Latest news with #HKeToll
RTHK
16-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Transport official defends Central Kowloon Route toll
Transport official defends Central Kowloon Route toll The Transport Department says a toll for Central Kowloon Route wasn't brought up in the past because building a toll plaza in urban areas would have been difficult. File photo: RTHK The Transport Department said on Monday that technology has enabled officials to charge drivers who'll be using a new Kowloon tunnel. Last week, officials publicised plans to charge drivers of all types of vehicles $10 for using the Central Kowloon Route when it's fully completed in the middle of next year. Several lawmakers were unhappy with the move as officials had not apprised them of the possibility of implementing tolls when the project was first mooted. Speaking on RTHK, assistant transport commissioner Leung Sai-ho said the project has been in the pipeline for years and that back then the SAR didn't have HKeToll or any other electronic toll charging system. He said it would've been undesirable to build a toll plaza, as was the practice then, in the busy areas of Kowloon. "Back in the day you always needed a toll plaza to collect tolls," Leung said. "If you had built one in the urban areas, it would have taken up a lot of space, affecting many buildings. "Not that I'm saying you needed to knock some down, but at least it'd have limited the room for urban development. "So back in the day, it wasn't even possible to [consider charging] users of the Central Kowloon Route, that's why we never brought up the topic." Some lawmakers have counter-proposed implementing a charge of $8 instead of $10, and Leung stressed officials would continue to listen to views. But he said setting the level at $10 would leave the tunnel with an estimated 20 percent of unused capacity during peak hours, which could be handy for accommodating more traffic when future new towns are completed. The 4.7 km long dual 3-lane trunk road connects Yau Ma Tei and Kowloon Bay, including a tunnel of about 3.9km long. Leung also said proposals to raise tolls for Aberdeen and Shing Mun tunnels from $5 to $8 would enable the government to cut the operating deficit for the two crossings. He went on to say money wasn't the only issue for officials when reviewing tunnel tolls. For example, Leung said, they dropped the idea of raising charges for the loss-making Eagle's Nest Tunnel because that would've only encouraged drivers to go back to using the busy Lion Rock Tunnel.
South China Morning Post
09-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Fairer fees at end of tunnel for Hong Kong motorists following shake-up
Being able to move quickly and efficiently around Hong Kong easily is one of the joys of life in the city. It has been made possible not only because of world-class public transport, but also decades of investment in infrastructure, including road tunnels primarily created under a build-operate-transfer model. Advertisement So, it was an important moment when the last such tunnel was handed over to the government at the end of a 30-year franchise. Authorities must now manage the facility in an equitable 'user-pays' manner to ensure it supports rather than drains public finances as well as transport goals. Toll booths at Tai Lam Tunnel were removed on May 31 and replaced by an electronic payment system. Motorists were immediately charged substantially lower fees to travel between Yuen Long and western Tsuen Wan in the New Territories. As a result, there was a 40 per cent increase in traffic the following day compared with the previous week. On the first weekday morning since the change, traffic was up 10 per cent. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the government hoped the shift would encourage more use of the tunnel and ease congestion on Tuen Mun Road during peak hours. Authorities also plan to review pricing at tunnels as the HKeToll system is implemented citywide. After a rocky start, the system has reportedly improved traffic in many parts of the city. Electronic payments were implemented for the city's three cross-harbour tunnels in late 2023. There were also fee adjustments to convince drivers to use less congested tunnels. Authorities say the changes have significantly reduced the length of traffic queues. Advertisement Some tunnels have, meanwhile, been operating at a loss for years. One example is Shing Mun Tunnels, which racked up a HK$52 million deficit. The facility, together with Aberdeen Tunnel, has not increased its tolls for many years. Officials plan a comprehensive review this year to set more appropriate fee levels.
RTHK
03-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Affordability 'to factor in user-pays tolls review'
Affordability 'to factor in user-pays tolls review' John Lee says the government will also look at implementing tolls for new trunk roads such as the upcoming Central Kowloon Route. Photo: RTHK The SAR chief executive said on Tuesday the government will adopt the user-pays principle but take into consideration the issue of public affordability in its review of tunnel tolls. John Lee said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting that review priority would be on those tunnels for which tolls have remained unchanged for years. It would also look at new trunk roads and tunnels, such as the Central Kowloon Route that is expected to be completed by the end of the year in coming up with appropriate charges. "There's a need to have charges for particularly major tunnels and trunk roads because there is a need for traffic management and charges will help in managing the traffic flow," he said. "It will also help to ensure that public transport will be given priority in the use of roads ... and there will be a maximum efficiency as a result of good traffic management." Lee pointed to the large amounts of money spent on constructing and managing tunnels and trunk roads for their toll on public coffers. With the government having taken over Tai Lam Tunnel on Saturday, HKeToll has now been implemented at all government-owned tunnels. The electronic toll collection system, Lee said, allows the adoption of time-varying toll system that enhances traffic enforcement. The plan to review tolls was first unveiled by the financial secretary in his budget blueprint in February. The government hopes the review on tunnel fees, along with the fixed penalties for traffic-related offences and various fees will increase its revenue by HK$2 billion annually.
RTHK
02-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Early traffic spike shows Tai Lam Tunnel vision works
Early traffic spike shows Tai Lam Tunnel vision works Mable Chan says traffic at the Tai Lam Tunnel was up 10 percent on the first working day since the takeover. Photo: RTHK The secretary for transport and logistics said traffic on the first working day since the Tai Lam Tunnel takover, which went up by 10 percent, was within expectations. The rise came in the wee hours between midnight and 6 am on Monday after the government took over the tunnel on Saturday, when a new time-varying toll and a switchover to HKeToll were also implemented. Charges for all vehicle types were reduced by 22 to 80 percent under the new regime. Private cars are charged HK$45 during peak hours, HK$30 during regular periods and HK$18 during off-peak periods from Monday to Saturday. A flat rate of HK$18 is implemented throughout Sundays and public holidays. Speaking after a tunnel inspection, Mable Chan said she hopes the new arrangement can alleviate congestion on Tuen Mun Road by 5 percent. "Traffic was up by about 40 percent when compared to the average flow on Sundays," she said. "This was within our expectations because private cars are now charged HK$18, a significant drop on the previous HK$58 charge. "So far the traffic situation is within our expectations and under control. "We hope that cars will opt for Tai Lam Tunnel as this will help alleviate peak-hour congestion on Tuen Mun Road. "We hope traffic on Tuen Mun Road can be cut by 5 percent during peak hours." The Transport and Logistics Bureau will closely monitor the traffic situation, Chan said. The government, she added, will review charges for its tunnels and consider looking into those for Aberdeen and Shing Mun tunnels first as they have remained unchanged for years. It will also look into imposing a charge for the Central Kowloon Route that is set to be completed by the end of the year to recover costs, she said. She added that her bureau will brief lawmakers on the review on tunnel tolls this month.
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
New toll system, cheaper fees in place as Hong Kong's Tai Lam Tunnel handed over
Hong Kong authorities have taken control of the Tai Lam Tunnel after a 30-year franchise ended, with an electronic toll payment system and cheaper fees implemented in the early hours of Saturday. Advertisement The Transport Department announced that the government had taken over the tunnel at midnight and conducted works to implement the HKeToll system. Authorities temporarily closed some traffic lanes in the toll plaza and roads to the 3.8km (2.4 miles) tunnel, which links Pat Heung and Ting Kau in the New Territories, in phases between 1am and 3am. The tunnel was then closed for two hours as the Highways Department changed road markings, adjusted traffic lanes, replaced signs and covered the toll booths. It reopened at 5am with the HKeToll system in operation. Advertisement It was the last franchised tunnel in the city to be taken over by the government.
