【明報專訊】THE SAR GOVERNMENT and the Guangdong provincial government are actively discussing arrangements for the "Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles" (STGV) plan. Chief Executive John Lee has recently stated that the authorities will listen more to opinions (from the public).
"Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" (NTHKV) has been implemented for over four months and is growing in popularity. According to figures released by the SAR government, there had been 28,700 applications as of 28 October, and the number rose to 33,000 on 17 November. In other words, 4,300 applications were added within 20 days. On one of the days of the Chung Yeung Festival long holiday, 4,200 vehicles travelled between Zhuhai and Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in a single day, which was a peak.
Given the scheme's popularity, a more open policy should be adopted to encourage more Hong Kong vehicles to travel northward. The current reservation system and vehicle inspection requirements have hindered those who intend to apply. The Secretary for Transport and Logistics has said that discussions are underway with Guangdong Province to optimise the vehicle inspection arrangements. It is hoped that some good news will come very soon.
Now is an opportune moment to make plans for STGV, as it is becoming increasingly common for Hong Kong people to travel northward to the mainland to spend money. If this has been fuelled by the NTHKV scheme, there should also be a "reciprocal" measure to encourage Guangdong people to come southward and spend money. However, STGV is neither a tourism policy nor a purely economic issue. At present, the Transport and Logistics Bureau is responsible for formulating the policy for STGV. Yet, is this purely a transportation issue?
When it comes to STGV, the SAR government and the general public first think of two questions: will it cause traffic jams, and will the driving habits of right-hand and left-hand traffic lead to confusion? These doubts and concerns seem reasonable, but they also appear to be overly worried.
Traffic congestion is a common problem in any big city. It is best to avoid it. Cars under NTHKV can only take the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge but not the Shenzhen port. The reason is that Hong Kong cars might exacerbate traffic congestion in Shenzhen. However, judging from objective figures, if 1,000 Hong Kong vehicles go northward every day, there will be 1,000 fewer "sources of traffic congestion", whereas arranging for 1,000 Guangdong vehicles to go southward will theoretically not aggravate the problem of traffic congestion.
As for the issue of driving habits of right-hand and left-hand traffic, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung has said that several months after the implementation of NTHKV, right-hand drive cars are coping with the mainland situation in an orderly fashion. Thus, he is also confident about the STGV plan. If he can provide more detailed statistics, such as the number of traffic accidents involving Hong Kong cars in Guangdong Province and the number of traffic accidents and illegal parking cases involving Guangdong cars in Hong Kong, the public doubts can be further dispelled.
What is at hand is a major policy aimed at promoting integration. The government should start by significantly relaxing application eligibility for the NTHKV scheme. More Hong Kong cars travelling northward will allow more Guangdong vehicles to come southward. Such drastic reforms are not something that the Transport and Logistics Bureau can handle, nor should it assume such responsibility. How to raise the level of policymaking is an issue for the SAR government to consider in the context of the Greater Bay Area integration strategy.
明報社評2023.11.20：港粵車南來北往關乎融合 政策制定不宜運物局負責
特區政府與廣東省政府正在積極商議粵車南下安排，特首李家超日前表示，當局會多聽（民間）意見。
港車北上實施4個多月，愈來愈受到歡迎，特區政府公布的數字顯示，截至10月28日，有28,700宗申請，到11月17日增加到33,000宗，即20日內又增加4300宗申請。最高峰重陽長假期其中一天，單日有4200架次車輛經港珠澳大橋往返珠海與香港之間。
既然受歡迎，就應該採取更開放的政策去促成更多港車北上，目前的預約制度，以及驗車的要求，都令有意申請者望而卻步，運物局長表示，正在跟廣東省商議，優化驗車的安排，希望很快會有好消息。
現在籌謀粵車南下，正合時宜，因為港人北上消費日趨普遍，如果港車北上是催化劑的話，也應該有「對等」的措施催谷粵客南下消費。但粵車南下並非旅遊政策，亦非單純的經濟問題。現在制定粵車南下政策，由運輸及物流局負責，但這是單純交通運輸問題嗎？
提到粵車南下，特區政府與市民大眾首先想到兩個問題，會不會造成塞車？會不會由於右軚左軚的駕駛習慣導致混亂？這些置疑甚至擔憂都是合理的，但又似乎是多慮。
任何大城市都有塞車問題，最好能夠「避之則吉」，港車北上只安排通過港珠澳大橋，而不開放深圳口岸，原因就是怕港車會加劇深圳的塞車難題。然而，從客觀數字看，每天如果有1000輛港車北上，即減少了1000個「塞車源」，而安排1000輛粵車南下，理論上是不會增加塞車的程度。
至於右軚左軚的駕駛習慣問題，運物局長林世雄表示，港車北上實施數個月，右軚車到內地的秩序良好，因此對粵車南下也有信心。他如果能夠提供更細緻的數據，比如港車在廣東省的交通意外宗數，以及粵車在港的交通意外和違例泊車宗數，就更加能夠釋除市民的疑慮。
既然這是促進融合的大政策，就應該從大幅降低港車北上的申請資格着手，更多的港車北上，就可以讓更多的粵車南下。能夠這樣大刀闊斧改革的，並非運輸及物流局，以及這個責任也並非運輸及物流局可以承擔，如何提升決策的層次，是特區政府從大灣區融合策略考慮的問題。
■ Glossary 生字 /
opportune : suitable for doing a particular thing, so that it is likely to be successful
fuel : to increase something; to make something stronger
reciprocal : involving two people or groups who agree to help each other or behave in the same way to each other