Freeway Bureau Urges Use of Off-Peak Hours During Dragon Boat Festival Holiday

(CNA, by Huang-Tsiao-wen, Taipei, May 21) For the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the Freeway Bureau predicts the first two days will be peak periods for southbound traffic on national freeways, with the last two days being peak periods for northbound traffic. The Bureau urges travelers to make use of recommended off-peak hours. For southbound travel on June 19 and 20, it is advised to depart before 6 a.m. or after noon on western freeways, and before 5 a.m. or after 5 p.m. on National Freeway 5. This year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday runs for three days from June 19 to 21. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Freeway Bureau had previously assessed that traffic demand would primarily consist of tourism and return-home trips, expecting holiday traffic volume to be between 108 and 118 million vehicle-kilometers (mvk). Southbound traffic on the first day could reach 65 mvk, 1.4 times the weekday average. The Freeway Bureau issued a press release today, stating that based on data from previous Dragon Boat Festival holidays, the first two days are expected to be peak days for southbound traffic, with congestion concentrated in the morning. The last two days will be peak days for northbound traffic, with congestion concentrated in the afternoon. Due to the significant increase in travelers and people returning home, national freeways are prone to congestion, and the Bureau calls on road users to utilize public transportation such as intercity buses, Taiwan Railways, and the High-Speed Rail. For those who still need to drive, the Freeway Bureau suggests using alternative routes such as Provincial Highways 1, 3, 9, 61, 63, and 74, or referring to the recommended off-peak travel times to avoid congestion. For southbound travel on June 19 and 20, it is recommended to depart before 6 a.m. or after 12 p.m. on western freeways, and before 5 a.m. or after 5 p.m. on National Freeway 5. As for northbound travel on June 20 and 21, it is recommended for those in the southern region on western freeways to depart before 9 a.m., and for those in the central region to depart before 12 p.m. For National Freeway 5, a departure before 9 a.m. is recommended. To alleviate peak traffic flow, the Freeway Bureau pointed out that on June 19 and 20, there will be time-based closures of southbound on-ramps on National Freeway 1 and National Freeway 5. On June 20 and 21, there will be time-based closures of northbound on-ramps on National Freeway 1 and National Freeway 3. The public is asked to pay close attention to ramp closure measures and adjust their departure times and routes accordingly. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei) 1150521