10 minutes faster through tunnel as new e-toll runs smoothly

Motorists said the traffic time at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel has been shortened by about 10 minutes as the new electronic auto-toll system ran smoothly during morning and evening rush hours on its first working day, despite traffic congestion still being seen on some roads.

The e-toll system was rolled out at 5am on Sunday and lanes were halved to four in each direction, including one bus lane.

At 9am yesterday, motorists on their way to work from the Kowloon side to the Island side were caught in a traffic jam on Princess Margaret Road as usual, but by 10am, the queue had extended to as far as Hung Hom Divisional Police Station and even towards Pui Ching Middle School.

But the president of Hong Kong Automobile Association Ringo Lee Yiu-pui said things went smoothly while labor sector lawmaker Michael Luk Chung-hung said he saved 10 minutes on traffic.

Lee said his trip from Kwun Tong to Wan Chai during yesterday's morning peak hour was shortened by three to four minutes and there were no traffic jams when he approached the junction of Wuhu Street and Chatham Road North, which was usually congested.

"Overall it was very smooth," he said. "Although there was traffic congestion [before entering the tunnel], the vehicles were still moving as motorists need not stop to pay tolls."

Luk also finished a 30-minute drive from Langham Palace in Mong Kok to the Legislative Council Complex in Admiralty through the tunnel yesterday morning.

He said it was almost 10 minutes faster from entering Chatham Road North to the entrance of the tunnel, which usually took 15 minutes in the past.

Luk believed the smooth traffic was because motorists no longer need to choose the toll payment method - which may have resulted in lane-switching that could have caused traffic congestion to worsen.

Some taxi drivers said that the traffic flow was still relatively heavy at 9am, but the overall crossing time was five to six minutes faster than usual. They said the experience was quite smooth and they successfully paid the toll via the new system.

Meanwhile, Commissioner for Transport Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said that it's not a traffic congestion if the vehicles can still move.

She said around 5,200 vehicles passed through the tunnel from 7am to 8am yesterday - similar to the average of 5,400 during the same time slot in the last two weeks - but no queues were observed on some roads, including Chatham Road North and Wuhu Street, possibly due to the commencement of the e-toll system.

"Although there were queues, they should not be considered as traffic jams as the vehicles can continue to move."

Law also said the operation will be smoother after the removal of old toll booths, which is estimated to be completed in two to three months.