Plans to change traffic directions on major Taipei roads have been shelved, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
During a lecture at the University of Taipei, Ko said Renai (仁愛) and Xinyi (信義) roads would remain one-way until at least the end of the year.
The two major roads run parallel to each other. Traffic along most of Renai Road runs west to east, while traffic along most of Xinyi runs east to west.
Ko last week said that the city was mulling making both roads two-way their entire distance.
Huang Huang-chia (黃皇嘉), division head for planning in the Taipei Traffic Engineering Office, said the city had decided not to make the roads two-way after discovering that, contrary to expectations, the volume of traffic had increased following completion of the “red” Xinyi MRT line along the length of Xinyi Road.
Given the traffic volume, making both roads two-way could cause congestion at major intersections, with the waiting time to cross some intersections likely to triple, he said.
Managing more complicated two-way traffic would also necessitate costly and time-consuming construction as well as reconsideration of the special bus lanes on the two roads, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Lee Hsin (李新) criticized the decision.
Making the roads two-way would be more convenient for drivers and also help businesses by making it easier for passengers to alight on either side of the road, Lee said.
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