The Highway Bureau yesterday imposed a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) rule on Provincial Highway No. 9 starting from 168.2k north of the Taroko Bridge in response to heavier northbound traffic as the Lunar New Year holiday neared an end.
Starting yesterday, HOVs were allowed to access bus priority lanes (inner lanes), while non-HOVs were directed to the outer lanes, the bureau said.
HOVs are defined as private vehicles and taxis with three or more passengers, vehicles on public business and buses, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Northbound traffic has grown significantly since 10am yesterday, as people headed back north ahead of the end of the holiday today, the bureau’s Eastern region Branch Office said.
Yesterday, about 15,000 northbound vehicles traversed the Suhua Highway, a subsection of Provincial Highway No. 9, the office said, adding that the traffic jams were expected to last until 2pm today.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic was observed along multiple highway sections, with driving speeds falling below 40kph, it said.
According to Highway 1968, the live traffic service promoted by the Freeway Bureau, heavy congestion was seen in Yongkang District (永康) in Tainan, Kaohsiung Science Park to Lujhu District (路竹), Nanzih District (楠梓) to Gangshan District (岡山), Yunlin to Dounan Township (斗南), Beidou Township (北斗) to Yuanlin City (員林), Nantun Township (南屯) to Taichung City and Fongyuan District (豐原) to the Taichung exchanges on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1).
The northern parts of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, especially the Hukou Service Station to Hukou Township (湖口), Neihu District (內湖) to the Donghu area (東湖), Sijhih (汐止) exchange to Sijhih District, were all congested as well, the Highway 1968 service said.
On the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3), congestion was seen from the Shanhua Township (善化) to Guantian Township (官田) section, the Jiouru Township (九如) to Yanchao Township (燕巢) section, and the Shueishang exchange to Jhongpu (中埔), the service said.
To the north, the Formosa Freeway saw congestions from the Guansi Service Station to Gaoyuan Township (高原), the Hsinchu exchange to Baoshan Township (寶山), Jhunan Township (竹南) to the West Coast Expressway (西濱公路) and Dashan Township (大山) to Jhunan Township, it said.
On the Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水) Freeway (Freeway No. 5), traffic was heavy from Yilan to Toucheng Township (頭城), Toucheng Township to Pinglin Township (坪林), and along the southbound sections of the Nangang exchange to Shihding Township (石碇), it said.
On Freeway No. 4, congestion was seen along Tanzih Township (潭子) to Fongshih Township (豐勢) and Fongshih to Houfong Township (后豐), as well as the westbound roads from Taiyuan Township (太原) to Songjhu Township (松竹) and Songjhu to Tanzi on Provincial Highway 74, it said.
Traffic was also slow on the eastbound Yanchao Township to Yanchao exchange section on Freeway No. 10, it said.
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