The Transport and Logistics Bureau recommends keeping tolls for all vehicle classes and the current peak-period arrangements at Hong Kong’s three cross-harbour tunnels. Time-of-day tolling began in December 2023 to curb and spread heavy peak-hour demand.
The bureau’s review found that weekday traffic across the tunnels in January to September 2026 was about 5% higher than before the scheme, using December 2023 as the comparison. Traffic at the Western Harbour Crossing rose about 34% to about 117,000 vehicle trips. It fell about 9% to about 95,000 at the Red cross-harbour tunnel and about 8% to about 73,000 at the eastern cross-harbour tunnel.
The bureau says the tolls have spread cross-harbour traffic more evenly and made better use of the tunnels’ capacity. The Western Harbour Crossing has greater capacity and had previously been underused. The scheme was also intended to reduce the effects of tunnel traffic on other roads.
But total traffic at the three tunnels has now exceeded the highest level recorded before time-of-day tolling began. Although peak-period conditions are better overall than before the scheme, queues still intermittently affect connecting roads and traffic that is not crossing the harbour, according to the bureau.
The bureau says economic growth and inflation will gradually make drivers less responsive to toll levels set earlier, reducing the charges’ influence on traffic. Tolls may need adjusting in response to changing conditions.
The bureau will continue monitoring cross-harbour traffic, with particular attention to the effect on city traffic once the Central Kowloon Route is fully open.