Tolls at Cross-Harbour and Lion Rock tunnels may increase to ease Hong Kong jams
Government considers plan in effort to improve traffic volume and distribution
Hong Kong motorists may face higher tolls at the busy Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom and Lion Rock Tunnel in Kowloon but lower fees at others under a long-overdue government proposal to ease chronic traffic jams at six points across the city.
If the changes are approved by the Legislative Council, it will mean that the tolls for both tunnels, now HK$20 and HK$8 respectively for private cars, will be adjusted for the first time since 1999.
In a paper submitted to Legco on Monday, the Transport and Housing Bureau said it would formulate different toll adjustment options after consulting lawmakers and stakeholders. It would also further assess the impact of such changes on tunnel traffic and the community as a whole.
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Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said the government was open to all proposals, adding that more opinions had to be collected from lawmakers and the public before making conclusions. “It is rather a conceptual representation of our findings so far – something like a midterm analysis,” he said.
The government is also seeking to offer subsidies to the operator of the Western Harbour Tunnel in Sai Ying Pun in exchange for lower tolls as the tunnel is still being run by a franchise until August 2023.
“The government will discuss with the Western Harbour Tunnel franchisee the possibility of better utilising the capacity of the tunnel by providing appropriate subsidisation from the public coffers so that the actual tolls payable by motorists using it can be lowered,” the paper said.
