Shenzhen has reinstated its mandatory booking system for private cars entering the Dapeng Peninsula from May 1 to Oct 7, as a seasonal measure aimed at tackling severe traffic congestion to the popular coastal resort during the holidays.

Shenzhen’s traffic police announced that traffic controls will be implemented in the southern part of Dapeng New District on weekends and public holidays. The controlled area covers all roads south of the Diefu Mountain Tunnel (迭福山隧道), including the tunnel.

Located on Shenzhen’s eastern coast, the Dapeng Peninsula experiences sharp traffic surges during holiday periods, when large numbers of tourists from across the city and surrounding regions strain the road network. By contrast, weekday traffic remains significantly lower, largely serving local commuters.

The booking-based access system is intended to regulate this seasonal influx, support smoother traffic flow, and improve the overall visitor experience by preventing congestion.

Key rules for drivers

Under the traffic control measures, drivers of nine-seat or smaller private cars must secure a slot through the “Shenzhen Traffic Police” (深圳交警) WeChat official account before entering the controlled zone on restricted days. The booking requires applicants to select an arrival time — slot (morning, afternoon, or evening — while departure time is unrestricted).

If a vehicle leaves the peninsula and returns on a subsequent day, a new booking is required.

Failure to book will result in penalties. Unbooked and unregistered small passenger vehicles entering the zone will be subject to a 300-yuan fine and 1 demerit point.

Certain vehicles are exempt from the booking requirement. These include registered local vehicles (for residents and businesses), public buses, taxis (including ride-hailing vehicles), trucks, emergency vehicles, and passenger vehicles with 10 seats or more. Vehicles are also exempt if they are merely passing through on the Huizhou Shenzhen Coastal Expressway (惠深沿海高速) without exiting to destinations in Dapeng.

This year, traffic authorities are also piloting an exemption allowing non-locally registered passenger vehicles to enter the controlled area from certain roads on weekdays during rush hours (7–9 am and 5:30–7:30 pm). Authorities stress that this weekday exemption does not apply on weekends and public holidays, when the booking system will be in full effect.

Booking quotas  

The online booking portal opens at midnight on the first weekday of the week that includes a holiday or weekend. Each day with traffic controls will provide 33,000 booking slots in total — 25,000 for individual travelers and 8,000 for commercial entities.

Rules are in place to curb abuse. Three instances of “no-shows” — booking a slot but not arriving — will lead to cancellation of booking privileges for the rest of the year. In addition, while plans may change, repeatedly cancelling and re-booking more than three times will also result in loss of holiday booking rights.

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Authorities say they will allow some flexibility for delays. Arriving late due to congestion will not be treated as a violation, as long as the vehicle arrives within 12 hours of the booked time slot.

This article is based on a post in Chinese on Shenzhen Jiaojing Quanwei Fabu, a WeChat public account of Shenzhen traffic police.