The National Freeway Bureau yesterday said that downgrading Freeway No. 5 to an expressway was inappropriate because it was built and maintained using money from the Freeway Construction Fund.
The idea of downgrading the freeway was proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who represents Yilan County.
Earlier this month, Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) announced that a “pay-as-you-go” toll system for freeway drivers would be implemented in August or September. Drivers on the north-south freeways would have a 20km toll-free concession, while people driving on the east-west freeways would for now be exempt from paying any tolls, Yeh said, adding that the latter measure would be re-examined after two or three years.
Chen said that freeways No. 1, 3 and 5 are all north-south freeways, but Freeway No. 5 is more like an expressway and cannot be compared with freeways No. 1 and No. 3 in terms of driving speed and road specifications.
He said it was unfair for drivers on Freeway No. 5 to pay the same toll as those on freeways No. 1 and No. 3 when Freeway No. 5 has more than 20km in plain areas.
Chen said the plain section of Freeway No. 5 is the only route connecting the northern and southern areas of Yilan County.
While most counties on the west coast have expressways that serve as alternatives to freeways, Yilan does not, he said.
Chen said the ministry should take into account road users’ convenience when making toll policy.
He said that the county could attract more tourists if Freeway No. 5 was designated an expressway.
In response, the bureau’s chief engineer Wu Mu-fu (吳木富) said that all the freeways are built and designed following the same standards, adding that Freeway No. 5 is the same as sections on freeways No. 1 and No. 3 in terms of road width and the speed limit.
“National freeways are maintained and built using the National Freeway Construction Fund, whose revenue comes from the toll fees collected from all freeway users,” Wu said.
“If a freeway is downgraded to an expressway, the government must reimburse the construction fund for the sum used to build it. The government must also appropriate the budget annually for the maintenance cost of the expressway, which means all the taxpayers, including those who are not using the freeways, must pay for it. That is not fair either,” Wu said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
RSS