Hong Kong, part of China, has the highest use of public transport anywhere in the world and its public transport network is among the world's best. As a result, rental cars and driving are rare and parking is expensive and difficult to find, especially in Hong Kong's centre and in Kowloon, and is also susceptible to frequent traffic jams. A car is only needed in areas public transport does not cover well, such as parts of the New Territories, and a car is also necessary for crossing into Mainland China. As a foreigner, the normal way is to take a train or a bus to the countryside of Hong Kong.
Understand
Unlike Japan or South Korea (where both of them have strong train culture and strong car culture), Hong Kong is the culture where public transport dominates the most. This means that there is no need to drive in most of Hong Kong, but a car must be used if you are going to little-known parts of Hong Kong like a portion of New Territories or when driving from Hong Kong and crossing to Mainland China.
Hong Kong's road network is one of the most developed and the roads in Hong Kong are mostly of good quality. There are a total of nine paved highways in Hong Kong. These roads are built to British standards with a maximum of four lanes with hard shoulders.
There are nine roads classified as trunk roads in Hong Kong. Routes 1 to 3 are in a north–south direction (with each crossing one of the cross-harbour tunnels) while the others are in an east–west direction. The current route number system was introduced in 2004. The three-main routes are:
Cross-Harbour Tunnel: Southern District ⇄ Causeway Bay ⇄ Tsim Sha Tsui ⇄ Mong Kok ⇄ Sha Tin
Eastern Harbour Crossing: Eastern District ⇄ Kwun Tong ⇄ Wong Tai Sin ⇄ Sha Tin
Western Harbour Crossing: Central & Western District ⇄ Tai Kok Tsui ⇄ Sham Shui Po ⇄ Kwai Tsing ⇄ Tsuen Wan ⇄ Yuen Long
The five east-west routes — Route 4, Route 5, Route 7, Route 8 and Route 10 — are numbered from south to north.
Eastern District ⇄ Causeway Bay ⇄ Wan Chai ⇄ Central & Western District
Kowloon City ⇄ Wong Tai Sin ⇄ Sham Shui Po ⇄ Kwai Tsing ⇄ Tsuen Wan
Tseung Kwan O ⇄ Kwun Tong ⇄ Wong Tai Sin ⇄ Sham Shui Po ⇄ Kwai Tsing
Sha Tin <> Kwai Tsing ⇄ Lantau Island North ⇄ Tung Chung ⇄ Airport
Tuen Mun ⇄ Nam Tei (diverts from Route 9) ⇄ Ha Tsuen ⇄ Deep Bay ⇄ Shenzhen Bay Bridge ⇄ Shenzhen Bay Border Crossing ⇄ Mainland China
The circular route, Route 9, circumscribes the New Territories, with the exit at the Shing Mun Tunnels in Sha Tin as the starting point of exit-numbering. It links up the network of expressways and trunk roads in the New Territories into a large ring.
Circular Route linking the whole New Territories (Sha Tin, Tai Po, Northern District, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan)
Driving licence
Hong Kong allows most foreigners to drive with an International Driving Permit (IDP) for up to 12 months. Anyone who drives for more than 12 months is required to get a Hong Kong licence issued by the Department of Transport. The legal age for driving passenger cars in Hong Kong is 18, the same as the mainland.
Drivers with valid foreign licenses from the countries below can receive a full Hong Kong driving license without taking the test. These include the UK, the US, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. When driving into Mainland China, you must also have a Chinese driving licence, see the article Driving in China on how to get a Chinese driving licence.
You will need to fulfil the following criteria:
- possess a valid driver's license from your country of previous residence;
- have resided in the country that had issued your driver's license for no less than 6 months; and
- hold your current driver's license for at least five years prior to the application.
If you meet all the requirements, get the following documents ready:
- a completed application form (TD36A)
- a Hong Kong identity card or passport
- your overseas driver's license and official translation (if it is not in English)
- your proof of address issued within the last three months
- a medical examination certificate (for senior applicants)
- and you will need to submit the above documents to the nearest Licensing Office (you can find a Licensing Office in Hong Kong Central, Kowloon, Kwun Tong and Sha Tin).
Emergency services
The phone number for emergency services in Hong Kong is 999. They will be able to talk to you in English. While non-English speaking (including Cantonese) drivers may use emergency services, it is unlikely that they will speak any language other than English, Cantonese, Mandarin or any Asian language (the former two being official languages of HK).
Road rules
Since 1976, Hong Kong road signage is standardised on the metric system. For drivers used to imperial units, it is easy to miscalculate the time needed to travel.
Hong Kong is a former British colony, as a result, you need to keep on the left side when driving. This is similar to what you do in Japan. For those who drive on the right, it is easy to cause accidents..svg)
Speed limits are strictly enforced in Hong Kong. On most roads, the speed limit is unless otherwise posted. Typically on expressways, the speed limit is .
Unlike in the USA and Canada, turns on red lights at intersections are not allowed.
In areas like hospitals or in areas that may cause nuisance, sounding your horn is not allowed.