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The Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) launched a public consultation exercise today (February 8) on proposed measures to improve traffic distribution among the road harbour crossings (RHCs). Members of the public are welcome to express their views during the three-month consultation period which will end on May 7.
A THB spokesman said, "According to the consultancy study completed in 2010, to achieve the objective of rationalising traffic flow at the three RHCs, it is necessary to divert some traffic from the Cross Harbour Tunnel (CHT) to the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC) by reducing the tolls of the EHC and raising the tolls of the CHT.
"Based on the comments collected from the last public consultation exercise, the Administration has studied and revised some of the toll adjustment options recommended by the consultants to address the requests from the public and trade, including calls for less toll increase for goods vehicles at the CHT and freezing public transport vehicle tolls."
The THB has put forward three feasible options, all of which involve adjustment of different degrees to CHT and EHC tolls, for public consultation. The three proposals are based on the premise that toll reduction at the EHC as a pull factor must be complemented by toll increase at the CHT as a push factor in order to achieve significant queue reduction at the CHT, thereby rationalising traffic flow at the three RHCs.
Main features of the three options are summarised as follows:
(Option A) The Resource Management Option involves reducing the EHC private car toll by $5 and those of other types of vehicles correspondingly, and increasing the CHT private car toll by $5 and increasing tolls of other vehicle types in accordance with the resource management principle, so as to reflect the road space occupied as well as the wear and tear caused on the road by these vehicles as appropriate. That means the increase of tolls payable by larger vehicles at the CHT will be higher than that of smaller vehicles.
(Option B) The EHC Reduction CHT Increase Option involves reducing the EHC private car toll by $5 and increasing the CHT private car toll by $5. However the tolls payable by other vehicles at both tunnels will be proportionally adjusted in accordance with their original toll structure respectively - with no change in toll structure.
(Option C) The Status Quo for Public Transport Option which is similar to the EHC Reduction CHT Increase Option. It involves reducing the EHC private car toll by $5 while the increase in the private car toll at the CHT will be $10 instead of $5. The tolls for public transport vehicles will be frozen. As for goods vehicles, the reduction in tolls at the EHC is larger than the increase in tolls at the CHT, the differential of which is the largest among the three options.
"We will fully listen to the views of various sectors of the community and relevant stakeholders, including the Legislative Council, the Transport Advisory Committee, the relevant District Councils, the transport trade and members of the public. Depending on the outcome of the public consultation, we will discuss with the EHC franchisee the implementation of the most preferred toll adjustment option," the spokesman said.
"Taking into account the time required to conduct public consultation, negotiate with the EHC franchisee and effect the necessary legislative amendments, we expect to conduct a 12-month trial starting in the second half of 2014 at the earliest. We will review the outcome of the trial before deciding whether the toll adjustments should continue."
The public consultation document has been uploaded to the THB's website (www.thb.gov.hk). Members of the public may send their views by post to the Transport and Housing Bureau (c/o Team 2), 20-22/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong; by fax (3904 1774); or by email (rhc@thb.gov.hk).
Ends/Friday, February 8, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:47
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