SINCE opening to traffic on a trial basis June 30, a total of 2.89 million vehicles had crossed the Shenzhong Link as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Guangdong Provincial Transportation Group Co. Based on current traffic patterns, vehicle traffic through the link was expected to hit 3 million by midnight yesterday, according to the Guangdong provincial traffic authority. Shenzhen has reported a 68% average daily increase in vehicles registered in cities on the western side of the Pearl River Estuary since the Shenzhong Link opened. Additionally, the number of reservations for cars traveling from cities on the western side of the link to tourist attractions in eastern Shenzhen surged by 74% compared with June, before the link opened, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. According to Shenzhen’s traffic police authority, people who plan to drive to Dapeng Peninsula or the Meisha area in eastern Shenzhen on weekends this summer need to make reservations in advance via the “深圳交警”(Shenzhen traffic police) WeChat account, the “深圳公安”(Shenzhen public security) platform, or the “iShenzhen” app. From May 1 to Oct. 7, temporary traffic control and reservation measures are in effect for all weekends and public holidays in these scenic spots. The significant increase in traffic crossing the Pearl River Delta coincided with students’ summer vacation, which started in early July. According to official statistics, the peak hourly traffic on the link exceeded 8,000 vehicles, with 93% being passenger cars. The highest vehicle volume on the link occurs between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., while the daily traffic flow on weekends is 30% more than on weekdays. Traffic on the link is expected to return to normal levels after the summer holiday. Since the link opened, many travel agencies have introduced new tourism routes covering Shenzhen and Huizhou on the eastern side of the Pearl River Estuary and Zhongshan and Zhuhai on the western side. These routes have received a positive response. “I haven’t had a break since the beginning of July,” said a tour guide surnamed Luo, adding that the business of many local travel agencies has tripled or even quadrupled compared with previous months. Zhou, a tourist from Zhongshan, was one of the many visitors at Xiwan Mangrove Park in Bao’an District on Tuesday morning. “We’ve heard so many great things about Shenzhen’s public parks, so we decided to cross the Shenzhong Link to see if they live up to their reputation,” said Zhou. According to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, the opening of the Shenzhong Link has led to a surge in travelers from Zhongshan coming to explore Shenzhen. “Nonlocal park visitors account for approximately 40% of park visits. Most of them arrived in vehicles registered in Zhuhai and Zhongshan,” said Lin Cheng, a staff member with the Shenzhen Bay Park management office. Shenzhen’s beautiful natural environment has made a profound impact on visitors from Jiangmen. “We’ve heard about the man-made theme parks in Shenzhen, but we had no idea that its natural landscape was equally impressive,” said a man from Jiangmen. (Claudia Wei) |