The new Taipei Bus Station, the biggest bus terminal in the city, opened yesterday amid concerns that increased traffic would exacerbate congestion on Huayin Street, Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.
The station, located at the intersection of Chengde Road and Huayin Street, will serve as the main transportation hub for 10 bus companies running 39 routes to Ilan County and cities, as well as counties south of Hsinchu.
Five other bus companies providing 10 routes to Taoyuan County and cities and counties north of Taoyuan will continue to use the old bus station on Chongqing N Road.
PHOTO: HUNG MIN-LUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
No serious traffic jams were reported around the station yesterday.
Liang Heng-de (梁恒德), assistant director of the Department of Transportation’s public transportation office, said the department and all bus companies had held a trial run during the past two months, which accounted for the smooth launch of operations.
The Traffic Police Division dispatched about 40 traffic police to the area to prevent traffic jams.
Most passengers taking buses at the station yesterday welcomed the comfortable environment of the new station, but complained about unclear signs.
“It took us a while to find the entrance to the station and we had to walk a long way from Taipei Main Station to take a bus here. It is quite inconvenient,” a female passenger surnamed Lin said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅) expressed her concerns about serious traffic congestion around the station during weekends and rush hour, as several hundred buses would be entering and exiting the station every day, increasing traffic on the already crowded Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.
Commissioner of the transportation department Luo Shiaw-shyan (羅孝賢) said the city would enforce overpass entrance controls on Civic Boulevard and other measures to avoid problems.
The bus station has 30 ticketing counters on the first floor and 32 platforms on the second, third and fourth floors. The 24-story building also features a shopping area, movie theater and hotel, which are scheduled to open next month.
To celebrate the opening of the station, the underground parking lot on Civil Boulevard will be free for scooters until Sept. 10.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS