Zipping through the tunnel

Michael Shum

The launch of a new route linking Tuen Mun and Chek Lap Kok drastically cutting down trips between the districts ended up paralyzing traffic for at least four hours yesterday amid an overly enthusiastic response from drivers.

The HK$47 billion Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link connects Tuen Mun south and the Hong Kong port at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge via a five-kilometer undersea tunnel, cutting short the journey from Tuen Mun to the airport by 20 minutes to just 10 minutes.

When the route opened at 8am yesterday, more than 300 driving enthusiasts lined up to be the first experiencing the shortened trip. At the same time as the new connection's opening, the toll for Lantau Link was also lifted.

The first in the queue was a driver who arrived at 4 am: "I was also the first in the queue when the Tsing Ma Bridge opened [in 1997], therefore I want to be the first one to try out this new route too," he said.

Another driver said the route was convenient, and that it took him only 20 minutes to drive from his Tin Shui Wai home to the airport compared to the 40 to 45 minutes in the past.

But the situation started to worsen in the afternoon as more drivers jumped in.

A two-kilometer tailback extended from the entrance of the tunnel to Tuen Mun Golf Centre in the afternoon.

A driver who tried out the tunnel yesterday at 2pm said it took him 13 minutes to drive from the center of Tuen Mun to the entrance of the tunnel.

Later in the afternoon, another driver said it took him 45 minutes to get to the entrance of the tunnel from Siu Hong in Tuen Mun.

The situation was no better on Lantau island, as Tung Chung district councilor Wong Chun-yeung called upon Hongkongers not to head to the district.

"This is an urgent appeal. Do not head towards Tung Chung!" Wong wrote on his Facebook page.

"The traffic in Tung Chung now is completely jammed, it will take 45 minutes on average to leave the traffic maze. Do not come to Tung Chung!"

Gary Poon Chi-kin, chairman of the Traffic and Transport Committee of the Tuen Mun District Council, said the flawed design of the roundabout at the entrance of the tunnel made the situation worse.

"Drivers had to wait before entering the roundabout, making the traffic jam more serious. Some rushed into the roundabout disregarding the traffic conditions, which is very unsafe," Poon said.

The Transport Department claimed the opening of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Tunnel went smoothly, although it noted traffic jams in Tung Chung and that public car parks in the district were full.

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, wrote on his blog that the department had already moved six franchised bus routes that run between Tuen Mun and northern Lantau to the new link.

"Five existing bus routes will see their fares lowered by HK$1.9 to HK$12.7, and at the same time the tolls at the existing Lantau Link will be waived," Cheung said.

Before the toll-free arrangement, private vehicles and taxis heading to and from the airport had to stop twice at the Lantau Link main toll plaza and pay a total of HK$30 to use the link.

Meanwhile, a 49-year-old male driver was arrested after he drove into the tunnel minutes before the launch of the new route and blocked the tunnel with his seven-seater.

He was arrested for possessing offensive weapons after a knife was found in his vehicle, and for obstructing an officer.

The man told officers that he drove without authorization into the tunnel as he was unhappy after a dispute with his employer.

Three cars also bumped into each other inside the tunnel but no one was injured.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor visited the Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge border control points yesterday en route the newly opened Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Tunnel.

During her visit, she said she was glad to learn that the "Return2hk Scheme" has been running smoothly. It allows nearly 20,000 Hongkongers to return to Hong Kong from Guangdong province and Macau with their mandatory 14-day quarantine exempt.