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The bridge, while very interesting as a large infrastructure project is laughably useless for many stakeholders. Own a car in Hong Kong and want to drive acros

The bridge, while very interesting as a large infrastructure project is laughably useless for many stakeholders. Own a car in Hong Kong and want to drive across it to Macau? You need to get vehicle registration plates (some "electronic" or temporary) in 3 jurisdictions. You also need insurance for 3 jursidictions. Also, you can only drive to a parking lot outside of Macau and then transfer to public transit to enter the city. And you need to register for a parking space 12 hours before your trip. Watch this hilarious HK government video on the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO3bNlB9j9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO3bNlB9j9o But you don't own a car! Like most Hong Kongers, you take public transit. Surely this bridge will make it faster than the 1 hour ferry ride that leaves from 2 ferry piers in the middle of the city every 15 minutes or so all day and night. Unfortunately this isn't the case. The buses across the bridge from Hong Kong leave from the airport and take 40 minutes. You'll have to take another bus from the airport to the city at the cost of another 45 to 60 minutes. This is a political project to show that Hong Kong and Macau are being integrated into China. As political projects go, this certainly isn't the worst of them. It's better than the other things governments do to bolster domestic support like wars or locking up people you don't like. At least we'll all get to have a fun day trying out the bridge and something for tourists to take pictures of as they land in Hong Kong and Macau. Perhaps in the future policies will change and it will become easy to us the bridge as a normal bridge. If you're interested in learning more, here's a great article with more background: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/10/23/explainer-hong-kongs-troubled-mega-bridge-counting-human-environmental-financial-cost/ https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/10/23/explainer-hong-kongs-t...

