Reversible lanes should be installed in the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) to alleviate traffic congestion over the Lunar New Year holiday, Yilan County Councilor Tsai Wen-yi (蔡文益) said on Tuesday.
The Directorate-General of Highways said that implementing lane changes within the tunnel is feasible, but detailed plans would require professional consultation and the results would not be available before June.
Tsai’s suggestion was one of many options put forward by local leaders, with Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) also suggesting reversible lanes, while Yilan County Council Speaker Chen Wen-chang (陳文昌) proposed levying a tax on those entering the county through the tunnel.
The Hsuehshan Tunnel, opened in 2006, has four lanes, with two lanes each for north and southbound traffic, Tsai said.
Tsai suggested adding a reversible lane during the holiday, adding that experts said such a measure could relieve traffic congestion by between 30 percent and 50 percent.
However, Toucheng Township (頭城) Mayor Tsao Chien-shun (曹乾舜) said a reversible lane would be a safety concern.
The mayor said that the best solution would be to expedite the construction of the expressway between Shihcheng (石城) and Fulong (福隆), which would serve to divert traffic from the freeway.
The potential safety risks could be mitigated by thorough planning, Tsai said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) said that the Directorate-General of Highways should establish a task force to study the reasons for the frequent traffic congestion in Hsuehshan Tunnel over the holiday and propose solutions, adding that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should seek to expedite the Taipei-Yilan railway project.
That project refers to a Taiwan Railways Administration plan to tunnel from Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) to Yilan County’s Toucheng Township, cutting the length of a rail journey from 95.9km to 53km.
The Directorate-General of Highways Toucheng Public Works Section said limited space in the tunnel and the high volume of traffic meant that congestion was inevitable, despite control measures, such as bus-only lanes and only admitting high-occupancy vehicles.
The viability of implementing reversible lanes is expected to be low, while allowing overtaking would be more acceptable, the section said.
All options have been forwarded to experts for risk assessment and the Directorate-General of Highways expects to receive the results by June, the section said.
No changes would be implemented before the Lunar New Year holiday, it said.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
RSS