The government proposes to divert the traffic of the three cross-harbour tunnels. Private cars use the west tunnel to cross the sea, and the fare is reduced to 60 yuan. The red tunnel and the east tunnel also increase the fare to 30 yuan; taxis use the three tunnels to charge a flat fee of 25 yuan. The amendment to the law is proposed to take effect in early August, and then the second phase will push different charges at different times.
The Alliance of Legislative Council Members "C15+" held a press conference today (1st) to express its disapproval of the plan, arguing that the government should use time-based fees to divert traffic and build a fourth cross-harbour tunnel in the long run.
Among them, the WHT non-peak hour toll should be reduced to 30 yuan.
Government plan fails to improve cross-sea traffic flow
The 14 members of "C15+" include Jiang Yuhuan, Zhu Guoqiang, Wu Jiezhuang, Lin Suwei, Lin Shunchao, Lin Xiaolu, Liang Wenguang, Chen Yueming, Chen Shaoxiong, Zhang Xinyu, Yang Yongjie, Deng Fei, Liu Zhipeng and Su Changrong.
They questioned that the government plan failed to straighten out cross-harbour traffic flow, make good use of the capacity of the three cross-harbour tunnels, and curb and disperse excessive traffic demand during peak hours.
They objected to the Government taking advantage of the opportunity of taking back the Western Harbor Crossing to increase the tolls of the CHT and the Eastern Harbor Crossing.
They believe that the fundamental problem of cross-sea and land transportation is that the total designed traffic volume of the three tunnels can no longer meet the needs of citizens: "At present, during the morning rush hour, the total traffic flow of the three tunnels in the morning and evening reaches 30% of the total designed traffic volume of the three tunnels. 126% and 123%. Among them, the congestion in the Red Tunnel is the most serious, and the maximum traffic flow per hour reaches 150% of the designed traffic flow in the morning and evening rush hours. Therefore, the government plan cannot improve the total flow of cross-sea traffic, but may lead to The originally uncongested Western Harbor Crossing is as congested as the CHT and the Eastern Harbor Crossing during peak hours, resulting in "all three tunnels congested", which will eventually even affect the current cross-harbour tunnel buses that sell the Western Harbor Crossing as "express cross-harbour."
C15+ opposes the government's current plan.
The picture shows the meeting between C15+ and Lam Sai-hung, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics yesterday.
(Wu Jiezhuang fb picture)
To solve the traffic problem across the sea, a fourth tunnel must be built
Members of the "C15+" group believe that under the current economic environment, the substantial increase in the transportation costs of the cross-harbour tunnel does not meet social and psychological expectations, and it is even more difficult for the public to accept.
In addition, the CHT is still congested during non-peak hours, while the traffic flow of the WHT is relatively sparse. However, in the government plan, there is still a double price gap between the WHT ($60) and the CHT ($30). Users of the CHT switch to the WHT during off-peak hours, which has little effect on diverting traffic and maximizing the capacity of the WHT.
Moreover, geographically, the EHC is quite far from the other two tunnels, and its usage has already exceeded the design traffic limit. The government’s plan is difficult to produce a diversion effect. The toll of the EHC will also be increased, which will inevitably increase the burden on the public.
They believe that the government should implement the construction of the fourth subsea tunnel to ease traffic.
Promoting the abolition of public transport charges for crossing the sea
The C15+ team synthesized the data and put forward new toll schemes and suggestions. The purpose is to adopt the method of "different tolls at different times", balance the traffic flow at different times, and adjust the prices of the three tunnels during non-peak hours. The specific contents include:
1. During peak hours, that is, from 7 to 10 in the morning and from 5 to 8 in the afternoon, the tolls for private cars in the West Tunnel will be reduced, while the tolls for the Red Tunnel and the East Tunnel will remain unchanged (60 yuan for the West Tunnel, 20 yuan for the Red Tunnel, and 25 yuan for the East Tunnel. Yuan);
2. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the fee for the west tunnel is reduced to 30 yuan, while the original toll for the red tunnel and the east tunnel remains unchanged;
3. From 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next day, the three tunnels are all reduced to 15 yuan.
Abolition of public transport tunnel fees to save costs reflected in fares
Zhang Xinyu added that a fine-tuning method can be used when switching charges, for example, it can be adjusted by 5 yuan every 10 minutes. Singapore also adopts a similar approach, and there has been no confusion.
C15+ also proposes to abolish the charges for crossing the sea by public transport, reflect the cost savings in the fare of the transport, and encourage citizens to take public transport; at the same time, reduce the toll for crossing the sea tunnel for commercial vehicles.
The previous government had launched a three-tunnel diversion plan, which was eventually withdrawn.
(profile picture)
Three tunnel diversion｜Zhang Renliang expects to build the fourth tunnel in the long run. At this stage, the traffic flow will be streamlined by adjusting the charges｜Tunnel fees for various types of vehicles will be exposed. In the first stage, only private cars and taxis will be adjusted. Traffic jams suggest "different charges at different times"