The ebb and flow of tunnel traffic

The Cross Harbour Tunnel at Hung Hom is one of the busiest spots in Hong Kong.  Over the past 2 days, I had a chance to observe the traffic at the Kowloon end of the tunnel at different times.  

At 4 PM, traffic was moving very slowly.  

At 5:30 PM, it was basically standstill.  Practically nobody was getting in or out of the tunnel. 

Even at midnight, there was still a long line waiting to get to the Hong Kong Island side, even though few are coming out of the tunnel from the Hong Kong side.  Amazing.  

By 3:30 am, the traffic had finally cleared.  Hong Kong was sleeping. 

But by 6:30 am, some were back already. 

By 7:30 am, they were back in full force.  Everything at standstill again.  

On a positive spin, one can say Hong Kong is a very dynamic place.  People are always on the go, taking every opportunity to work hard.  From the other, more negative perspective, Hong Kong people are working themselves so hard, you wonder why we get to live such a long life - we have one of the highest life expectancies in the world.