jorblumesea 8y ago
It's not about people leaving hong kong/macau, but going the other way. It's for the Chinese to roll in tanks and troops in the event of an insurrection. The border routes are circuitous and easily blocked, this route is easily controllable and can be secured with little manpower.
- skwirl 8y ago
  This is a bizarre claim to make. This route would be much easier to block than any land route - it's a single bridge disappearing into a tunnel shortly off the coast of Hong Kong. It is about as easy of a choke point to block as you can get. The bridge the island goes to also only has a single bridge leading off it into the rest of Hong Kong.
  - jorblumesea 8y ago
    It's a single bridge, going over water and underground, into an area that requires blue water presence. Choke points work both ways, easy to choke but also easy to secure. The permanent garrison of PLA in Hong Kong would be able to secure the HK side of the bridge long enough for reinforcements to get through. China's biggest worry in this area is civil unrest, not hostile foreign powers and most of the bridge is inaccessible to potential rioters or dissidents. It's a huge game changer for the region, allowing China to move initial response troops into the area much faster. (30 min vs 4 hours)
    - aclsid 8y ago
      Right, who has even heard of amphibious landing ships. Not like they need them in any case, since they happen to have the fastest amphibian armored vehicle in the world. But you are either trolling here or way too deep into conspiracy theories to care for facts.
      - jorblumesea 8y ago
        Expensive, and looks like a military invasion to the outside world as compared to moving troops over a bridge. China isn't stupid, they built this bridge for a very good strategic reason.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
skwirl 8y ago
I would have greatly appreciated this bridge being open when I stayed in Macau for a few days and had to fly home out of Hong Kong. There was a lot of overhead time with the ferry -- even with the Skypier transfer (and ferries to the airport do not run every 15 minutes). We left our hotel at noon for a 6:15pm flight.
- pietro 8y ago
  So it's essentially a bridge to the nearest international airport from Macau?
  - jpatokal 8y ago
    Not even that: Macau has its own international airport. While Asian destinations are well covered, you need to go to HKG for long-hauls though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_International_Airport#Ai...
trhway 8y ago
>You need to get vehicle registration plates (some "electronic" or temporary) in 3 jurisdictions. You also need insurance for 3 jursidictions. well, the bridge does put a political pressure on that situation. One China in all senses would make it more convenient. Until that, the Uber Roaming with autonomous cars, one is taking you to the border, the another is already waiting to pick you up, a convergence of taxi and rental, will solve that issue in the meantime.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  > Until that, the Uber Roaming with autonomous cars, one is taking you to the border, the another is already waiting to pick you up, a convergence of taxi and rental, will solve that issue in the meantime. I highly doubt that 'in the meantime' includes the present. Autonomous cars are science fiction, not fact.
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    This bridge actually seems like a reasonable place to put self-driving cars. It's a closed road with no intersections, just get in a car on one side, and jump off at the other. Just like a bus, but private and on demand. I'm sure that the current generation of self driving technology could handle that fairly well.
m3kw9 8y ago
Most ppl will take the bus across. Also the goods will be shipped through this route for faster deliveries.
- arama471 8y ago
  Why take a private bus over a private ferry?
  - m3kw9 8y ago
    Busses leaves more often and starts, stops and travel much faster than ferry.
    - rconti 8y ago
      Do they? From the original reply: >Surely this bridge will make it faster than the 1 hour ferry ride that leaves from 2 ferry piers in the middle of the city every 15 minutes or so all day and night. Unfortunately this isn't the case. The buses across the bridge from Hong Kong leave from the airport and take 40 minutes. You'll have to take another bus from the airport to the city at the cost of another 45 to 60 minutes.
      - fouc 8y ago
        The article itself says "Ferries usually depart every one to two hours."
  - catherd 8y ago
    If you are going to the HK airport from the Shekou port in mainland China, the ferry requires you to arrive something like 3 hours ahead of your flight, even though the ferry ride itself if only 30-40 minutes. I assume a bus wouldn't dictate your schedule in that way.
vkou 8y ago
Aren't buses much cheaper to operate then ferries?
- jpatokal 8y ago
  Maybe if you exclude the $10b cost of building the bridge...
rconti 8y ago
That video is simply amazing. How it's not a parody is beyond me.
- jpatokal 8y ago
  Cheery voice: "It's so simple and convenient!"
  - FabHK 8y ago
    ... while a graphical representation pops up of three government authorities in three jurisdictions together with a three-step application process that takes only 12 business days to process, after which you need to purchase the required insurance from each of the three jurisdictions... yup, crossing a bridge has never been simpler.
    - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
      Not forgetting that of the two permits they send you, one expires after a year, the other after 3. "It's so convenient!"
megaremote 8y ago
Good, it shouldn't be for private vehicles.
- Lapsed 8y ago
  Why?
jlg23 8y ago
> The bridge, while very interesting as a large infrastructure project is laughably useless for many stakeholders. Given the current situation you are probably right, but I'd assume the construction of the bridge is an indication that something around Macau's status or SARs in general is maybe about to change?
fouc 8y ago
The article you linked says "Ferries usually depart every one to two hours."
onetimemanytime 8y ago
You've said it yourself, for now Hong Kong is integrated into the motherland. Put a price on it. China thinks very long term Insurance and registration reqs can be changed virtually with a signature.

jorblumesea 8y ago

It's not about people leaving hong kong/macau, but going the other way. It's for the Chinese to roll in tanks and troops in the event of an insurrection. The border routes are circuitous and easily blocked, this route is easily controllable and can be secured with little manpower.

skwirl 8y ago
This is a bizarre claim to make. This route would be much easier to block than any land route - it's a single bridge disappearing into a tunnel shortly off the coast of Hong Kong. It is about as easy of a choke point to block as you can get. The bridge the island goes to also only has a single bridge leading off it into the rest of Hong Kong.
- jorblumesea 8y ago
  It's a single bridge, going over water and underground, into an area that requires blue water presence. Choke points work both ways, easy to choke but also easy to secure. The permanent garrison of PLA in Hong Kong would be able to secure the HK side of the bridge long enough for reinforcements to get through. China's biggest worry in this area is civil unrest, not hostile foreign powers and most of the bridge is inaccessible to potential rioters or dissidents. It's a huge game changer for the region, allowing China to move initial response troops into the area much faster. (30 min vs 4 hours)
  - aclsid 8y ago
    Right, who has even heard of amphibious landing ships. Not like they need them in any case, since they happen to have the fastest amphibian armored vehicle in the world. But you are either trolling here or way too deep into conspiracy theories to care for facts.
    - jorblumesea 8y ago
      Expensive, and looks like a military invasion to the outside world as compared to moving troops over a bridge. China isn't stupid, they built this bridge for a very good strategic reason.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

skwirl 8y ago

I would have greatly appreciated this bridge being open when I stayed in Macau for a few days and had to fly home out of Hong Kong. There was a lot of overhead time with the ferry -- even with the Skypier transfer (and ferries to the airport do not run every 15 minutes). We left our hotel at noon for a 6:15pm flight.

