Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

A TRAVEL peak for vehicles leaving the city is expected to arrive between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. today, with some expressways including Shenhai, Longda, Nanguang and Guangshen expected to be congested.

The second peak is expected to appear from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. tomorrow, the first day of the four-day May Day holiday, Shenzhen traffic police said in a news release yesterday. The vehicle loads on Shenzhen-Shantou Expressway and Boshen Expressway are expected to increase by 80 percent and 120 percent, respectively.

Police estimate nearly 500,000 vehicles will arrive in and leave the city via Meiguan Expressway during the holiday.

As tourist attractions in the east of the city are expected to see heavy traffic, police require reservations for vehicles going to Meisha and Dapeng, and advise vehicles leaving the city for Huizhou, Shantou and Fujian to avoid using Shenzhen-Yantian No. 2 Passage and the Eastern Coastal Expressway and instead take Shuiguan, Huiyan or Shenzhen-Shantou expressways.

By 10 a.m. yesterday, a total of 46,115 vehicles had made reservations for the tourist attractions in the east.

To relieve congestion, Shenzhen’s transport commission will operate nine holiday bus routes linking Dapeng with the rest of the city and nine bus routes linking the tourist attractions within Dapeng. Two holiday bus routes will link Meisha with Huangbeiling Metro Station and Tianbei bus terminal. Seven bus routes — M520, M437, M396, M180, 103, 308 and 387 — will extend service to 2 a.m. during the holiday.

Shenzhen will experience a round of heavy rain starting tonight and into early tomorrow morning, according to local meteorological observatory.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has called for enhanced safety precautions during the holiday, which is expected to see a tourism boom nationally.

Travelers who plan to drive long distances should check their cars’ condition, license and insurance to ensure safe driving, the ministry said in a brief reminder published on its website. Drowsy driving should be avoided, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited, according to the ministry.

The ministry warned travelers about possible extreme weather in some southern parts of China, saying trips to mountainous areas, valleys and areas next to water should be avoided in bad weather.

Travelers should take extra precautions when participating in high-risk recreational activities, said the ministry, advising travelers to choose activities based on their age and health conditions.

The State Council announced March 22 that this year’s May Day holiday would be stretched to four days from May 1 to 4.

The extension has boosted the tourism sector. An estimated 160 million trips will be made during the period, according to Ctrip, China’s biggest online travel agency. About 147 million trips were made during the three-day May Day holiday last year.