View Poll Results: Should the CHT toll be increased

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66. You may not vote on this poll
  • Yes - It is too cheap

    16 24.24%
  • Yes but only during times of congestion

    15 22.73%
  • Yes and also the Lion Rock tunnel

    3 4.55%
  • No - WHT tunnel should lower its prices

    36 54.55%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Cross Harbour Tunnel

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  1. #111

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    I don't think tolls are tools at all, they are the results of privatization of infrastructure.

    Cross harbour, which I used just last week (went to pick up furniture), is a disaster mainly due to poor infrastructure planning. So many roads leading into a bottleneck of insufficient toll booths that then lead into, an even worse, very short run off back into a 2 lane tunnel. Why they don't even have the old school change baskets vs. humans here is beyond me? Eastern tunnel is worth the extra distance not to sit in a parking lot for 15 mins. Western tunnel should be equalized to the others but they're all overpriced compared to regional cities I'd imagine.

    I can't compare HK to Canada where tolls are extremely rare, or the even the US where they are more common but reasonable (save Manhattan) so I'll compare HK to Korea.

    In Korea average yearly registration, inspection, and taxes are about $200USD for 2.5L car, here $1000USD (after a 30% hike). In Busan they built: nice new bridge, tolls at the time cost a whopping $1.00USD, the highest around compared to all the tunnels and expressways which averaged about $0.60USD. Several of these tollways have since become FREE (as promised by city) and they've even built several new tunnels + bridges (they're a bit nuts with the infrastructure), still no where near the costs of HK, and of course conceived and built in years not decades.

    The costs private car owners pay here likely exceed the pathetic upkeep of the infrastructure in this tiny SAR, and the road conditions are far inferior to Korea and likely other comparable Asian countries.

    TheDevil_666 likes this.

  2. #112

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    In my view HK should go on SGs route, owning your own vehicle should in every way be very expensive, sharing vehicles bus/taxi etc should be promoted. We need less not more cars in the city.


  3. #113

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    Any news regarding the free autotoll scheme? It was announced to be started "during this year" and it's almost already out...No news about it right?


  4. #114

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cornmeal:
    I don't think tolls are tools at all, they are the results of privatization of infrastructure.

    Cross harbour, which I used just last week (went to pick up furniture), is a disaster mainly due to poor infrastructure planning. So many roads leading into a bottleneck of insufficient toll booths that then lead into, an even worse, very short run off back into a 2 lane tunnel. Why they don't even have the old school change baskets vs. humans here is beyond me? Eastern tunnel is worth the extra distance not to sit in a parking lot for 15 mins. Western tunnel should be equalized to the others but they're all overpriced compared to regional cities I'd imagine.

    I can't compare HK to Canada where tolls are extremely rare, or the even the US where they are more common but reasonable (save Manhattan) so I'll compare HK to Korea.

    In Korea average yearly registration, inspection, and taxes are about $200USD for 2.5L car, here $1000USD (after a 30% hike). In Busan they built: nice new bridge, tolls at the time cost a whopping $1.00USD, the highest around compared to all the tunnels and expressways which averaged about $0.60USD. Several of these tollways have since become FREE (as promised by city) and they've even built several new tunnels + bridges (they're a bit nuts with the infrastructure), still no where near the costs of HK, and of course conceived and built in years not decades.

    The costs private car owners pay here likely exceed the pathetic upkeep of the infrastructure in this tiny SAR, and the road conditions are far inferior to Korea and likely other comparable Asian countries.
    You cite an example of a not busy bridge to suggest tolls should be low or eradicated blaming privatization. The reason there are no tolls on the StoneCutters Bridge is not because it was not extremely expensive or is super cheap to run. It has no tolls as it is not needed for another 20 years. The older and much lower cost routes still have plenty of capacity.

    As for better examples for HK harbour crossings I would suggest the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia and the Lincoln Tunnel in New York. Both set tools to optimise traffic flow with Sydney being variable so higher tolls at peak time. Both are government run and operated.

    Car ownership is cheap in Hong Kong compared to living. Same land area is given to roads as it is to private housing yet 20x the tax take from land for living.
    Last edited by East_coast; 02-12-2022 at 01:22 PM.

  5. #115

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    Quote Originally Posted by timonoj:
    Any news regarding the free autotoll scheme? It was announced to be started "during this year" and it's almost already out...No news about it right?
    November implementation is what I heard to go along with the opening of the Cross Bay Link that was supposed to be all fully autotoll and variable rates from the get go (or at least that was the plan 4-5 years back). But the made it free increasing traffic overall at peak times.

  6. #116

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    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    You cite an example of a not busy bridge to suggest tolls should be low or eradicated blaming privatization. The reason there are no tolls on the StoneCutters Bridge is not because it was not extremely expensive or is super cheap to run. It has no tolls as it is not needed for another 20 years. The older and much lower cost routes still have plenty of capacity.

    As for better examples for HK harbour crossings I would suggest the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia and the Lincoln Tunnel in New York. Both set tools to optimise traffic flow with Sydney being variable so higher tolls at peak time. Both are government run and operated.

    Car ownership is cheap in Hong Kong compared to living. Same land area is given to roads as it is to private housing yet 20x the tax take from land for living.
    I cited no such example, learn how to read.

  7. #117

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cornmeal:
    I cited no such example, learn how to read.
    Any bridge that can manage for months down to 50% capacity due to drunken Russian skipper is not 'that' busy.

  8. #118

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    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    November implementation is what I heard to go along with the opening of the Cross Bay Link that was supposed to be all fully autotoll and variable rates from the get go (or at least that was the plan 4-5 years back). But the made it free increasing traffic overall at peak times.
    Hmmm not sure I follow. So...nothing specific regarding autotoll for free?

  9. #119

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    Quote Originally Posted by timonoj:
    Hmmm not sure I follow. So...nothing specific regarding autotoll for free?
    Isn't autotoll a public listed co?

  10. #120

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    Isn't autotoll a public listed co?
    Hmm yeah I wonder how the arrangement is going to work for Autotoll. I guess the gov will just pay them. But the gov announced over a year ago they'd implement free autotoll under a different name of their own. If you renew your vehicle license, they actually have a checkbox to put you into the program while you are at it. I did it in January, and I'm still to hear from them at all...
    shri and East_coast like this.

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