Potential toll hikes for Aberdeen and Shing Mun Tunnels: Transport chief

As the government announced plans to review tolls of tunnels and trunk roads in the latest Budget, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan highlighted the potential fee adjustment in both the Aberdeen Tunnel and Shing Mun Tunnels.

Speaking on a radio program on Monday, Chan mentioned there are only eight government tunnel charge tolls currently, pointing out the Aberdeen Tunnel and Shing Mun Tunnels have maintained a flat fee of HK$5 for over 30 years. 

Chan emphasized the need for a thorough review of reasonable tolling to reflect the “user-pays” principle. She pointed out that drivers have alternative routes available to reach their destinations, suggesting that higher tolls could help reduce traffic congestion by steering vehicles away from heavily traveled paths.

Furthermore, many Southern District residents switched to the MTR after the South Island Line opened in December 2016, resulting in a drop in traffic through the Aberdeen Tunnel.

The Lion Rock Tunnel and the Tsing Sha Control Area have also not adjusted tolls since 1999 and 2008, respectively.

The proposal to implement a time-varying toll plan for the Tai Lam Tunnel was approved last month, charging private vehicles HK$45, HK$30, HK$18 during different time periods.

Regarding the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) Pilot Scheme in Central, Chan stated the government currently implements electronic toll collection for tunnels with time-varying toll plans, believing there is no need to limit electronic road pricing to specific areas.

She also added that a report on the performance of the toll adjustment plan for rationalizing traffic between the three cross-harbor tunnels will be submitted to LegCo by mid-year.