Traffic was congested along the nation’s major freeways yesterday morning as people embarked on trips for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Vehicles began packing the southbound lanes of freeways at 8am, the National Freeway Bureau said.
Congestion was reported along Sun Yat-sen Freeway’s (Freeway No. 1) southbound sections between Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口) and Hsinchu, and between Yuanlin (員林) and Puyan (埔鹽) interchanges, it said.
Photo: CNA
Southbound lanes between Hemei (和美) and Mingjian (名間) on the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3), as well as Freeway No. 10’s Yanchao (燕巢) interchange also reported heavy traffic, the bureau said.
Southbound lanes on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway’s (Freeway No. 5) Shiding (石碇) and Pinglin (坪林) interchanges were also congested, it said.
The bureau urged the public to use its real-time traffic condition Web site or mobile application to check their route and destination, or tune in to the Police Broadcasting Service when on the road to avoid congested areas.
Photo: CNA
People should use public transportation when possible and, if not, ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before embarking on a trip, the bureau said.
People can report mechanical failures or accidents via the 1968 mobile application, which would tag the location of the incident so the nearest highway police station can dispatch officers, it said.
People should avoid highways when traveling short distances and utilize alternative routes, the bureau said, adding that drivers intending to drive long hours, either northbound or southbound, should use either National Freeway No. 3 or the West Coast Expressway.
In other news, as yesterday was the first day of the Lunar New Year, many people followed the custom of zouchun (“spring walk,” 走春), taking a walk to make courtesy calls to relatives and friends, or visit temples and scenic places.
Former Central Weather Bureau Weather Forecast Center director Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said there would be no rain in northern Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday, but the skies would remain overcast.
Meanwhile, central and southern areas would experience mostly overcast skies with partial sun, he added.
Wu is now an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University.
A new cold front is expected to hit Taiwan on Wednesday and last through Friday, bringing wet and chilly weather to northern Taiwan, although rain is not expected after Wednesday, he said.
The front could turn into a continental air mass, Wu said, urging the public to monitor weather reports.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS