. If the traffic planning is not well designed, the entire north district will have a huge traffic pressure. Macao’s economy, although it may be beneficial to some extent from the bridge, may bear negative influence of traffic jams for residents of the north district.

 

Mrs. Wong, a coach driver, said that the north district is so jammed around the commuting time at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm that it is hard to imagine how bad it would be when the new bridge opens to the public.

 

At present, the traffic in the north area is under heavy pressure. According to official projections, after the opening of the HKZMB, about 4,000 vehicles will pass through the bridge every day to enter and leave Macao.

 

However, it is worrisome that the traffic flow of the road network near the north district is heavy at the busy time, and the traffic jam forms even more rapidly with a slight blockage, which is already the traffic bottleneck in Macao. The traffic flow after the opening of the HKZMB will further aggravate the road load in the north and affect residents’ traveling time.

 

In addition, the north district is also under various cable, underground pipe network and other excavation projects. It is estimated that the north district will often suffer slow traffic, congestion, and even a major paralysis. The HKZMB will be open by the end of this year. We hope the government can work out effective solutions which include the road planning and traffic

diversion before the bridge opens to the public.

 

Since the beginning in 2003, the Macao Light Rail Transit (MLRT) system has been full of ups and downs, the opening to traffic has been delayed again and again, and the project budget keeps increasing. Although the Taipa line is almost ready, it seems that most citizens have lost confidence and are dissatisfied with the Macao Peninsula line conduction. The MLRT is facing no end in sight of problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACK