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traffic assessments. If the increase in supply of parking places is restricted to matchthe capacity of the road system to cope, then parking charges can be matched to thedemand to ensure proper utilisation on the lines of present policy.9.12.9 Tunnel Tolls—The level of tunnel tolls controls the traffic demand for the tunnelfacilities. The impact of toils can be judged by the changes in tunnel traffic whichoccurred following the imposition of a passage tax on the Cross-Harbour tunnel in1984 (discussed in Chapter 3). Car and taxi traffic in 1988 was still lower than in1984, perhaps also attributable to the decline in the private car fleet although thesurge in goods vehicle traffic took total traffic volumes in the tunnel in 1988 beyondthe 1984 levels.9.12.10 The most important result of controlling tunnel traffic is the elimination of queues oftraffic waiting for an over-capacity tunnel blocking the adjacent road network. It isclear that the costs of congestion on the urban road network due to traffic storage forthe Cross- Harbour and Lion Rock tunnels is currently one of the most serious trafficproblems in Hong Kong.9.12.11 With the opening of new road tunnels in the next few years, there will possibly bea need to adjust tunnel, tolls to control the traffic distribution between parallelfacilities; for example, between the existing Cross-Harbour tunnel and the newEastern Harbour Crossing due to open in 1989, and between the Lion Rock tunneland the Tate's Cairn tunnel due to open in 1991.9.12.1 2 Thus tunnel tolls can be used as a tactical measure both to control tunnel usage toacceptable levels and to ensure an efficient balance of use between parallel routes.In this context, there is scope for differential tolls by vehicle type and by time of daygiven adequate sophistication of toll collection equipment.9.13 Recommendations on Transport Management Policies9.13.1 Results of the evaluation of the policy packages are summarised in Table 9.6.Table 9.6 Of OFECONOMICBENEFITSEFFECTIVENESSEASE OFADMINISTRA-TIONFLEXIBILITYSELECTIVITYCar OwnershipTaxationHigh, but with massivedisbenefits due tosuppression of carownershipVery effective; impactknown and testedFuel TaxBenefits of doubling taxare about 1 /3 of those of50% increase inownership taxation;disbenefits with ownersmuch lessSlightly less effectivethan ownership taxation;impact a littie uncertainas not tested beforePolicy PackageGoods VehicleControlsBenefits of 15%reduction in g.v. fleet areabout 80% of those of50% increase in carownership taxation (17%reduction in car fleet)Not known, but likely tobe very effective, withimpact felt more stronglyin New Territories andless on HK IslandSimple to administer Simple to administer Simple to administerLevel of taxation couldbe adjusted easilyNon-selective, affectingall motoristsLevels of taxation couldbe adjusted easilyNon-selective, affectingall journeysLevel of taxation couldbe adjusted easilyCharges could be variedfor different types ofvehicleArea PricingBenefits at 2/3 of ERPScheme B charges aresimilar to those of 50%increase in car ownershiptaxation; comparativelylow disbenefits withsuppressed trafficNot known, but likely tobe very effective. Optionrejected before by thepublic and not testedelsewhereRequires substantial initialinvestment and a centralbilling and monitoringorganisationCoverage and level ofcharges could be adjustedto suit changes incircumstancesHighly selective, reducingusage directly at times andplaces which requirerestraint192