To ease traffic congestion during the Lunar New Year holiday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has announced freeway controls and toll-free periods.
From tomorrow until Feb. 5, tolls will not be collected between 12am and 6am.
The toll-free period extends until 3pm for tomorrow, next Wednesday and the following Saturday, while this Saturday the toll-free period extends until 12pm.
Traffic controls will be apply at all entry points on freeways 1 (Sun Yat-sen Freeway), 2 (CKS airport link) and 3 (Formosa Freeway), while partial controls will apply on entry points on Freeway 5 in Ilan and Taipei counties.
Ministry officials reminded the public that electronic toll collection will not operate during the holiday period.
From Tuesday until the following Thursday, northbound entry points on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway will be closed at Tainan, Shuishang (水上) in Chiayi County, Siluo (西螺) in Yunlin County and Jhongli (中壢) in Taoyuan County, while north and southbound entry points will be closed at the Mingjian (
Officials said southbound traffic will be heaviest this Saturday, especially around cities and scenic areas, while for northbound traffic the heaviest days are predicted to be next Wednesday and the following Saturday.
This Saturday, traffic is expected to be especially heavy on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between 7am and 3pm southbound and northbound between Taoyuan and Jhongli, and southbound between Kaohsiung and Tainan.
On the Formosa Freeway, southbound traffic is expected to be heavy between Ankeng (安坑) and Tucheng (土城), and between Yingge (鶯歌) and Longtan (龍潭), while southbound and northbound traffic is expected to be heavy between Sijhih (汐止) and Sindian (
Officials also expect traffic to be heavy on already opened sections of Freeway 5 between Nangang (南港) and Shihding (石碇) in Taipei County and between Toucheng (頭城) and Suao (蘇澳) in Ilan County.
However, the number of vehicles traveling from Shihding to Pinglin (坪林) will be limited and motorists may be forced to exit at Shihding.
Officials suggested that drivers try routes other than freeways to save time.
They said motorists heading to Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties or points south use the Formosa Freeway as well as highways 1, 3 and 15 (the west coast highway), expressways 61 (the west coast expressway) and 74 (Taichung link), as well as east-west expressways 76 (Changhua), 78 (Yunlin) and 82 (Chiayi).
Between 7am and 12pm this Saturday, only cars with four or more occupants will be allowed access at selected freeway interchanges.
These include southbound entry points on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between Neihu (
From 9am to 3pm next Wednesday and the following Saturday, only cars with at least four occupants may use northbound entry points on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between Kaohsiung and Neili (內壢) in Taoyuan County, or northbound entry points on the Formosa Freeway between Jiouru (九如) in Pingtung County and Dasi (
Maps showing alternative routes can be obtained free of charge at freeway service stations and police traffic radio stations.
For more information, visit www.freeway.gov.tw or call 0800-008-456.
Nationwide traffic information is also broadcast on FM104.9.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS