Consultation for traffic distribution upgrade rolls out

Public urged to submit views by 7 May.

According to a report, the Transport & Housing Bureau issued a reminder to people to submit views on proposed measures to improve traffic distribution among the road harbour crossings by May 7.

A consultancy study completed in 2010 suggested it is necessary to divert some traffic from the Cross-Harbour Tunnel to the Eastern Harbour Crossing, to rationalise traffic flow at the three crossings. This would be achieved by cutting the Eastern Harbour Crossing tolls and raising Cross-Harbour Tunnel tolls.

Based on comments collected from the last public consultation exercise, the Government has revised some of the toll-adjustment options the consultants recommended to address calls for a lesser toll increase for goods vehicles at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and freezing public transport vehicle tolls.

The bureau put forward three options that involve adjustments of different degrees to the two crossings’ tolls, and launched a three-month public consultation exercise on February 8.

It will consider the views of the community and stakeholders, and then discuss the implementation of the most preferred toll-adjustment option with the tunnel franchisee.

The bureau expects to conduct a 12-month trial starting in the second half of 2014 at the earliest.

It will review the trial’s outcome before deciding whether the toll adjustments should continue.