A “0 kilometer” marker was yesterday unveiled at Taipei’s Songshan Railway Station (松山車站) as the starting point of Cycling Route No. 1 (自行車環島1號線) — the nation’s first round-the-island cycling route launched in December last year.
As part of the ceremony, 48 cyclists set off from the station for a nine-day tour around Taiwan.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has assigned 18 of the cyclists to re-examine the route to ensure it is safe and comprehensive, the Tourism Bureau said.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
The route, which opened to traffic on Dec. 30 last year, is 939.5km long and follows Provincial Highway No. 1 on the west coast and Provincial Highway No. 9 on the east coast.
The bureau said the launch of the “0 kilometer” marker is an important new starting point for the government’s efforts to promote cycling tourism.
Cyclists using the route can complete a tour around Taiwan in nine days, or they can take advantage of 13 branch routes that lead to popular tourist spots such as Nantou County’s Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), Chiayi County’s National Palace Museum Southern Branch and Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁), the bureau said.
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