2018 New Year's Eve: Traffic Control Guide for Seven Regions

By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Editorial Team

To celebrate 2018, countdown events across Taiwan’s cities and counties will draw large crowds. To prevent traffic congestion, traffic police departments in major regions have announced traffic control measures. Below is a summary of traffic regulations for five major metropolitan areas and seven regions in central, southern, and eastern Taiwan.

1. Taipei – Taipei’s Most Exciting New Year’s Eve Party
1. Stage setup is carried out in three phases (from 0:00 on December 25, 2017, to 6:00 on January 2, 2018), with the following traffic controls:
(1) Phase 1 (December 25, 0:00–22:00): The five eastbound lanes of Shifu Road (between Songshou and Songgao Roads) will be closed.
(2) Phase 2 (December 25, 22:00–December 27, 24:00): The five eastbound lanes of Shifu Road (between Songshou and Songgao Roads) will remain closed, and Xinnen’ai Road will be fully closed.
(3) Phase 3 (December 28, 0:00–January 2, 6:00): The entire stretch of Shifu Road (between Songshou and Songgao Roads) will be closed, along with Xinnen’ai Road.
 
2. Three-phase traffic controls will be implemented in the Xinyi Planning District starting at 19:00 on December 31.
(1) Phase 1 (December 31, 19:00–20:00)
1. Controlled area: The region enclosed by Songren Road, Xinyi Road, Keelung Road, Yixian Road, Songgao Road, and Zhongxiao East Road. (See the green solid-line area in Attachment 1)
2. Traffic control: Vehicles within the controlled area are only allowed to exit, not enter.
(2) Phase 2 (December 31, 20:00–22:00)
1. Controlled area: Includes the area from Phase 1, plus Yixian Road (from Ren’ai Road to Zhongxiao East Road) and Ren’ai Road (from Yixian Road to Guangfu South Road). Short tunnel (southbound) at Keelung Road will be controlled, as will the long tunnel (northbound) entrance and exit; motorcycles will be allowed to travel northbound through the long tunnel. (See the red solid-line area in Attachment 1)
2. Traffic control: All vehicle access is prohibited.
(3) Phase 3 (December 31, 22:00–January 1, 3:00) – Expanded control area
1. Controlled area: The area enclosed by Lane 236, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road; Lane 168, Songde Road; Songde Road; Xinyi Road (from Songde Road to Songren Road); Songren Road; Zhuangjing Road; Xinyi Road (from Zhuangjing Road to Keelung Road); the northbound slow lane of Xinyi Road (from Keelung Road to Guangfu South Road); Guangfu South Road (from Xinyi Road to Ren’ai Road); Guangfu South Road (from Zhongxiao East Road to Ren’ai Road); and Zhongxiao East Road. (See the blue solid-line area in Attachment 1)
2. Traffic control: All vehicle entry and exit within the controlled area is prohibited.
 
3. Parking controls (within the controlled area)
(1) Roadside car and motorcycle parking spaces will be off-limits starting at 17:00.
(2) Yellow-lined areas will prohibit temporary parking from 17:00 until 3:00 the next day.
(3) Parking lots will allow only exits starting at 19:00, with full access control starting at 20:00.
(4) No temporary parking is allowed on the following bus assembly routes: east side of Guangfu South Road (between Keelung Road and Wenchang Street), northbound slow lane of Ren’ai Road (between Yanji Street and Dunhua South Road), west side of Section 2, Keelung Road (between Wenchang Street and Guangfu South Road), and west side of Songde Road (between Xinyi Road and Hulin Street).
 
4. Control measures for the Taipei City Hall Bus Station and underground passageways
(1) Taipei City Hall Bus Station: Starting at 19:00 on December 31, buses will be allowed to exit only, not enter. Passengers must board at alternative stops outside the controlled area. Passageway controls are shown in the diagram in Attachment 3.
(2) Taipei 101/World Trade Center MRT Station Underground Passageway: Closed at 22:00 on December 31, 2017, and reopened at 3:00 on January 1, 2018. (See the diagram in Attachment 2)
(3) Breeze Xinyi Underground Passageway: Closed at 22:00 on December 31, 2017, and will reopen on January 1, 2018, according to regular operating hours (Unified Era Department Store and Breeze Xinyi Department Store open at 11:00). (See the diagram in Attachment 4)
 
5. Three shuttle bus lines will operate until 1:30 AM on January 1, with routes, destinations, and boarding points as follows (see Attachment 5):
(1) Line 1 (to Taipei Main Station MRT): Board on the north slow lane of Ren'ai Road (between Yanji Street and Dunhua South Road).
(2) Line 2 (to Guting Station MRT): Board on Section 2 of Keelung Road (between Wenchang Street and Guangfu South Road) and on Guangfu South Road (between Keelung Road and Wenchang Street).
(3) Line 3 (to Muzha and Jingmei areas): Board on the west side of Songde Road (between Hulin Street and Xinyi Road).
 
VI. Bicycle and YouBike Control
Due to the large crowds during the New Year's Eve event, and in consideration of public safety, cycling is completely prohibited within the controlled area. YouBike rental stations will also be subject to phased control as follows:
(1) Starting at 17:00 on December 31, 13 YouBike stations around the Xinyi Planning District will temporarily suspend service (see Attachment 6).
(2) Starting at 19:00 on December 31, in addition to the aforementioned 13 stations, an additional 7 stations will be suspended. These include the Taipei City Disaster Response Center, Xiangshan Park, MRT Xinyi Anhe Station (Exit 4), the Keelung-Guangfu intersection, the Ren'ai-Yanji intersection, Sanxing Park, and MRT Xinyi Anhe Station (Exit 1), totaling 20 stations.
(3) Starting at 03:00 on January 1, the aforementioned 20 stations will resume normal operation.
 
