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Hau vows more help to clear up traffic in Taipei

"I think the drivers are not used to the roads after the bridge was removed."

Hau Lung-bin, Taipei City mayor

The Taipei City Government promised yesterday to ease traffic on the intersection of Zhonghua Road and Aiguo W Road after the dismantling of an overpass sparked growing complaints about congestion around the area.

The intersection of the two roads was reopened last week. The overpass was removed during Lunar New Year.

With six roads -- Zhonghua Road sections 1 and 2, Aiguo W Road, Xining S Road, Guilin Road and Nanning Road -- intersecting and five traffic lights, it takes about three minutes for traffic lights to change for each crossing.

Faced with motorists' complaints about the traffic, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday acknowledged that the city government failed to take the complexity of the roads into consideration and promised to improve traffic by deploying more police to give directions and shorten the waiting time.

"I think the drivers are not used to the roads after the bridge was removed. We will send more police to help drivers with the directions," Hau said during an inspection of the intersections.

Meanwhile, the city government's Department of Transportation said that motorists' were not yet accustomed to driving in the new fast lanes of Aiguo W Road, resulting in congestion around the area.

Luo Shiaw-shyan (羅孝賢), director of the department, said the department would conduct an evaluation of the traffic flow and reduce the intervals for traffic lights in areas with slower traffic flow.

Kuo Chong-sheng (郭宗生), a division chief, said the department would set up more traffic signs to remind drivers and add a traffic light on Zhonghua Road to improve the traffic situation.
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