pietro 8y ago
So it's essentially a bridge to the nearest international airport from Macau?
- jpatokal 8y ago
  Not even that: Macau has its own international airport. While Asian destinations are well covered, you need to go to HKG for long-hauls though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_International_Airport#Ai...

trhway 8y ago

>You need to get vehicle registration plates (some "electronic" or temporary) in 3 jurisdictions. You also need insurance for 3 jursidictions. well, the bridge does put a political pressure on that situation. One China in all senses would make it more convenient. Until that, the Uber Roaming with autonomous cars, one is taking you to the border, the another is already waiting to pick you up, a convergence of taxi and rental, will solve that issue in the meantime.

jacquesm 8y ago
> Until that, the Uber Roaming with autonomous cars, one is taking you to the border, the another is already waiting to pick you up, a convergence of taxi and rental, will solve that issue in the meantime. I highly doubt that 'in the meantime' includes the present. Autonomous cars are science fiction, not fact.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  This bridge actually seems like a reasonable place to put self-driving cars. It's a closed road with no intersections, just get in a car on one side, and jump off at the other. Just like a bus, but private and on demand. I'm sure that the current generation of self driving technology could handle that fairly well.

m3kw9 8y ago

Most ppl will take the bus across. Also the goods will be shipped through this route for faster deliveries.

arama471 8y ago
Why take a private bus over a private ferry?
- m3kw9 8y ago
  Busses leaves more often and starts, stops and travel much faster than ferry.
  - rconti 8y ago
    Do they? From the original reply: >Surely this bridge will make it faster than the 1 hour ferry ride that leaves from 2 ferry piers in the middle of the city every 15 minutes or so all day and night. Unfortunately this isn't the case. The buses across the bridge from Hong Kong leave from the airport and take 40 minutes. You'll have to take another bus from the airport to the city at the cost of another 45 to 60 minutes.
    - fouc 8y ago
      The article itself says "Ferries usually depart every one to two hours."
- catherd 8y ago
  If you are going to the HK airport from the Shekou port in mainland China, the ferry requires you to arrive something like 3 hours ahead of your flight, even though the ferry ride itself if only 30-40 minutes. I assume a bus wouldn't dictate your schedule in that way.

vkou 8y ago

Aren't buses much cheaper to operate then ferries?

jpatokal 8y ago
Maybe if you exclude the $10b cost of building the bridge...

rconti 8y ago

That video is simply amazing. How it's not a parody is beyond me.

jpatokal 8y ago
Cheery voice: "It's so simple and convenient!"
- FabHK 8y ago
  ... while a graphical representation pops up of three government authorities in three jurisdictions together with a three-step application process that takes only 12 business days to process, after which you need to purchase the required insurance from each of the three jurisdictions... yup, crossing a bridge has never been simpler.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    Not forgetting that of the two permits they send you, one expires after a year, the other after 3. "It's so convenient!"

megaremote 8y ago

Good, it shouldn't be for private vehicles.

Lapsed 8y ago
Why?

jlg23 8y ago

> The bridge, while very interesting as a large infrastructure project is laughably useless for many stakeholders. Given the current situation you are probably right, but I'd assume the construction of the bridge is an indication that something around Macau's status or SARs in general is maybe about to change?

fouc 8y ago

The article you linked says "Ferries usually depart every one to two hours."

onetimemanytime 8y ago

You've said it yourself, for now Hong Kong is integrated into the motherland. Put a price on it. China thinks very long term Insurance and registration reqs can be changed virtually with a signature.