Travellers are encouraged to take the Metro or buses to the newly opened Futian Checkpoint in Shenzhen after the authorities yesterday imposed a series of new rules in the area to guarantee the smooth flow of traffic.

According to the rules, private cars and taxis have been banned from entering the western square of the checkpoint. Residents living in the port area will receive special permits from the authorities to take their vehicles inside the area.

Drivers are not allowed to park their vehicles on Yuheng Road in front of the checkpoint.

Buses entering the western square have to drive through Guohua Road. Trucks are forbidden on Yuheng Road, and taxis are not allowed to enter the road from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Surveillance cameras have been installed along the road to catch drivers parking illegally.

The Futian Checkpoint is located in the Yunongcun community, where the traffic is relatively bad as the area has many commercial and residential buildings. Roads in the area are generally narrow, and parking places are limited.

Shenzhen Bus Group opened three new bus routes connecting the Futian Checkpoint and downtown areas prior to the opening of the checkpoint.

Shenzhen Metro had also shortened the intervals of its trains from eight to seven minutes yesterday to meet a possible passenger surge of 40,000-50,000 extra people a day.

Huanggang Station, which connects with the checkpoint building, was put into use June 20 and had since seen 176,000 passengers.

The running hours of Metro Line 4 have been changed to coincide with the checkpoint's opening hours, from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Passengers taking the final Line 4 train at 11 p.m. can transfer to Line 1 at the Convention and Exhibition Center Station before 11:15 p.m.  

Editor: Yan