Two newly opened checkpoints in Futian and Nanshan districts
received surprisingly small numbers of cross-border travelers
during the past golden week, as tens of thousands of people jammed
the Luohu and Huanggang checkpoints.
More than 322,000 travelers used Luohu checkpoint every day on
average during the past week. In contrast, only 26,863 people used
the Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint daily.
The Shenzhen Bay and Futian checkpoints, which opened in July
and August respectively, were opened to ease the congestion at the
older checkpoints.
Tourists using the two new checkpoints needed between five and
seven minutes to cross, while those using Luohu and Huanggang had
to spend at least one hour to get through.
A cross-border passenger surnamed Chen told the Shenzhen
Daily that he preferred to use the Huanggang Checkpoint, which
he was familiar with, instead of the Futian Checkpoint.
Chen cited the lack of transport connections as the main reason
why the new checkpoints were shunned by travelers.
(Shenzhen Daily October 8, 2007)