The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday retracted its decision to shorten toll-free hours on freeways during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which begins tomorrow, saying drivers would be able to access the freeways free of charge from midnight to 5am during the holiday.
The ministry had previously announced the toll-free hours as from midnight to 5am tomorrow and Tuesday, and from 3am to 5am on Sunday and Monday.
The announcement was on Monday criticized by lawmakers on the legislature’s Transportation Committee, but Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) stood by the decision and held a news conference on Tuesday to defend it, citing data collected during major holidays.
However, the National Freeway Bureau yesterday issued a statement announcing the new toll-free hours.
“We had previously decided to regulate freeway traffic during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday by enforcing two different toll-free hour schemes. Even though we have tried to explain the schemes at the Legislative Yuan and at a news conference, members of the public remained confused as to why the government has to implement two different schemes in one holiday and misunderstood the purpose of stipulating the measures. As such, we decided to follow the advice from the members of the public and set the toll-free hours to be between 12am and 5am,” the statement said.
The decision was not finalized until yesterday morning, bureau Deputy Director-General Wu Mu-fu (吳木富) said.
However, a report by the Chinese-language United Daily Evening News said the ministry made the change because neither the lawmakers nor the Cabinet supported the schemes.
Hochen yesterday said the ministry was in a bind for having to make the last-minute change, considering that many people would start leaving for the holiday after work tonight.
“Fortunately, the change this time involves only adding toll-free hours on the second and the third day of the holiday, which might not affect too much of people’s travel arrangements today and tomorrow,” Hochen said.
When asked by the Taipei Times whether the ministry would consider public opinion from now on before it reviews the professional advice of the ministry staff, Hochen said he would not describe it that way.
“I would say that we were too late and failed to make a stronger case for giving toll-free hours from 3am to 5am on the second and third day of the holiday. Nor did we explain clearly and timely that the traffic situation between 12am and 3am is different from that between 3am and 5am,” he said.
Citing the traffic data that the bureau had collected during previous Dragon Boat Festival holidays, Hochen told a news conference on Tuesday that long-distance drivers are most likely to access the freeways at 5am or 6am, rather than during late-night hours.
The toll-free hours between 3am and 5am were supposed to encourage long-distance drivers to leave earlier than usual to avoid being stuck in traffic after they enter the freeways.
“People need to understand that waiving the tolls at night has proven ineffective at easing the traffic on long weekends, and the nation should use traffic data to look for effective solutions to divert freeway traffic and ensure the safety of drivers,” he said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source