The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday that travel for the Lunar New Year holiday was off to a smooth start.
Beginning at noon yesterday, tolls were waived for 36 hours on National Freeway No. 1, also called the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, and for National Freeway No. 3.
According to the ministry, a drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung would have taken six hours.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The ministry said National Freeway No. 3 has taken about 40 percent of the original load for National Freeway No. 1, adding that congestion was observed only in sections between Linko and Chungli.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Railway Administration made an additional 500 trains available to accommodate 495,000 commuters a day throughout the holidays.
Accompanied by Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (
"This year we might not see crowds packed like sardines because additional trains will offer travelers more seats," Yu said.
Yu and Lin also inspected Taipei's Sungshan Airport. Most seats were booked weeks ago but some remained available.
During the holidays, more than 723,000 seats on planes will be available. Of the more than 7,300 flights during the holidays, 3,180 will be between offshore islands and Taiwan.
Ministry officials reminded drivers that occupancy requirements will be in place for vehicles traveling south on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between Neihu and Changhua today. From 7am to 1pm, only buses, taxis and vehicles carrying at least four people will be allowed on the freeway.
Travelers are also encouraged to consider taking public transportation. Nearly 19,000 buses capable of transporting up to 2.2 million passengers will run daily during the holidays.
Meanwhile, health authorities said yesterday that travel during the holidays might increase the risk of flu, adding that cold days lay ahead.
According to the Central Weather Bureau, a cold front from China passed over the country. The temperature in Tamsui hit 9.8 degrees Celsius early yesterday morning.
The weather bureau issued a low-temperature warning yesterday for people living in coastal areas and in Kinmen County, saying the Lunar New Year break could be the coldest in the past decade.
Temperatures could drop to 8 degrees Celsius today in some parts of the country, while temperatures tomorrow may fall to 7 degrees Celsius, forecasters said.
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