Time is money, it is often said. This is certainly the case in busy, bustling, capitalist Hong Kong. But there is one notable - and regrettable - exception to the rule. It concerns the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.
More than 120,000 vehicles use this government-owned facility to pass under the harbour each day. Most of them do so only after enduring an agonisingly long wait, during which they inch slowly forwards in a long queue of traffic.
The popularity of this Central-Kowloon route is set to soar from tomorrow when tolls at the Eastern Harbour Tunnel are raised by as much as 67 per cent. It is expected that motorists will choose to sit in a traffic jam in Central and pay the $20 toll for private cars, rather than use the quicker and easier Eastern alternative - all to save the princely sum of $5 a trip.
The even greater traffic congestion that is expected once the toll increase kicks in has prompted the government to put contingency plans into operation.
An emergency transport co-ordination centre will open tomorrow to allow police, bus and tunnel companies to communicate as the situation develops. The timing of traffic lights is to be adjusted and special measures will be taken to tow away any vehicle that breaks down. There have also been demonstrations, arrests and an attempted legal challenge as the community contemplates the expected chaos on the roads.
But there is a simple way in which a gridlock - or anything approaching it - can be avoided. It requires motorists, whether in private cars or commercial vehicles, to be sensible and responsible - or simply to think about the hidden costs they incur by queuing.
