Taxis have been allowed to use the Discovery Bay Tunnel since October 2014. They have never had to pay to use this tunnel, whereas the minimum usage fee for other permitted vehicles (including government vehicles, ambulances and police vehicles) is HK$50 (US$6.40).
According to published government statistics, around 1.15 million taxis used the tunnel to access Discovery Bay in the 70 months ended October 2023. During the same period, around 554,000 buses used the tunnel and would have paid about HK$27 million in tolls.
Because taxis pay no tolls, it means about HK$57 million in tunnel fees was foregone during this period. Revenue had also been foregone between October 2014 and 2018. In almost 10 years, the government should otherwise have collected a large sum in royalties on these fees.
Whatever the original justification was for waiving the Discovery Bay Tunnel fee for taxis, a review of it is long overdue. Under the “user pays” principle endorsed by the government, taxi users who fail to pay their way are subsidised by the Hong Kong taxpayer. This is unfair. They also add to noise, congestion and pollution in Discovery Bay.
Moreover, the government’s fiscal deficit surely obliges it to collect all revenue to which it is entitled.
The unfairness of this situation is compounded by the fact that civic-minded Discovery Bay residents using the greener public transport option – the bus – have the tunnel fee baked into their bus fare.
How can this be justified? Someone must explain this situation and tell us when it will be rectified. Fares fair. Enough is enough. Taxi users must pay.
Nigel Reid, Discovery Bay (Letter to SCMP January 2024)
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Why Allowing Taxis to Enter the Restricted Roads of Discovery Bay is a Bad Idea.
1. The Car-Free Environment
Discovery Bay was designed as a car-free environment and thousands of residents have chosen to make this place their home. They have specifically welcomed the environmental peace made possible by the absence of intrusive private cars and numerous other vehicles while tolerating essential services vehicles. This car-free policy has been followed rigidly but the developer HKRI has in recent years been seeking to undermine this concept for their own selfish pursuit of profit, believing that bringing in Taxis and Private Cars will enhance new property sales and increase property values. A substantial number non-resident landlords also support this move but they represent a minority. The “primarily car free” environment is enshrined in the original Outline Zoning Plan as well as the corroborating support indicated in all subsequent Master Plans, which provide for no car parks in either the residential or commercial developments. (There are provisions for only a few parking facilities for service vehicles). Furthermore, in a recent 2017 Judicial Review case concerning the proposed development of Area 6F , the written Judgement reaffirmed the primarily car free status of Discovery Bay in the preamble to the Judicial findings.
2. Taxis are Chauffeur-Driven Private Cars
Taxis are in essence the equivalent of chauffeur-driven private cars. HKRI, after the completion of their hotel near the North Plaza fought a long and hard political battle to gain an exemption for taxis and tourist coaches to drive through the DB Tunnel Link to serve the hotel. However, the exemption, eventually obtained, applied only to a very short and direct route from the tunnel exit to the Hotel area and this area was put out of bounds to Golf carts ensuring total segregation from these slower moving village vehicles, which have few safety features for their occupants. Those advocating that taxis should now be admitted to all of DB are ignoring completely the road safety considerations as well as the lack of parking, waiting and suitable drop-off and pick-up facilities for such vehicles. .
3. Taxis vs Golf Carts
A considerable number of Hong Kong’s taxis drivers are notorious for poor driving standards and with well above average accident rates. The interaction with some 500 golf cars, which are registered as Village Vehicles, on Discovery Bay Road will be an invitation for encouraging serious accidents.
4. Golf Carts – Maintenance & Driving Standards
Some golf carts are poorly maintained and driven by inattentive drivers. The slower speeds of these vehicles encourage the drivers of larger faster vehicles to become impatient and take risks, overtaking the slower moving golf carts by crossing the double white lines in the road centre. This single carriageway road to the south of DB ( Discovery Bay Road) has very few locations for safe overtaking. Vehicles may routinely be seen exceeding the 50 kph speed limit and drivers taking risks by overtaking slower golf carts.
5. No Permanent Traffic Police Presence and Lack of Enforcement
There is no permanent police traffic branch presence within Discovery Bay and therefore there are no traffic enforcement measures other than limited parking controls conducted by private security guards, lacking statutory powers for enforcing Road Traffic Ordinance regulations. Speeding is common and if taxis are permitted the problem will worsen and accidents will increase. So long as private security guards have no statutory powers to stop vehicles and obtain drivers’ particulars, prosecution of driving offences is virtually impossible. Speed cameras operated by private security contractors have no legal standing in courts . Without a permanent traffic police presence in DB, allowing in more vehicles, especially taxis for which time is money, is a recipe for disaster.
6. Insufficient Infrastructure for Taxis
There is insufficient space and infrastructure in the vicinity of Discovery Bay South Plaza for a taxi rank. There is already a critical shortage of parking space for the many commercial delivery vehicles visiting the expanded commercial complex as well as for the many additional Discovery Bay vehicle registration vehicle plates granted by City management. The same situation applies for taxis entering villages. Many of the villages with high-rise blocks already lack sufficient uploading spaces for the recent insurge of delivery vehicles and “Go-Go” vans. During the recent temporary period admitting taxis to all of DB for Covid-19 associated cases or attending mandatory testing facilities, several villages experienced problems with taxis occupying the goods vehicle unloading spaces and in at least two instances of obstructing the local residential bus. This included a case of a taxi occupying one of only two unloading bays for a period exceeding 30 minutes while waiting for a fare.
7 . Taxis Will Operate Locally – They Wouldn’t Have to Leave Immediately
If taxis are granted unrestricted access into DB they will be able to come and operate here locally. They will not be confined to only picking up passengers who are leaving DB. This will have a huge impact on the existing bus and hire cars operations. Revenues will diminish for the bus company , leading to calls for higher fares and there will be increasing cases of buses being obstructed by taxis and as well as the limited unloading bays for goods vehicles being occupied by taxis waiting for fares.
8. Unfair Inequity of DB Tunnel Link Vehicle Fees – Buses vs Taxis
Since HKRI pressured the Executive Council in 2014 into agreeing to permit taxis into the northern part of DB, taxis have unfairly been allowed to use the tunnel free of tunnel fees. Since the Government also receives a portion of all tunnel fees in Hong Kong , the public have been unfairly subsiding the users of taxis. Meanwhile those poorer members of the community, who cannot afford taxis, make use of the external bus routes. The tunnel fee for a bus, including DB buses is $50 payable upon entry to DB but not when exiting. Based upon an estimated average passenger load ( DB01R Tung Chung route) for each service is less than 40. ( I estimate about 35) . This means that each passenger is paying in excess of $1 towards the tunnel fee upon entry to DB. This amount is halved when taking into consideration that is for a two-way way journey for the bus. So we are speaking of 50-70 cents per trip and this amount is recouped by the operator through the passengers’ bus fares. If the bus company wishes to increase bus fares on these external routes they should first start by lobbying the Government to waive the tunnel fee for our bus services . They have had years to do this since allowing in taxis free of charge.
Conclusion
This renewed campaign by Taxi advocates, Hong Kong Resorts and others should be stopped in its tracks. There are so many unjust reasons for allowing in more taxis.
Peter Crush, Discovery Bay
Should we embrace the Governments recently released plans?
