The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) will soon convene a meeting to determine whether to implement high occupancy controls or other measures on Freeway No. 5 to ease heavy traffic on holidays.
Chi Wen-jong (祈文中), director of the Department of Railways and Highways, said the Hsuehshan Tunnel was designed to accommodate 40,000 vehicles per day. However, as many as 70,000 vehicles have often passed through the tunnel in one day.
“Congestion has been reported frequently near the Hsuehshan Tunnel, which shows that regulatory measures should be implemented on more than just long holidays,” Chi said. “It is necessary to explore possible ways to regulate weekend traffic as well, including high occupancy controls, closing some of the feeder roads or activating the meter system on the ramps.”
High occupancy controls require motorists to take at least two other passengers with them before they are allowed on the freeway.
Chi said the ministry would ensure that the measures take into account the situation on both Freeway No. 5 and alternative routes nearby. It would not reroute some of the traffic to alternative routes simply to ease congestion in the Hsueshan Tunnel, he said.
Statistics from the Taiwan Area Freeway Bureau showed that about 80 percent of drivers take Freeway No. 5 for occasional travel or to visit relatives or friends. Only 20 percent must commute daily on the freeway.
The worst traffic on Freeway No. 5 is generally reported on the last day of holidays. On average, drivers can be stuck in traffic for more than six hours.
During the New Year holidays this year, about 70 percent of southbound vehicles carried three passengers. Ninety-two percent of northbound cars carried three passengers.
About 75 percent of northbound drivers voluntarily follow the high-occupancy rules on weekends, while about 70 percent of southbound motorists do so.
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