Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System
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The Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System (Traditional Chinese: 香港主要幹線及出口編號系統; Simplified Chinese: 香港主要道路及出口编号系统; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Zhǔyào Gànxiàn jí Chūkǒu Biànhào Xìtǒng) is a system adopted by the Transport Department of the Hong Kong Government to organise the major roads in the territory into Routes 1 to 9 for the convenience of drivers. When the system was first implemented in 2004, the government launched a large campaign to promote it to the public. One of the slogans goes: "Remember the Numbers Make Driving Easier" (認路記號碼，唔使路路查).
The strategic route system names eight major series of roads in Hong Kong as Route 1 to 5 and 7 to 9, which can be classified into three categories: the three north-south routes, the four east-west routes and the New Territories ring road. The route numbers are painted green, black or blue on yellow "road-shields" on overhead roadsigns.
Exits are numbered sequentially. The system names each exit of each route with a number, or a number with an alphabetic suffix, much like in the British junction numbering system. Exit numbers are indicated by white in yellow square-boxes on overhead and roadside roadsigns.
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[edit] Route number system
The three north-south routes include Route 1, Route 2, and Route 3. They provide rapid transport between Hong Kong Island, metro Kowloon and the New Territories with a massive use of flyovers and tunnels. They pass through the three cross harbour tunnels, and their sequence of numbering follows the order of opening dates of the three tunnels:
- Route 1: Cross-Harbour Tunnel (opened 1972)
- Route 2: Eastern Harbour Tunnel (opened 1989) and formerly Route 6
- Route 3: Western Harbour Crossing (opened 1997)
The four east-west routes — Route 4, Route 5, Route 7, Route 8 — are numbered from south to north. The pattern indicates that Route 6 will most likely be built between Routes 5 and 7. Route 4 runs along the north shore of Hong Kong Island, connecting the eastern and western ends of the island, whereas Routes 5 and 7 link southern New Territories with different parts of Kowloon. Route 8 provides direct access to Chek Lap Kok Airport, and is still under extension.
- Route 4: formerly Route 7 (opened 1990)
- Route 5: formerly Tsuen Wan - Ngau Tau Kok section of Route 2 (opened 1970-1980s)
- Route 7: formerly Route 4 (opened 1970s)
- Route 8: formerly Route 9 (Tsing Yi - Airport section opened 1997; Sha Tin - Tsing Yi section under construction)
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 big circle.
- Route 9: formerly Route 5 + Fo Tan - Lok Ma Chau section of Route 1 + Tsuen Wan - Lok Ma Chau section of Route 2(construction from 1985-2003)
[edit] Exit number system
In parallel with the naming of roads, the junctions between routes and exits from routes are also labelled with exit numbers. On every route, exits are numbered from one end to the other with ascending consecutive integers with a mixture of alphabet-suffixed labels (1, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 4... etc).
