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Gary Cheung

Operators of the eastern and western harbour tunnels are likely to cut tolls during the WTO ministerial conference in December to help divert traffic flow.

The South China Morning Post understands that the government has asked the Western Harbour Tunnel Company and the New Hong Kong Tunnel Company, which manages the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, to reduce tolls during the World Trade Organisation meeting scheduled for December 13 to 18.

The move is part of the government's traffic diversion strategy for the conference to be held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. The toll cuts  are expected to ease congestion at the Wan Chai and Hunghom entrances to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

It is understood the government's proposal has drawn positive responses from the  tunnel operators. But it is unclear what the toll reductions would be.

The likely toll cuts  for the eastern and western harbour crossings come two weeks after the appointment of Henry Fan Hung-ling,  managing director of Citic Pacific, as an executive councillor.

The company holds a 70.8 per cent stake in the Eastern Harbour  Tunnel and 35 per cent stake in the Western Harbour  Tunnel.

A Transport Department spokeswoman confirmed that 'discussions were being held with the tunnel companies on possible traffic diversion measures'.

A Western Harbour Tunnel Company spokesman said it could not answer  the Post's inquiries  because its chairman was out of town. The New Hong Kong Tunnel Company declined to comment.

Tolls for the western and eastern  crossings are $40 and $25 respectively, compared with $20 for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, which has an average daily traffic flow of more than 120,000 vehicles. The Western  tunnel draws about 50,000 vehicles, while an average of 70,000 vehicles use the eastern route a day.

If the vehicle volume for the two tunnels remains unchanged during the WTO meeting, the toll reductions  could cost  millions of dollars. It is still unknown if the government will provide subsidies to operators.

Lau Kong-wah, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the proposed toll cuts  were worth exploring because they could ease congestion in the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.  'If the toll for the eastern and western routes is reduced to around $20, there would be a significant drop in the traffic flow to Central and Wan Chai,' he said.

Francis Lui Ting-ming, economics professor at  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, believed the government did not want  high traffic flows in the Cross-Harbour Tunnel during the  meeting because of security considerations.



Tunnel tolls may be cut to divert traffic flow for WTO