Northbound motorists told to brace for traffic

The government on Friday warned of potential traffic jams at boundary checkpoints near the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, as scores of travellers are expected to head north for the July 1 long weekend. Currently SAR motorists planning to travel to Macau or Zhuhai must make reservations in advance. All northbound slots for Saturday have been snapped up, while limited places are available for Sunday. Authorities have been urged to address bottlenecks near the Zhuhai checkpoint, after travellers heading back to the SAR were stuck for hours on Tuen Mun Festival earlier this month. The Transport Department said it has installed cameras so that people can check out the traffic condition at the Hong Kong port's vehicle clearance plaza. It anticipates northbound traffic to peak on Saturday, while most will return on Monday. "The department will closely monitor the traffic conditions at all ports, and strengthen the dissemination of the latest traffic information to citizens who use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to travel between the three places," it said in a statement. Motorists have been urged to plan their return trip ahead, and travel in off-peak hours "as far as possible".