The peak for vehicles leaving the city for Dragon Boat Festival travel is expected to start at 4 p.m. today, according to a release from Shenzhen’s transport bureau.
The noon hours tomorrow, the first day of the holiday, will also see heavy traffic congestion on expressways.
The bureau estimates Luohu Railway Station, Luohu Bus Terminal, the Shenzhen airport and Shenzhen North Railway Station, and their surrounding areas, will see heavy vehicle and passenger flows. The peak for passenger flows leaving the city is expected to arrive at 7:30 p.m. today.
The city’s business districts and public parks, like the Lianhua Hill-Civic Center area, the Donghu Park-Mt. Wutong area, the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden area, Shenzhen Bay Park and the Window of the World-OCT area, are expected to be crowded from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the second day of the holiday.
The city’s checkpoints will see a surge of travelers in the mornings of the first two days of the holiday.
The Shenzhen checkpoint authority estimates 2.72 million people will cross the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong during the Dragon Boat Festival between Friday and Sunday, with the highest number of around 952,000 people tomorrow, the first day of the holiday.
The number this year will be about 10 percent higher than during the same period last year. The passenger surge will be seen at Luohu, Huanggang, Futian, Shenzhen Bay and West Kowloon Station checkpoints.
Checkpoints will open all lanes to make sure travelers can cross the border within 30 minutes.
The checkpoint authority will share information with its counterparts in Hong Kong to update and divert passenger and vehicle flows in a timely manner.
Shenzhen checkpoints will open special lanes to ensure people in need can pass safely, and volunteers will be arranged at the scenes to guide travelers.
The checkpoint authority warns travelers not to use the IDs of other people or fake IDs to cross the border. According to related laws, violators will face a 10-day detention and a fine of 10,000 yuan (US$1,451), or be criminally charged in serious situations.
The checkpoint authority also reminded travelers not to carry “zongzi.” The Chinese rice-pudding with meat and eggs inside will be confiscated.
Travelers are advised to check packages before buying them in order to avoid unnecessary losses.