'Govt Should Divert More Buses Through New Tunnel'

Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong says the government should be more aggressive with its plans to divert buses through the new Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel.

The tunnel and an adjacent Cross Bay Link will be launched on December 11, with five bus routes using the tunnel immediately and another four being added later. The government says it expects travel times between Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon East to be reduced by 20 minutes.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Fong welcomed the new links, saying traffic congestion in Tseung Kwan O was "horrible".

"The existing tunnel was originally designed for 78,000 vehicles per day," she said. "It now sees up to almost 100,000 vehicles per day, which is why there are such long queues. The traffic right now is quite horrible. There are always traffic jams from Kowloon East all the way up to the Kwun Tong highway."

She added: "I think the government can be more aggressive with adding bus routes through the new tunnel. They should have more buses going through this tunnel, even to Hong Kong Island, or Kwai Chung, or even further."