Commuters drive through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, in Hong Kong, March 22, 2023. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Traffic at Hong Kong’s three crossharbor tunnels ran smoothly on Wednesday, the first day of a new toll plan that aims to ease the city’s traffic congestion.

Lam Sai-hung, secretary for transport and logistics of the special administrative region government, made the announcement on Wednesday, the first day of the “633” toll plan.

Under the plan, private cars using the Western Harbour Crossing are charged HK$60 ($7.69), while the toll now is HK$30 at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing

Under the plan, private cars using the Western Harbour Crossing are charged HK$60 ($7.69), while the toll now is HK$30 at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing.

Taxis will pay HK$25 for passing through any of the three tunnels. Passengers who don’t board from cross-harbor taxi stands will need to pay both the outbound and return toll, totaling HK$50.

The plan was implemented on the day that the government took over the Western Harbour Crossing after the 30-year franchise expired.

After inspecting the Western Harbour Crossing, Lam said that the number of taxis passing through the tunnel increased by about 50 percent during the night and 20 percent during the morning peak, showing that the plan “effectively diverted the traffic”.

He said drivers can choose which tunnel to take based on traffic flow during peak hours.

The two-way cross-harbor traffic flow from 7 to 10 am on Wednesday was about 44,000 vehicles, which was about the same as before the implementation of the new plan, according to a statement of the Transport Department.

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Traffic flow at the Western Harbour Crossing increased slightly by about 3 percent, and 4 percent fewer vehicles used the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and 1 percent fewer used the eastern one. The situation was “in line with expectations” of the department, the statement said.

HKeToll, which enables motorists to pay tunnel tolls without having to line up at the booths, will be launched at the western tunnel from 5 am on Sunday, and at the eastern tunnel on Aug 27.

The Transport Department anticipates smoother operation of the three tunnels as new facilities are commissioned.

Lam added that the government soon will implement a time-of-use pricing system for the three tunnels to further ease traffic in the three tunnels.

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Li Chi-yung, chairman of the Hong Kong Storehouses, Transportation and Logistics Staff Association, told China Daily that he believes the new toll plan will have a limited effect on the route that private car owners choose, as the price adjustments are considered mild.

Yison Lau Chun-kit, secretary of the Federation of the Hong Kong Transportation and Logistics Industry Unions, said that he believes the new toll plan will play a greater role in diverting traffic since it reduced traffic flow on the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing in the morning rush hours on the first day of operation.