Traffic Volume Up 6-7% on National Freeway 1 中秋連假首日 國道車流量較平日增6-7%

Traffic volume was up 6-7 percent on National Freeway 1 on the first day of the long weekend. Transportation and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai says many people are traveling domestically during the holiday this year and traffic was moving along at a snail's place on many roads, including National Freeway 5.

A long line of cars is waiting to get off National Freeway 5 at Suao. Congestion started at 5 a.m., as many headed out before dawn.

Motorist: “Taoyuan. (Reporter: “What time did you leave?”) 4:30 in the morning.”

Suao Precinct sent police over to direct traffic, but traffic still slowed to a crawl between Nangang and Shiding in the morning with a travel speed of under 40 kilometers per hour.

Lee Li-ping, Suao Precinct: “We remind everyone to use the Suhua Corridor to keep traffic moving. There's no need for an extended following distance. Also, remember to turn on your headlights.”

Jaw Shing-hau, Director-General, Freeway Bureau: “We're only seeing some waiting time at the Nangang system. Everywhere else is normal.”

Transportation and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai visited northern Taiwan's traffic control center in the morning. Some of the congestion is being attributed to freeway car accidents. The Freeway Bureau says the most congestion-prone southbound lanes are on National Freeway 1 between Yangmei and Hsinchu in the north and Changhua and Puyan and Kuaiguan and Wufeng in central Taiwan; and on National Freeway 3 between Tucheng and Guansi in the north and Caotun and Minjian in central Taiwan. Traffic conditions should improve after 3 or 4 p.m.

車輛不斷湧入，國道五號蘇澳服務區前5公里，已經出現排隊等著下匝道的車潮。中秋連假首日，蘇花改南下車潮清晨5時許就開始湧現，有民眾怕塞車路上，天還沒亮就出門。

記者問機車騎士從哪邊來、何時出發的，騎士說：「桃園，清晨四點半。」

蘇澳分局也趕緊派出員警指揮交通，上午國五南港到石碇，出現時速40公里以下的紅色壅塞，預估中午過後紓解。

蘇澳分局組長李立平表示：「提醒駕駛朋友行經蘇花路廊，請適時提高車速，勿刻意拉長車距，並且開啟大燈，確保行車安全。」

交通部高公局長趙興華表示：「只有南港系統的部分，因為路口段，現在也是有短暫的排隊車流，不過後面的部分都蠻正常。」

今日上午交通部長王國材也帶來文旦禮盒與獎金，送交給北部交控中心堅守崗位的同仁，而國道出現部分路段，因為事故車速緩慢，高公局預估南向有幾個較壅塞路段，北部包括國1楊梅到新竹、國3土城到關西，車潮預估下午3、4時後紓解；中部包括國1彰化到埔鹽、快官到霧峰，國3草屯到名間，則預估下午4時過後紓解。