Hand on the wheel, on the right

Mainland China traffic rules will apply to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) although ‘the three parties are still in discussion’ about traffic management details, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) told Business Daily yesterday.
In addition, the bureau confirmed that traffic will flow on the right hand side of the road, the same as on the Mainland.
A spokesperson for DSAT explained, however, that such rules will only apply up to the point that vehicles reach the artificial island (on the east side of the new urban land Zone A) where the ‘Macau boundary control zone’ will be located.
‘After going through the toll plaza and then the connecting passages and flyovers, the drivers will enter the Macau boundary control zone, where they will have to drive on the left,’ said a spokesperson for the bureau.
However, the DSAT spokesperson said that at this stage it has been agreed that vehicles driving to Macau will have to stop at parking lots that are currently under construction on the artificial island.
In addition, no decision about allowing vehicles coming from Hong Kong or the Mainland via the super bridge to enter Macau has been made.
The local transport authority also informed that a number of ‘spaces have been reserved for [electric vehicle] charging stations to be used by heavy vehicles and private cars’ at the boundary control zone.
The bureau did not confirm how many stations will be set up.
According to previous reports, a total of 550 electric vehicle-charging stations are reportedly being planned for the bridge, to be completed and put into use by the end of 2017, in tandem with the completion of the structure itself.
According to Xinhua, the Guangdong branch of the China Southern Power Grid Co. Ltd. is in charge of implementing the vehicle-charging system, with a total investment of RMB90 million (US$13.29 million/MOP106.86 million).