Holiday traffic advisory unveiledThe Ministry of Transportation and Communications has issued a series of measures and recommended transportation routes to ensure smoother traffic during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday starting on Saturday next week.
The usual measures — traffic control, priority for high-occcupancy vehicles, ramp closures and allowing vehicles to drive on the shoulder — would be implemented, the ministry said.
All lanes are to be toll-free from midnight to 5am from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
To alleviate peak traffic congestion, southbound travelers using the freeways from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31 are advised to embark on their journey before 6am or after 12pm, while motorists heading north from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 should leave their homes before 9am, it said.
Residents in central Taiwan driving north from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 should also leave their homes before noon, it added.
Southbound travelers on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. 5) from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31 should leave before 5am or after 5pm, while northbound travelers from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 should leave their homes before 9am, it said.
The ministry is also implementing a “buses first” policy at select points on Provincial Highway No. 9 and restricting passage for freight vehicles with loads of 21 tonnes or above and those transporting dangerous materials on highways.
The on-ramp to Provincial Highway No. 61 at the intersection of Jhubei City’s (竹北) Singang 3rd Street and Sibin Road in Hsinchu County would be closed, and no left turns would be allowed on the ramp on Provincial Highway No. 68’s westbound Nanliao section connecting it to the southbound Provincial Highway No. 15, it said.
The northbound on-ramp from Provincial Highway No. 61 connecting to Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) and six junctions along Jhunan Road would be closed from noon to midnight from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
The ministry added that Taiwan High Speed Railway Corp (台灣高鐵) is to increase the number of northbound trains by 175 and southbound trains by 205, for a total of 380 trains per day and 2,258 trains over the Lunar New Year period.
Taiwan Railway Corp (台鐵) is to provide an additional 326 train services throughout the Lunar New Year period, it said.
Airlines are to offer 3,210 additional flights during the holiday, including 2,774 for travel to and from outlying islands, it said.
Shipping companies are to provide a total of 1,429 ferry services across all eight routes to outlying islands during the holiday, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, to facilitate travel abroad during the holiday, the Taoyuan Metro Corp (桃園大眾捷運) yesterday said that it would add more direct train services between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei Main Station at 5am and 5:30am from Friday to Feb. 2.
The additional trains would service more than 600 passengers daily, with the ride taking only 35 minutes, it said.
In compliance with the new policy, the Taipei Main Station’s airport metro line will be open to the public starting at 4:30am daily during the Lunar New Year period, and passengers will be able to check in for their flights at the station, it said.
The metro line at the airport will also start operations at 5am each day, the company said, adding that the trains would slow down when entering residential areas along the route to reduce the impact on residents.
Additional reporting by Chou Min-hung
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
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
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS