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.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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