Latest news with #HKeToll
RTHK
10 hours ago
- 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
a day ago
- 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
3 days ago
- 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.
RTHK
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RTHK
HKeToll passes first test in Tai Lam Tunnel takeover
HKeToll passes first test in Tai Lam Tunnel takeover Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee is briefed on work on the transition. Photo courtesy of Information Services Department Transport officials said a switchover to HKeToll at Tai Lam Tunnel in conjunction with a resumption of control over the key New Territories infrastructural connection has been a mostly smooth process. The SAR administration took over the tunnel, which connects Yuen Long and Ting Kau, at midnight on Saturday at the end of a 30-year build-operate-transfer franchise. The tunnel was fully closed for two hours from 3 am on Saturday to facilitate the switchover, allowing the electronic toll collection system to go live at 5 am. A new time-varying toll system has also been implemented, reducing tolls for all vehicle types by 22 to 80 percent when compared to previous rates. Private cars will now be charged HK$45 during peak hours, HK$30 during regular periods and HK$18 during off-peak times from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and public holidays, a flat toll of HK$18 applies throughout the day. Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee visited the tunnel in the early hours on Saturday and was briefed on the transition. 'Following the substantial reduction of tolls and the rollout of HKeToll, we hope to make optimal use of the Tai Lam Tunnel 's spare capacity effectively to alleviate the busy traffic on alternative routes, ' she said in a statement. The Transport Department said it would closely monitor traffic conditions on Monday, the first working day since the switchovers were implemented.
RTHK
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RTHK
HKeToll passes first test in Tai Lam Tunnel takeover
HKeToll passes first test in Tai Lam Tunnel takeover Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee is briefed on work on the transition. Photo courtesy of Information Services Department Transport officials said a switchover to HKeToll at Tai Lam Tunnel in conjunction with a resumption of control over the key New Territories infrastructural connection has been a mostly smooth process. The SAR administration took over the tunnel, which connects Yuen Long and Ting Kau, at midnight on Saturday at the end of a 30-year build-operate-transfer franchise. The tunnel was fully closed for two hours from 3 am on Saturday to facilitate the switchover, allowing the electronic toll collection system to go live at 5 am. A new time-varying toll system has also been implemented, reducing tolls for all vehicle types by 22 to 80 percent when compared to previous rates. Private cars will now be charged HK$45 during peak hours, HK$30 during regular periods and HK$18 during off-peak times from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and public holidays, a flat toll of HK$18 applies throughout the day. Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee visited the tunnel in the early hours on Saturday and was briefed on the transition. 'Following the substantial reduction of tolls and the rollout of HKeToll, we hope to make optimal use of the Tai Lam Tunnel 's spare capacity effectively to alleviate the busy traffic on alternative routes, ' she said in a statement. The Transport Department said it would closely monitor traffic conditions on Monday, the first working day since the switchovers were implemented.
