Reports that the 20km toll-free freeway scheme is to be canceled are yet to be discussed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Sunday.
Each freeway motorist is given a 20km toll-free distance per day, and only motorists on the north-south freeways are charged a toll. Motorists on the east-west freeways are exempt.
The ministry said it would re-examine the pricing scheme after it was launched in 2013.
Multiple media reports on Saturday said that the National Freeway Bureau is revising the scheme and suggested that motorist would no longer be given any exemptions.
The bureau said in a statement that it is not changing the scheme, adding that the change was proposed by transportation experts.
“The scheme was subject to a comprehensive re-examination two years after it was launched. We have entrusted specialists with the task of investigating, collecting and analyzing traffic data. Any revision of the scheme would affect the Freeway Construction Fund and involve issues such as the fair use of the freeways. We are still researching and considering different options. We have neither a final plan nor a timeline to implement any measures,” the bureau said.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that many transportation experts have proposed eliminating the toll-free distance to reduce traffic congestion.
The ministry has not engaged in any serious discussions over the proposed measure, Wang said, adding that such a measure would only be implemented after people reach a consensus on the matter.
However, the ministry would consider charging motorists on east-west freeways when the public transport system surrounding these freeways is well established, Wang said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) stated in an interview with the Chinese-language United Daily on May 20 that the 20km toll-free scheme is the most irresponsible promise the government has made, adding that giving motorists toll-free access to freeways shows that the government has chosen not to use the roads to regulate traffic.
The ministry considered introducing tolls for motorists on the east-west freeways during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday this year, but Hochen dropped the proposal following opposition from legislators.
The ministry now faces the question of how much longer it can maintain the Freeway Construction Fund without charging motorists.
The Legislative Yuan indicated in its budget assessment report for the 2017 fiscal year that about 30 percent of freeway traffic on the north-south freeways are exempt from tolls under the current scheme, citing data collected in 2014.
Meanwhile, 60 percent of motorists on freeways are within the 20km toll-free distance and are commuting to metropolitan areas, which shows that freeways are mostly used by short-distance travelers.
The report also said that construction of the east-west freeways cost about NT$101.8 billion (US$3.2 billion) and not charging motorists would reduce revenues for the Freeway Construction Fund and goes against the “paying as you go” principle.
The fund is used for maintenance and new freeway construction, the bureau said.
It is unfair that the ministry subsidizes short-distance motorists with the fees collected from long-distance motorists, netizens said.
“Some freeway users have to pay and others do not. How is it different that the government uses taxpayers’ money to pay military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers who started working before 1995, who were given an 18 percent preferential interest rate? So-called ‘transitional justice’ is a lie,” one netizen said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS