As temperatures across Taiwan begin to increase, flowers have started to blossom, drawing visitors to sites such as Chiayi County’s Alishan (阿里山) and Taipei’s Yangmingshan (陽明山), where flower festivals are under way or set to start soon.
Up to 60 percent of the cherry blossoms in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, where the Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival is being held, were blooming and on Saturday attracted more than 7,000 visitors, Chiayi Forest District Office deputy director Lee Ting-chung (李定忠) said.
The Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival, which began on Thursday, runs through April 10.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
Chiayi traffic police captain Su Chun-hung (蘇俊宏) said that traffic restrictions were imposed from 6am to 11am on a 66km section of the Alishan Highway (Provincial Highway No. 18), where visitors were required to park their vehicles before boarding shuttle buses to their destinations.
The restrictions began on Thursday and are to continue until the festival ends, Su said.
With the exception of drivers holding permits for work, lodging in hotels or attending special events, no privately owned vehicles would be allowed to enter the section.
Photo: CNA
Visitors should consider taking public transportation to Alishan, he added.
Public transportation is also the best means of travel for those planning to attend Taipei’s Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival, which is to be held from Friday to April 24, the Taipei Department of Economic Development said.
Due to expected heavy traffic and limited roads leading to the festival site, Taipei has organized a fleet of shuttle buses to transport visitors to the festival, the department said.
Designated buses would make detours to the Bamboo Lake (竹子湖) bus station, which is close to the Bamboo Lake Calla Lily Trail, while buses with scheduled stops at the station would increase their services, it said.
The festival would be the best time for people to view the flowers in full bloom, it added.
The department encouraged visitors to attend the festival, as it would feature many interactive activities, saying that information on how to best enjoy the festival can be found on the department-run Facebook page that promotes leisure activities in the capital.
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