Latest news with #TransportDepartment
South China Morning Post
a day 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
a day 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
a day 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.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Klein Boesmans River Bridge construction in KwaZulu-Natal: R29 million spent, yet incomplete
The construction of the Klein Boesmans River Bridge in Wembezi, KwaZulu-Natal, is incomplete despite R29 million being spent on the project by contractors. The project was supposed to be completed in May 2021. Image: Riona Gokool / Supplied The construction of the Klein Boesmans River Bridge in Wembezi, KwaZulu-Natal, is incomplete despite R29 million being spent on the project by contractors. The KZN Legislature Transport Portfolio Committee conducted an inspection of the site on Wednesday to find the construction area deserted. The project began in 2020 and was scheduled for completion in May 2021. The committee said that to date, only 65% of the project is completed. Mncedisi Maphisa, the portfolio committee chairperson, said that according to the contractual agreement, the construction period to complete the job would be 15 months. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Maphisa said the site had since been deserted and there is no progress, which triggered the committee to visit the bridge in a mission to find answers from the provincial Transport Department, municipality, and contractors. 'The committee holds a firm view that these delays are unwarranted and result in unnecessary slow-pacing of service delivery. The first meeting was held at Department of Transport Cost Centre in Estcourt and the delegation then proceeded to Wembezi for physical assessment of the bridge, to be furnished with reasons as to why this project has taken this long to finish, and also to ascertain what the department has in store to ensure that this project is completed,' Maphisa said. The KZN Legislature Transport Portfolio Committee conducted an inspection of the site on Wednesday. Image: KZN Legislature Riona Gokool, MPL and Democratic Alliance KZN spokesperson on Transport, said there must be full accountability, and that the DA stood with the affected communities to demand that public money be used to serve the public interest, not the pockets of failing contractors and indifferent officials. 'The residents of Zwelisha and surrounding areas deserve proper service delivery. They do not deserve to watch as tens of millions of rand are poured into a pit of incompetence and neglect,' Gokool said. She added that this was gross mismanagement, a lack of oversight, and accountability from officials. 'The delays and abandonment have left residents stranded without a critical transport link, cutting off access to schools, health care, and economic opportunities,' she said. Gokool said the department's internal report reads like a case study in failure. 'A contractor plagued by cash flow issues, construction delays exacerbated by avoidable mistakes, and an apparent breakdown in contract management and supervision. Excuses such as Covid-19 and weather conditions do not justify years of stagnation, nor do they absolve the department from failing to take decisive action sooner,' Gokool said. Recently, the committee inspected the uMdloti River Bridge project in the Ndwedwe area, revealing staggering levels of mismanagement, incompetence, and neglect of a critical infrastructure project, said Gokool. The committee found that despite construction having been under way for over eight years, only 44% of the work was complete as of April 2025 Construction of the uMdloti bridge has now dragged on since 2016, yet to date, it remains incomplete.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
This inner-city suburb could become an entirely 30km/h zone
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece has supported calls for a blanket 30km/h limit across East Melbourne to improve safety and deter motorists from driving through the area's small streets. Reece said he had written to Victoria's Roads Minister Melissa Horne to request the state government consider running consultation on a 30km/h zone in East Melbourne, which is already in place on local streets in nearby Fitzroy and Collingwood. He said he wanted to avoid people using the suburb as a 'rat run', or driving through small streets to avoid major arterials. 'East Melbourne is notorious for people speeding through suburban streets to get to the MCG or the city,' he said. 'Residents have told me they are frustrated by the prevalence of suburban rat-runs, impacting pedestrian safety and creating congestion on neighbourhood streets.' Reece said that if community feedback favoured the idea, East Melbourne could become 'the City of Melbourne's first 30km/h suburb'. The World Health Organisation recommends speed be limited to 30km/h on urban streets where cars and pedestrians mix, and the limit is widely used in European cities. But 30km/h is not a standard speed limit in Victoria and so can only be used in trials with the state Transport Department. A handful of trials are taking place statewide including in the City of Yarra across Collingwood and Fitzroy.
