Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1432725/officials-guilty-tunnel-vision-failing-tackle-congestion
Comment/ Opinion

Officials guilty of tunnel vision by failing to tackle congestion

Congestion in the Cross Harbour Tunnel on the Hung Hom side.

Regrettably, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel for cross-harbour traffic congestion is nowhere in sight. In yet another all-talk-and-no-action episode, the government has put off decisions on tackling congestion arising from uneven tunnel usage. The do-nothing approach, after years of study and consultations, is disappointing. While it may appease drivers opposed to a toll rise, it reflects badly on the government's lack of political will to resolve a long-standing problem. Meanwhile, tunnel users have no choice but to put up with jams for at least a few more years.

The idea of spreading traffic via toll adjustment is long overdue. It involves charging more for using the heavily congested Cross Harbour Tunnel, while slashing tolls at the private and underused eastern tunnel with a government subsidy. Unpopular as this is, it is something worth trying. But the transport chief thinks otherwise, citing the lack of consensus and recent changes in traffic levels as the reasons.