It is that time of the year again, when thousands of commuters are trying to make it home for the Nian-Yeh Fan (
"It took me nine hours to drive from Taipei to Chiayi last year," said one would-be commuter yesterday. "I'm leaving at midnight to avoid the bottleneck on the freeway."
Between the peak hours of 6pm to 10pm last night, the highway traffic police estimated that cars were crawling along at an estimated 30-50km per hour.
Freeway tolls stations havebeen closed during the peak period to facilitate traffic flow and authorities have suggested alternative routes for commuters heading down south.
Severe traffic congestion, however, is still expected in central Taiwan.
The second wave of traffic is expected to last all day today from 9am to 6pm, with more than 150,000 cars on the road.
"I am staying right in Taipei this year," said a civil servant, as he finished up a memo yesterday before heading out of the office.
Others appeared ready to brave the onslaught, joining the holiday crowd on planes and trains.
Another sea of commuters gathered at the check-in counter at the domestic Sungshan Airport yesterday, anxiously waiting for open seats on flights to central Taiwan and the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu.
Some passengers complained that the airlines had overbooked, and that even those with reservations could not get a seat.
"About 20 people with reservations, including myself, were bumped off the last flight," fumed one woman, speaking to a local television reporter. "The ticket agents told us to wait in the waiting room but I don't want to leave the counter. What if they give my seats to the next person in line?"
When Premier Vincent Siew (
Officials from the Civil Aeronautics Administration said the airlines had provided a total of 111,000 seats for the Lunar holiday this year, including 92,000 additional seats.
The ticket counters at the main Taipei Railway Station were less hectic than airlines, with most commuters having already reserved their seats beforehand.
Authorities expect as many as 537,000 passengers per day during the peak period of Feb. 2-13.
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