Traffic around Taipei 101 is to be regulated from 7pm on Dec. 31 to 3am on Jan. 1 due to the New Year’s Eve concert at Taipei City Hall and the fireworks display, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday.
The zone of traffic restrictions is bounded by Zhongxiao E Road, Guangfu S Road, Zhuangjing Road, Songren Road and other roads in the Xinyi Planning District, the department said.
All vehicles — including bicycles — would be banned from entering, exiting or parking in the area during the period, it said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
YouBike stations in the zone would be suspended from 5pm, it said.
People are advised not to ride YouBikes to attend New Year’s Eve events, as they would not be able to return them to stations in the area, it said.
The Taipei MRT would operate for 42 hours from 6am on New Year’s Eve, the department said, adding that city buses would operate for longer hours, albeit at reduced intervals.
There would be free shuttle bus services from the area to Zhongxiao Xinsheng, Gongguan and Muzha MRT stations to help quickly dissipate New Year’s Eve crowds, it said.
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said that trains on the Bannan MRT (Blue) Line and Tamsui-Xinyi MRT (Red) Line would run at the most intensive schedule possible, while schedules on other lines would be subject to adjustments depending on crowd sizes.
Trains could skip stops at the Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101/World Trade Center MRT stations if they are overcrowded, it said.
Exits, platforms and ticketing gates at the two stations would be regulated as well, the company said.
“With the joint efforts of 2,800 metro system staff, we estimate that we can transport all visitors by 2am on Jan. 1,” it said.
From 3pm on New Year’s Eve to 6am on Jan. 1, people with large items are banned from accessing the MRT, the company said.
Meanwhile, the Highway Bureau on Wednesday said that travel on the 88 intercity bus routes across Taiwan would be cheaper during the Dec. 30 to Jan. 1 New Year’s Day holiday in anticipation of heavy traffic.
Passengers would pay fares either at the weekday price or at a 15 percent discount, the bureau said in a news release.
In addition, people on some bus routes in eastern Taiwan would have a choice of two preferential packages limited to the area, it said.
One of the packages offers a discount on vehicle rentals — a NT$200 discount per car rental and NT$100 per motorcycle — as well as a cheaper return bus trip, it said.
The second option allows people who also use local accommodation or Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services to travel both ways in a group of four for the price of three on some bus routes, plus a NT$200 fare discount per group, the bureau said.
People taking Taiwan Railways Administration or high-speed rail services would benefit from a discount on local bus transfers within 10 hours of their arrival, officials said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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