The Transport Department (TD) said today (August 2) that the traffic situation was generally smooth after the implementation of the "633" fixed toll scheme at the three road harbour crossings (RHCs), i.e. Western Harbour Crossing (WHC), Cross-Harbour Tunnel (CHT) and Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC), upon the takeover of the WHC from midnight.
The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre has been closely monitoring the traffic situation at the RHCs after the "633" fixed toll scheme was implemented. During the morning peak hours, i.e. between 7am and 10am, the overall cross-harbour two-way traffic flow was about 44 000 vehicles, similar to that before the implementation of the "633" fixed toll scheme. While the traffic flow at the WHC slightly increased by about 3 per cent, the traffic flows at the CHT and the EHC slightly decreased by about 4 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. The overall traffic flow has been smooth in general and the initial traffic situation was in line with expectations.
"With the uniform taxi toll, the number of taxis using the WHC has increased by about 50 per cent and 20 per cent during midnight and the morning peak respectively, diverting the traffic effectively. Meanwhile, as the number of taxi drivers paying the tolls by cash has increased at the WHC, the manual toll lanes became busier during the peak hours. Upon the HKeToll implementation at the WHC on August 6, motorists will be able to pay tunnel tolls without having to stop at toll booths for payments. We believe that the traffic situation of the WHC will be smoother," a TD spokesman said.
"As motorists may need time to explore new driving routes and adjust their travel behaviour according to the new tolls at RHCs, it is expected that the cross-harbour traffic may change in the near future. Motorists are advised to pay attention to the latest traffic news released by the TD when planning their trips."
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