VII. Due to multiple road traffic controls during the New Year's Eve event, the Taipei City Government Transportation Bureau urges revelers traveling through the Xinyi Planning District to plan alternate routes in advance. Recommended detours are as follows (see Attachment 7):
(1) East-West Routes: It is recommended to use Nanjing East-West Road, Civic Boulevard, and Heping East-West Road.
(2) North-South Routes: It is recommended to use Xinxing North-South Road, Jianguo North-South Road, Dunhua North-South Road, and Songshan Road.
(3) Travel from Neihu, Nangang, and Songshan towards Wuxing Street.
1. Cars: Civic Boulevard → Dunhua South Road → Heping East Road towards Wuxing Street.
2. Motorcycles: Civic Boulevard → Yanji Street, Guangfu South Road to Keelung Road.
 
VIII. Revelers heading to Rainbow Riverside Park for the New Year's celebration may use the pedestrian underpass (at the intersection of Xinhu Second Road and Diding Boulevard Section 1, near the Xinminquan Pumping Station) and the pedestrian overpass. Please do not cross Diding Boulevard to ensure smooth and safe traffic.

2. Taoyuan – Soar Over Taoyuan for an Amazing New Year’s Countdown
1. First Phase of Traffic Control
Control Period: From 08:00 on December 29, 2017 to 17:00 on January 1, 2018.
Control Location: Roadside parking spaces along Xinpuyi Street, Taoyuan City (from Nanping Road to Tongde Sixth Street, near the Cultural and Artistic District side).
Control Method: Roadside parking spaces are prohibited for vehicle parking. Vehicles not removed in time and deemed to obstruct the event may be forcibly relocated to Cimin Elementary School.
 
2. Second Phase of Traffic Control
Control Period: From 08:00 on December 31, 2017 to 02:00 on January 1, 2018.
Control Location: Xinpuyi Street.
Control Method: In addition to prohibiting roadside parking, vehicles are not allowed to enter Xinpuyi Street (between Nanping Road and Tongde Sixth Street). Residents may enter the controlled area with proper identification.
 
3. Third Phase of Traffic Control
Control Period: From 14:00 on December 31, 2017 to 02:00 on January 1, 2018.
Control Location: Tongde Sixth Street (between Zhongzheng Road and Xinpuyi Street), Yiwu First and Second Streets (between Tongde Fifth Street and Tongde Sixth Street), Xinpuyi Street (between Tongde Fifth Street and Tongde Sixth Street), and Tongde Fifth Street (between Zhongzheng Road and Xinpuyi Street).
Control Method: Except for motorcycle parking on the red and yellow lines of Tongde Fifth Street (between Zhongzheng Road and Xinpuyi Street), all other sections are off-limits to vehicles except for fire trucks, ambulances, event vehicles, and residents within the controlled area with proper identification. The controlled zone and duration may be adjusted dynamically based on on-site crowd and traffic conditions.
 
4. Fourth Phase of Traffic Control
Control period: From 23:30 on December 31, 2017, to 02:00 on January 1, 2018.
Control locations: Zhongzheng Road in Yuanlin City (from Tongde 11th Street to Daxing West Road), Nanping Road (from Tong’an Street to Zhongzheng Road), Yiwu 1st and 2nd Streets, Xinpu 6th Street (from Tongde 5th Street to Daxing West Road section), Tongde 11th Street (from Zhongzheng Road to Xinpu 8th Street), Xinpu 8th Street, and Tongde 2nd Street (from Daxing West Road to Zhongzheng Road).
Control method: Except for buses, fire trucks, ambulances, and event vehicles, all other vehicles are prohibited from entering. The control area and duration will be adjusted flexibly based on on-site traffic and crowd management needs.

3. Taichung – A Shining Night to Welcome the Flower Expo
1. First stage road closure: To set up a large screen for the live simulcast on Shuangshi Road, road closure controls will be implemented first. The controlled area is the section of Shuangshi Road from Lixing Road to Yucail North Road, with control time from 12:00 noon on December 31 to 03:00 the next morning.
 
2. Second stage road closure: Sections of Lixing Road, Shuangshi Road, Jinnan Street, Jinxin Street, Yucail North Road, Yucail Street, Yizhong Street, Taiping Road, Radio Station Street, and Shuiyuan Road will be under control, from 04:00 p.m. on December 31 to 03:00 the next morning.

4. Taichung – Lihpao Land New Year’s Eve Party
1. Dedicated lane control: On Yuemei East Road (from Yuemei South Road to Yuemei North Road), dedicated lanes will be set up on both outer lanes for shuttle buses, medical, fire vehicles, and vehicles with permits. Control time is from 04:00 p.m. on December 31 to 03:00 the next morning.
 
2. No-parking control: Parking is prohibited along Section 3 of Yuemei East Road (from Yuemei North Road to Anmei Road) and Yuemei Lake Road (from Houke Road to Anmei Road), from 08:00 a.m. on December 31 to 03:00 the next morning.
 
3. No-entry control: Section 3 of Yuemei East Road (from Yuemei North Road to Anmei Road) and Yuemei Lake Road (from Houke Road to Anmei Road) are designated as shuttle bus-only lanes for shuttle buses, medical, fire vehicles, and vehicles with permits. Control time is from 04:00 p.m. on December 31 to 03:00 the next morning.