Hong Kong transport authorities reject call to make Tai Lam Tunnel toll-free

“Charging a reasonable fee can control the traffic flow, alleviating congestion from Tuen Mun Road and Tolo Highway, while keeping traffic in Tai Lam Tunnel smooth.”

He added the tunnel’s operation requires a large amount of resources and toll revenue would help the government invest in transport infrastructure in the long run.

But lawmakers expressed disappointment that the reduced fees were still too expensive and urged the government to make the tunnel toll-free.

The Transport Department proposed three fee mechanisms, including two simple fixed tolls proposals, and a third option that would see fares change throughout the day.

Currently, private car and taxi drivers pay HK$58 (US$7.4), while commercial vehicle drivers pay between HK$64 and HK$79.

Under the first scenario, tolls for private cars, taxis and other commercial vehicles would be reduced to HK$45.

The second scenario would see fares further reduced to HK$35 across the board for the three kinds of vehicles.

The third scenario would adopt “time-of-day” pricing, where private vehicles would pay HK$45 during peak hours, HK$35 during regular hours and HK$20 during off-peak hours.

The fee for taxis would remain at HK$30 throughout the day, and commercial vehicles would also pay a fixed toll of HK$45.

Lawmaker Chan Siu-hung said he supported the time-varying toll proposal, pointing to its success in reducing congestion at the three cross-harbour tunnels since the roll-out last August.

“The government argues that the time-varying toll mechanism will reduce revenue. I agree that motorists should pay to some extent, but the government should be more flexible with the fees for non-peak hours,” he said.

In response, Liu said that the 3.8km (2.4 mile) long motorway demands high maintenance and repair fees.

“Even during non-peak hours, the ‘users pay’ principle is relevant,” he said.

“If we make the tunnel toll-free, or cheaper during non-peak hours, it would be unfair to motorists during peak hours.”

Edward Lau Kwok-fan, who represents the New Territories North constituency, said that he found it very disappointing that the proposed tolls at the Tai Lam Tunnel remained high even after the government had reclaimed control.

“Residents living in the northwestern districts have been forced to absorb the cost for the past 26 years,” he said.

Lau added that even under the cheapest mechanism, the fees for Tai Lam Tunnel would be more expensive than crossing the harbour.

He pointed to newly-constructed, toll-free tunnels such as the Lung Shan Tunnel in Heung Yuen Wai and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel as examples of the government contradicting its “users pay” principle.

“Why does the government have to maintain such an expensive toll for a tunnel it has reclaimed control of, when newly-built ones can be used for free?”

However, veteran legislator Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee pointed to the government’s fiscal deficit and said free tunnel usage would make residents “unappreciative of precious resources.”

“The government is in a deep fiscal deficit. Collecting small amounts of tolls is reasonable when considering the budget.”

She added that the Tai Lam Tunnel was an important route connecting ports in the north, and the government should provide more support to the logistics sector to reduce costs.

“We are facing huge challenges to remain competitive. We should make it cheaper for commercial vehicles,” she said.