TRANSPORT
optimise government resources. The toll charges at these tunnels remain under government control.
The Lion Rock Tunnel, which links Kowloon and Sha Tin, began single tube operation in 1967, with a second tube added in 1978. The toll was $6 per vehicle. It is the most heavily- used government tunnel and was used by 80 000 vehicles a day in 1994.
The Aberdeen Tunnel was opened in 1982. It links the north and south sides of Hong Kong Island, and recorded a daily traffic volume of 56 000 vehicles in 1994. The toll charge was $5 per vehicle.
The toll-free Airport Tunnel provides direct road access from Hung Hom to Hong Kong International Airport. It also passes underneath the airport runway to Kowloon Bay. Opened in 1982, it was used by an average of 55 000 vehicles per day in 1994.
The Shing Mun Tunnels, linking Sha Tin to Tsuen Wan, opened to traffic in 1990. The toll was $5 per vehicle. The average daily traffic was 50 000 vehicles during the year under review.
Tseung Kwan O Tunnel was also opened in 1990. Linking Kowloon to Tseung Kwan O new town, it was used by 30 000 vehicles daily in 1994. The toll was $3 per vehicle.
The Cross Harbour Tunnel, the Eastern Harbour Crossing and the Tate's Cairn Tunnel were all built by the private sector under 'build, operate and transfer' franchises.
The Cross Harbour Tunnel, opened in 1972, connects Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island and Hung Hom in Kowloon. Used by an average of 123 000 vehicles each day in 1994, it is one of the world's busiest four-lane road tunnels. The tolls ranged from $4 to $30 per vehicle, including a government passage tax.
The Eastern Harbour Crossing is Hong Kong's second cross-harbour road tunnel. Opened in 1989, it links Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island and Cha Kwo Ling in Kowloon. It is connected by an elevated section of Route 6 to the Kowloon portal of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel. At the end of the year, the average traffic in this tunnel was 86 000 vehicles per day. The tolls ranged from $5 to $30.
Tate's Cairn Tunnel was opened to traffic in 1991, to provide an additional direct road link between the northeastern New Territories and Kowloon. Measuring four kilometres from portal to portal, it is the longest road tunnel in the territory. The daily traffic flow at the Tate's Cairn Tunnel had increased to 81 000 vehicles a day at the end of 1994. The tolls ranged from $4 to $8.
Automatic toll collection (autotoll) was extended to the Lion Rock Tunnel in August, enabling motorists to drive through designated toll booths without stopping. The autotoll system was first introduced at the Cross Harbour Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel in August 1993.
At the end of 1994, there were about 52 500 registered autotoll users, making an average of 32 000, 20 200, and 18 100 trips daily through the Cross Harbour, Aberdeen and Lion Rock tunnels, respectively.
Traffic Management and Control
An extensive programme of traffic management and control measures is being implemented to improve traffic flows.
At the end of the year, there were 1 211 signalised junctions in the territory - 306 on Hong Kong Island, 474 in Kowloon and 431 in the New Territories.
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