THE influential Transport Advisory Committee yesterday refused to support a proposal to triple cross-harbour tunnel tolls, saying it needed more information.
The eight-member committee, which advises the Government on major transport policies, met yesterday to discuss the proposal - the key measure in an anti-congestion package announced last Friday.
Members said they were briefed about the plan on Friday only three hours before Transport Secretary Haider Barma unveiled it to the public - leaving them insufficient time to form a proper opinion.
It is understood that this angered some members, who felt the Government had adopted an offhanded attitude towards the committee's advisory role.
But if it was already annoyed at the handling of the congestion package, the committee was further miffed by the Government's treatment of the China Motor Bus (CMB) franchise.
At yesterday's meeting members were asked to examine details of the franchise only to find it had been endorsed by the Executive Council that morning.
Chairman Dr Raymond Ho Chung-tai said officials needed to provide more data before members could discuss the issue of higher tunnel tolls again.
