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Opinion | Hong Kong has blown its chance to sell the public on congestion pricing, and won’t get another soon
- The administration fixated on pushing through the tunnel tolls plan, instead of discussing the environmental rationale behind congestion charging
- Now it has lost that fight and seems to be getting cold feet over road pricing in Central
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Why you can trust SCMP
The timing could not be worse. Just after the administration withdrew its proposal for the rationalisation of tunnel tolls, the Transport Bureau submitted to the Central and Western District Council a long-running study on road pricing in Central. The legislature’s fundamental objection to the tunnel tolls plan was apparently an objection to charging for the use of roads. There is no real concern about the quality of life in our city.
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The disagreement between the administration and the Legislative Council never even got to a public discussion. What are the main issues seen by the legislators and why hasn’t there been a real attempt by the administration to address them and move forward? There is no logic in the continued disparity in the tolls between the three tunnels.
The most congested tunnel is the cheapest, and it will remain congested as long as the tolls continue to be unbalanced. The administration didn’t try to resolve the issue, but just shelved it. The opening of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass had presented a reason to address the issue, but the opportunity has now been lost.
The proposed changes to the tunnel tolls were not extreme, but would have resulted in increases at two tunnels and a reduction at one. Private cars would pay HK$40 to use the Cross Harbour and Eastern Harbour tunnels – up from HK$20 and HK$25. Using the western route would cost HK$50, HK$20 less than the current charge. The reasons for the tolls are primarily related to congestion charging.
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The problem for legislators seemed to be that no toll should increase, but that all the tolls should be made equal and as cheap as that at the Cross Harbour Tunnel. Unfortunately, the administration stated at the outset its plan was the only one possible and would be withdrawn if legislators did not accept it.
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