The nation’s major highways were clogged with vehicles yesterday, making traffic slow going through most of the day, as families and individuals headed home for Lunar New Year’s Eve celebrations or took advantage of the sunny weather to visit parks and tourist attractions.
Throngs of people jammed airports, railway stations and long-distance bus hubs at the start of the six-day Lunar New Year holiday that runs through Feb. 1, with only some minor delays reported.
There were long lines for flights to Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and Orchid Island (蘭嶼, Lanyu).
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times
Information from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications showed heavy congestion points yesterday afternoon for road-bound travelers at the northern and central sections of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) and the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) in the afternoon.
The highest vehicle volume and slowest traffic flows were reported between Yangmei (楊梅) in Taoyuan to Hsinchu City, and from Nantun (南屯) to Wangtien (王田) in Taichung, with reported average velocity below 30kph during the morning and afternoon.
Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau Director-General Jaw Shing-hau (趙興華) said heavy highway congestion is expected tomorrow through Tuesday, as married daughters visit their families and other people visit relatives and friends as part of the Lunar New Year cultural traditions.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times.
Jaw reminded drivers that the toll-free period on the nation’s major freeways is from 11pm to 6am daily through Wednesday.
He also encouraged people to use public transportation when visiting relatives and friends or doing some holiday sightseeing.
Drivers should remember to check their vehicles before embarking on long-distance trips and to take rest breaks to avoid fatigue, he said.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was packed, mostly with passengers headed overseas for the holiday.
An estimated total of 115,951 inbound and outbound passengers were expected to pass through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport during the day, the airport said, which would be nearly 10,000 more than the 106,328 passengers who passed through the airport on Lunar New Year’s Eve last year, but almost 15,000 fewer than those who used the airport on Thursday.
People staying in Taiwan for the holiday can expect sunny and fair weather for the next few days, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 25?C to 29?C during the day in most of the nation, but dip into the mid-teens in the early morning hours and late at night, bureau forecasters said.
The northeasterly monsoon winds are expected to pick up on Monday, bringing cooler, cloudy weather with a chance of rain for most of the nation, the bureau said.
With a significant portion of the population on the move for the Lunar New Year holiday, and many shops closed, traffic was relatively light throughout yesterday in Taipei.
The Taipei City Government reminded the public that the Taipei MRT system and most of the city’s bus lines are to run according to the weekend/holiday schedule through to Wednesday.
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