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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) released the results of a research project ‘Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the 11th Five-year Plan Period’ today. Funded by the Public Policy Research Grant of The Research Grants Council, Professor Jianfa Shen of the Department of Geography and Resource Management at CUHK is the principal investigator of the project, which has initiated a 2009 public opinion survey among the people in Hong Kong on cross-boundary infrastructure between Hong Kong and Shenzhen (see full report at http://ihome.cuhk.edu.hk/~b890706/hs.html). The survey was conducted from 5 to 11 February 2009 by the Telephone Survey Research Laboratory of Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at CUHK. A random sample of 507 respondents aged 18 or above was covered with a response rate of 49.0%. At 95% confidence level, the maximum error in percentages by inference is positive or negative 4.35%. The major results are as follows:

(1) There are close social relations between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Over 90% of the Hong Kong respondents visit Shenzhen at least once a year. 20.4% of the respondents visit Shenzhen frequently (at least once a month). In terms of transport modes, boundary train remains the most popular mode of transport, used by 77.1% of the respondents, followed by cross-boundary coach (22.2%) and bus/mini-bus (15.5%). Most Hong Kong residents, 77.6%, go to Shenzhen via Lo Wu boundary crossing, 30.8% via Lok Ma Chau boundary crossing, and 11.3% via Lok Ma Chau Spur Line boundary crossing. Nearly half of respondents (49.5%) spend 10-20 minutes on boundary crossing; about a quarter (24.3%) spend less than 10 minutes; and one eighth (13%) spend 20-30 minutes.

(2) The three most urgent problems which need to be solved are inadequate bus services on Shenzhen side (19.3%), too much time spent on boundary crossing (15.3%) and inconvenience in transfer between transport services of two cities (15.1%). The cross-boundary infrastructure is the key link between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Its operational performance and ease of transfer between transport services are most concerned by respondents. Meanwhile, Hong Kong residents are more satisfied with the transport facilities on Hong Kong side than Shenzhen side.

(3) The high price of train services to boundary stations of MTR East Line is considered by most respondents as unreasonable or very unreasonable (60.2%). Regarding the difference between different population groups, those in employment are inclined to regard the high price more unreasonable than those not in employment.

(4) Some respondents have considered the option to live (15.6%) or work (19%) in Shenzhen or other mainland cities respectively. The transport cost is the main factor which affects Hong Kong residents’ decisions on moving to mainland cities for living or working. It is worth noting that respondents, who have considered the option to work in mainland cities, indicate that the convenience of cross-boundary infrastructure is more important than the transport cost.

(5) Most Hong Kong residents are satisfied with both the current performance of the Hong Kong government in the development of cross-boundary infrastructure and the cooperation between the two cities in cross-boundary infrastructure. On some potential measures to improve the cross-boundary infrastructure, 43.8% of the respondents prefer the opening of more 24-hour boundary crossings and 33.1% prefer ‘co-location’ clearance. Regarding the performance of the cross-boundary infrastructure, respondents value the speediness and convenience of clearance most, followed by the convenience of transfer between transport services. Among some newly constructed or planned cross-boundary crossing and railway projects, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway is selected by 44.8% of the respondents as the top project, followed by the railway link between MTR West Rail and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (39.4%), the Airport Railway (19.1%) linking two international airports in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Crossing (7.1%). Respondents prefer new passenger rail lines, especially those would link existing boundary crossing with the urban area, more than the construction of new boundary crossings.

(6) More than half of the respondents (53.8%) consider that the constant development and improvement of cross-boundary infrastructure would have positive impact on Hong Kong while 18.1% and 18.3% believe that there is no impact and negative impact respectively. The groups with higher income, visiting Shenzhen more frequently, with higher level of education and with occupation of higher status are more likely to believe in the positive impact.