Shenzhen is rapidly upgrading license plate recognition at its parking lots to better serve drivers from Hong Kong and Macao as the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles program will take effect from July 1.

Under the program, Hong Kong private car owners will be allowed to travel with their eligible vehicles between the special administrative region and Guangdong province via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. A similar program for Macao private cars came into operation at the start of this year.

At parking lots that have yet to upgrade, Hong Kong and Macao drivers will need to register manually when they enter and exit or by scanning the QR code

By last Sunday, 10 parking lots with some 7,000 parking spaces in Shenzhen had finished upgrading, including Shenzhen Airport, Honghu park in Luohu District and Kingdee Software Park in Nanshan District, according to the city’s transport department.

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The department said it plans to upgrade at least 10 more parking lots by the end of July and around 100 by the end of the year, with a focus on shopping malls, office buildings, residential areas and hospitals in Futian and Nanshan districts where people from Hong Kong and Macao tend to gather. 

Due to differences in size, pattern and format between mainland license plates and those of Hong Kong and Macao, vehicles from the two SARs cannot be recognized when they enter parking lots on the mainland. 

The upgrade is expected to facilitate Hong Kong and Macao people’s stay in Shenzhen by allowing them to enjoy the same parking services as mainland drivers.

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At parking lots that have yet to upgrade, Hong Kong and Macao drivers will need to register manually when they enter and exit or by scanning the QR code. Workers will be deployed in the parking lots to help Hong Kong and Macao drivers deal with any problems.

sally@chinadailyhk.com