High volumes of traffic were reported on the freeways yesterday as an estimated 2.6 million cars hit the roads on the second day of Lunar New Year, traditionally the day families visit their mother’s side of the family.
The National Freeway Bureau said the worst congestion occurred around 11am, when vehicles were moving bumper to bumper at an average speed of 18kph in both directions on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) and Freeway No. 3.
Cars traveling betweeAn Jhungli (中壢) and Yangmei (楊梅) were only moving at about 30kph, the bureau said, adding that traffic was moving slightly faster later in the day.
PHOTO: WANG SHU-SONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Freeway No. 5, which connects Taipei and Ilan County, was also jam-packed, but the bureau said the traffic was moving smoothly, although slowly.
As of press time, there had been no reports of major accidents.
Nancy Chiu (朱?, a Changhua County native, said her family left their Danshui (淡水), Taipei County, home at around 5am hoping to beat the traffic and to take advantage of the toll-free period between midnight to 7am.
“It made a huge difference not to stop at all the toll booths. But I don’t understand why the government doesn’t just make the freeways toll free throughout the Lunar New Year holiday,” she said, recalling how last year she and her husband were stuck in traffic for 10 hours for what would normally be a three-hour journey.
Bureau section chief Kang Chih-fu (康志福) suggested travelers call the traffic hotline 1968 to check on traffic conditions before heading out. Those who are not in a rush can also take alternative routes to avoid congestion, he said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications promised last week to smooth traffic flow throughout the holiday from Taipei to Kaoshiung.
The Taiwan Railway Administration said tickets to Hualien had been sold weeks ago and those who planned to purchase tickets on the spot should expect to stand all the way to Hualien. The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said all seats for travel between 6pm and midnight were sold out. It urged travelers without reserved tickets to use early morning trains.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS