Three-phase traffic control in Taipei on New Year's Eve; use public transport to avoid congestion

▲ Map of the three-phase traffic control for Taipei New Year's Eve. (Photo / Courtesy of Taipei City Government website)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

On the evening of December 31, the Taipei New Year’s Eve Countdown Party 2015 “Taipei is Burning” will be held in the Xinyi Planning District. Due to the large crowd expected, the Taipei City Department of Transportation will implement a three-phase traffic control starting at 7:00 PM on December 31 around the Xinyi Planning District. The third phase of the controlled area includes the region enclosed by Guangfu South Road, Zhongxiao East Road, Lane 236, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Songde Road, Zhongxiao Road, Keelung Road, Songren Road, and Zhuangjing Road. The Department of Transportation also reminds the public attending the countdown event to leave home early and use public transportation to avoid traffic congestion.

Starting at 7:00 PM on December 31, the three-phase traffic control measures for roads around the Xinyi Planning District are as follows:

I. First Phase (7:00–8:00 PM, December 31 — vehicles allowed to exit only)
1. Controlled Area: The area enclosed by Keelung Road, Ren’ai Road, Zhongxiao East Road, Songren Road, Zhongxiao Road, Songshou Road, and Shifu Road. (See the green solid-line area in the attached map)
2. Vehicles within the controlled area are allowed to exit only.

II. Second Phase (8:00–10:00 PM, December 31 — no vehicle entry or exit)
1. Controlled Area: In addition to the first phase area, this phase also includes Yixian Road and Ren’ai Road (between Yixian Road and Guangfu South Road). (See the red solid-line area in the attached map)
2. No vehicle entry or exit from 8:00 PM to 3:00 AM on January 1. Also, the two-way vehicular underpass of Keelung Road is controlled, with only the southbound long tunnel open for motor vehicles and motorcycles.

III. Third Phase (10:00 PM, December 31 – 3:00 AM, January 1 — no vehicle entry or exit)
1. Controlled Area: The area enclosed by Guangfu South Road, Zhongxiao East Road, Lane 236, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Songde Road, Zhongxiao Road, Keelung Road, Songren Road, and Zhuangjing Road. (See the blue solid-line area in the attached map)
2. No vehicle entry or exit within the controlled area.

IV. Parking Control:
1. In line with the three-phase traffic control, parking lots within the controlled area will allow only exiting from 7:00 PM, and full access control (no entry or exit) from 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
2. Roadside parking spaces for cars and motorcycles within the controlled area will be off-limits starting at 5:00 PM.
3. Yellow-lined curb parking is prohibited from 5:00 PM until 3:00 AM the next day within the controlled area.
4. Temporary parking is prohibited on the following road sections except for buses: the east side of Guangfu South Road (Citizen Boulevard – Nanjing East Road), the east side of Guangfu South Road (Keelung Road – Wenchang Street), the north side of Ren’ai Road (Yanji Street – Dunhua South Road), the west side of Section 2, Keelung Road (Wenchang Street – Guangfu South Road), and the west side of Songde Road (Zhongxiao Road – Hulin Street).

V. Control of City Hall Bus Station and Underground Passages
1. The City Hall Bus Station will be under control allowing only exiting from 7:00 PM on December 31. Passengers must take buses at alternative stops outside the controlled area.
2. The “Underground Passage of City Hall MRT Station” and the “Underground Passage of Taipei 101/World Trade Center MRT Station” will begin discouraging public entry at 9:00 PM on December 31, officially close at 10:00 PM, and reopen at 3:30 AM on January 1.

VI. Bicycle and YouBike Control
Due to the large crowd during the countdown event, and considering safety, bicycle riding is completely prohibited within the controlled area. YouBike rental stations will also be subject to phased controls as follows:
1. Starting at 5:00 PM on December 31, 10 YouBike stations around the Xinyi Planning District will temporarily suspend operations.
2. Starting at 8:00 PM on December 31, in addition to the aforementioned stations, four more stations — the Keelung-Guangfu Intersection Station, MRT Xinyi Anhe Station, MRT National Father Memorial Hall Station, and MRT City Hall Station — will also suspend operations.
3. The aforementioned 14 stations will resume normal operations at 5:00 AM on January 1.

VII. To transport the large crowd for the countdown event, the Taipei City Department of Transportation has planned four post-event shuttle bus lines (see Attachment 3). Their routes, destinations, and boarding points are as follows:
Line 1: To MRT Nanjing Fuxing Station, board on Guangfu South Road (Citizen Boulevard – Nanjing East Road).
Line 2: Head toward Taipei Main Station on the MRT. Board on the bus-only lane and slow lane on the north side of Ren’ai Road (Yanji Street to Dunhua South Road).
Line 3: Head toward Guting Station on the MRT. Board on Section 2 of Keelung Road (Wenchang Street to Guangfu South Road) and Guangfu South Road (Keelung Road to Wenchang Street).
Line 4: Head toward the Muzha and Jingmei areas. Board on the slow lane on the west side of Songde Road (Hulin Street to Xinyi Road).

Due to traffic control on multiple roads for New Year’s Eve events, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Transportation urges the public traveling through the Xinyi Planning District to change routes in advance if possible. The department also reminds participants of New Year’s Eve celebrations to leave early and use public transportation to avoid traffic congestion.