"Three-Tunnel Diversion" Officially Implemented: How Did Netizens React?
Hong Kong's public transportation network is extensive and highly busy. To alleviate traffic congestion, the government implemented the "Three-Tunnel Diversion" scheme on the day it took over the Western Harbour Crossing franchise. This scheme involves adjusting the tolls for the Eastern Harbour Crossing, Cross-Harbour Tunnel, and Western Harbour Crossing to balance the traffic flow among the three tunnels. The government plans to implement the scheme in two phases. The first phase, starting on August 2, introduces the "633" toll scheme, increasing the tolls for the Eastern Harbour Crossing and Cross-Harbour Tunnel from HKD 25 and HKD 20 to HKD 30, respectively, and reducing the Western Harbour Crossing toll from HKD 75 to HKD 60. The toll for taxis is set at a uniform HKD 25 for all three tunnels.
The second phase will implement the "644" toll scheme, where the toll for the Western Harbour Crossing during peak hours will be HKD 60, while the tolls for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing will be HKD 40, and all tunnels will have a uniform toll of HKD 20 during non-peak hours.
uMax Data focused on network big data from July 31, 2023, to August 13, 2023, using social listening to analyze netizens' discussions on the "Three-Tunnel Diversion" across major social media platforms and forums.
The Implementation of the "633" Toll Scheme and the Introduction of "HKeToll" in the Western Harbour Crossing Garnered the Most Attention
During the study period, the online discussion peaked on August 2 and August 6. The peak on August 2 was due to the official implementation of the "633" toll scheme, which continued to generate widespread coverage and discussion. On August 6, the introduction of "HKeToll" in the Western Harbour Crossing brought the discussion to a second peak.
Overall Discussions Were Neutral, with the Eastern Harbour Crossing Receiving the Most Positive Sentiment
Comparing the discussion heat for the three tunnels, the Western Harbour Crossing ranked first, followed by the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the Eastern Harbour Crossing. The Eastern Harbour Crossing had fewer discussions, possibly because "HKeToll" had not yet been implemented.
According to uMax Data's sentiment analysis, discussions about the three tunnels were generally neutral, with the Eastern Harbour Crossing having the highest positive sentiment (23.2%).
Some netizen comments:
- "Since the three-tunnel diversion, the traffic jam at the Eastern Harbour Crossing during rush hour has disappeared, and the cars are moving much faster."
- "The Eastern Harbour Crossing hasn't switched to 'HKeToll' yet; it will be even less congested once they do."
Discussions about the Western Harbour Crossing had the highest negative sentiment. Our in-depth analysis found that this was mainly due to various incidents on August 7, the first working day after "HKeToll" was implemented in the Western Harbour Crossing. These incidents included a car accident in Wan Chai and a burst water pipe in Wong Chuk Hang Road, resulting in road closures and congestion in the Western Harbour Crossing, which attracted a lot of attention from netizens. Additionally, there were widespread online discussions about suspected instances of taxi fare overcharging when crossing the Western Harbour Crossing, which also sparked a lot of negative sentiment.
From the word cloud, the most frequently mentioned keywords were "toll" (36,564 times), "tunnel" (24,888 times), "cross-harbour" (18,546 times), "taxi" (17,187 times), and "HKeToll" (13,400 times).
Traffic Conditions Were the Most Discussed Topic
We categorized the most discussed content into four themes: traffic conditions, "HKeToll," the "633" fixed toll scheme, and the "644" toll scheme. The analysis found that netizens discussed traffic conditions the most (35.9%), followed by "HKeToll" (34.0%), and finally the "633" and "644" toll schemes.
Further cross-referencing the discussion focus with the three tunnels, we found that discussions related to the Western Harbour Crossing were mostly about "HKeToll," while discussions about the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing were mainly about the "633" toll scheme.
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