Letters | A quick fix to traffic congestion for Hong Kong? Smarter tolls
Readers discuss dynamic toll pricing, prosocial AI development, and driving licence renewal
As a Yuen Long resident, I regularly travel to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Like many in the northwest New Territories, I often face severe congestion on Tuen Mun Highway/New Territories Circular Road, especially during peak hours. For people in Tuen Mun, the situation is even worse, as the road is often their only option.
Without an interim solution, conditions could only deteriorate. A more immediate and lower-cost measure is possible: dynamic toll pricing.
By adjusting tunnel tolls in real time – lowering them when the alternate route is congested or raising them when the tunnel nears capacity – traffic can be more evenly distributed. Such systems have been successfully piloted in other cities, and Hong Kong already has the necessary ingredients: real-time traffic detectors, smart signboards and widespread use of navigation apps.