TRANSPORT
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the utility companies, the police and the Transport Department. Measures are being introduced to improve the management of road openings, to reduce their duration and frequency.
Tunnels
The management and operation of the five government-owned tunnels the Lion Rock, Aberdeen, Airport, Tseung Kwan O and Shing Mun tunnels -- have been contracted out to private operators. Toll charges at these tunnels remain under government control.
The Lion Rock Tunnel, linking Kowloon and Sha Tin, began single-tube operation in 1967, with a second tube added in 1978. It is the most heavily used government tunnel, with 87 000 vehicles daily in 1995. The toll was $6 per vehicle.
The Aberdeen Tunnel, opened in 1982, links the north and south sides of Hong Kong Island. It was used by 58 000 vehicles daily in 1995, each of which paid $5.
The toll-free Airport Tunnel provides direct access from Hung Hom to Hong Kong International Airport, and passes underneath the airport runway to Kowloon Bay. Opened in 1982, it was used by 54 000 vehicles daily in 1995.
The Shing Mun Tunnel, opened in 1990, links Sha Tin to Tsuen Wan. The toll was $5 per vehicle. The average daily traffic volume was 52 000 vehicles in 1995.
The Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, opened in 1990, links Kowloon and the Tseung Kwan O new town. It was used by 36 000 vehicles daily in 1995, each paying $3.
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 a daily average of 123 000 vehicles in 1995, it is one of the world's busiest four-lane road tunnels. The tolls varied 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. A daily average of 86 000 vehicles used the tunnel in 1995. The tolls ranged from $5 to $30.
The Tate's Cairn Tunnel was opened to traffic in 1991, providing an additional direct road link between the north-eastern New Territories and Kowloon. Measuring about four kilometres from portal to portal, it is the longest road tunnel in the territory. It was used by an average of 77 000 vehicles daily in 1995. The tolls ranged from $6 to $15.
An automatic toll collection (Autotoll) system was installed at the Cross-Harbour and Aberdeen Tunnels in August 1993, the Lion Rock Tunnel in August 1994 and the Eastern Harbour Crossing in September 1995, enabling motorists to drive through designated toll booths without stopping.
At the end of 1995, about 75 000 registered Autotoll users made an average of 39 100, 24 200, 25 600 and 18 800 trips daily through the Cross-Harbour, Aberdeen,