The National Freeway Bureau’s (NFB) decision to raise the speed limit inside the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) has reportedly had some success in easing traffic congestion on Freeway No. 5, with the bureau reporting yesterday that the decision had helped increase the average driving speed by between 3kph and 6kph in both the northbound and southbound lanes.
Kang Jhy-fu (康志福), director of the bureau’s traffic management department, said the decision had also been proven effective in raising the freeway’s capacity during high-volume hours.
The average traffic volume between 1pm and 8pm on Sunday, when many people are returning home, has risen from 2,343 motorized vehicles per hour to 2,479 per hour, a 5.8 percent increase, he said.
To ease congestion on Freeway No. 5 during holidays, the bureau raised the speed limit for vehicles driving inside Hsuehshan Tunnel — the longest tunnel on the freeway — from 80kph to 90kph, a decision that went into effect on Nov. 1.
However, when the bureau first made the announcement earlier this year, some people expressed concern that the decision would increase the risks of accidents on the freeway.
Statistics from the bureau show the new policy drastically reduced the number of speeding violations from 152 in October to 58 last month.
However, after the new policy came into force, the bureau found that more motorists swerved between lanes and failed to keeping a safe driving distance between vehicles.
The bureau kept the speed limit inside the tunnel at 70kph when the tunnel was first opened to traffic in 2006 because of fire safety concerns. That policy sparked complaints from motorists, forcing the bureau to raise the speed limit to 80kph in 2008.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS