The Government proposes to implement a "congestion levy" for cross-harbour tunnels, which will be divided into three periods: peak, non-peak and normal periods.
The Legislative Council Panel on Transport discussed the relevant project today (17th). At the meeting, many members believed that the solution could not solve the crux of the problem of traffic jams. The toll is waived for 3 people.
Chen Fan said that the authorities will ensure that there is sufficient consensus among the council, society and the industry, and then start related work, including analyzing the travel habits of citizens, assessing the impact of different toll levels on traffic flow, and then determining the plan, targeting the fourth quarter Go to the Legislative Council to explain the proposal, and then start the drafting of the relevant legislation.
Lu Weiguo: The fourth and fifth sea tunnels must be built in the long run
Tian Beichen pointed out that the toll of the West Tunnel is expensive, but the utilization rate of the West Tunnel during peak hours in the morning is still 98%, indicating that the overall cross-sea traffic is saturated.
He believes that in order to solve the problem, it is necessary to increase the passenger capacity of each private car. He proposes to promote the use of private cars. During peak hours, if there are 2 people in the private car, the toll will be half price; if there are 3 people, the toll will be waived. I believe At least two to three percent of traffic can be reduced.
Chen Fan, Secretary of the Transport and Housing Bureau, said that the authorities and Tian Beichen are "not too much". He supports it in principle, but there are different considerations in actual operation. For example, if the driver and the boss ride in the car, whether it is considered a shared ride.
The Pakatan Harapan Lu Weiguo pointed out that the government proposed the "three-tunnel diversion" in 2019, but at that time, it said that the three-tunnel diversion was not feasible due to the saturation of the West Tunnel. The authorities have not been able to hand over actual data, and today's discussion is just "fasting". The main problem is still that the overall capacity of the harbour crossing tunnel is insufficient. In the long run, the fourth and fifth harbour crossing tunnels must be built.
In addition, he believes that it is necessary to start from urban planning to solve the problem of traffic congestion caused by citizens going to work and school across districts.
Chen Fan: Don't talk about levying money now to avoid "hurting feelings"
Chen Xuefeng of the DAB said that he supported the plan in principle, but did not agree with the name "congestion levy", believing that it would be equivalent to a toll on any traffic-congested road in the future, and suggested changing it to "flexible toll for the three tunnels".
He mentioned that the crux of the problem of traffic jams in the tunnels lies in the lack of public transport capacity, and described the government as a "manipulator".
Chen Heng-pin of the DAB said that the name of "congestion levy" is punitive, which makes people feel more negative. Many people questioned the government's disguised increase in tolls and hoped that the government would solve the problem of congestion through encouragement rather than punishment. For example, in Africa Reduced price during busy hours.
He also pointed out that the current park-and-ride facilities are insufficient, and the government has not made good use of the Tai Lam Tunnel and Ma Liushui to implement park-and-ride, which has made park-and-ride into an empty talk.
Chen Fan responded that the authorities have an avant-garde concept in terms of park-and-ride, and also said that the practice of different charges at different times is encouraging, and the charges at non-peak hours are also reduced. A more positive name is required.
The election committee Jie Lin Xiaolu said that the plan is supported in principle, but the authorities have not provided data, making it difficult to assess the effectiveness.
He hoped that the government would explain the amount of the "congestion levy" and the charges for different vehicle types as soon as possible.
Chen Fan said that there are different opinions in the community. At this stage, I don't want to talk too much about money, so as not to "sad feelings."
Three principles of congestion levy for cross-harbour tunnels exposed Park and Ride: Car owners cross the sea with a purpose to solve the cross-sea congestion "with results as the goal"