The National Day holiday is here! Essential "5 Traffic Measures" in Yilan to Avoid Severe Congestion

▲ Lanyang Museum. (Photo / Provided by Lanyang Museum)

Reported by Cai Wenjun / Compiled by Staff

The National Day and Double Ten holidays run from October 8 to 10. To accommodate the expected surge in vehicles and visitors, the Yilan County Government Construction Bureau has not only announced peak hours on national highways but also planned six major traffic diversion measures. Travelers are advised to make use of public transportation when visiting Yilan.

1. Expressway Controls
1. One day before the holiday period and until 6:00 AM on the first day, tolls on all expressways will be suspended nationwide from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
2. Tollgate-controlled ramp metering will be implemented on National Freeway No. 5. During the control period, priority access for buses will be given at the northbound entrances of Toucheng, Yilan, Luodong, and Su’ao interchanges. Additionally, the shoulder of National Freeway No. 5 between Yilan and Toucheng (approximately Km 35.3 to Km 30.0) will be dynamically opened to buses. It is estimated that this measure can save buses about 20–30 minutes during peak hours.
3. Small vehicles are permitted to use the shoulder on the Toucheng exit (approximately Km 32.7 to Km 30.6).
4. High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) controls will be enforced on southbound National Freeway No. 5 (from Nangang System to Pinglin) from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM on October 8 (Saturday) and October 9 (Sunday).
5. HOV controls will be enforced on northbound National Freeway No. 5 (from Su’ao to Toucheng) from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM on October 9 (Sunday) and October 10 (Monday).

▲ Kiwi-themed Railway Station. (Photo / Taken by Reporter Xu Wenbin)

2. General Road Controls
1. Traffic guidance and control measures will also be implemented at multiple locations, including the Dali Tian Gong Temple section and Lanyang Museum section of Provincial Highway No. 2, the Luodong Guangxing section of Provincial Highway No. 7C and the Meihua Intersection of Yilan County Road No. 33, the Jiaoxi section of National Highway No. 9, as well as the northern entrance of the Su-Hua Highway and the Ping’an level crossing in Southern Australia.
2. During the National Day holiday period, the Taroko National Forest Recreation Area will implement a total visitor cap. Once the number of visitors reaches 2,800, an announcement will be made via police radio and variable message signs. When the number reaches 3,000, entry controls will be enforced.

3. External Public Transportation
1. During the holiday period, intercity bus operators will adjust services flexibly based on actual passenger demand. To enhance intercity bus services, trial temporary routes with multiple departure points in the Taipei and New Taipei areas will be launched during the National Day holidays, offering direct services to Yilan. Existing National Freeway No. 5 bus routes will also have some trips extended to popular scenic spots.

Existing routes extended to Yilan include shuttle buses to five popular attractions: Kiwi Square, King Car Distillery, Luodong Forestry Culture Park, Luodong Night Market, and the Traditional Arts Center.

2. The railway will also add extra trains to handle holiday traffic. During peak hours each day, three additional round-trip commuter trains between Taipei and Yilan will be added, with a special fare of NT$100.

▲ Kiwi-themed buses launched in September. (Photo / Provided by Yilan City Government)

4. Yilan County Public Transportation
1. City buses will maintain their regular schedules, and passengers can ride for free by tapping their electronic transit cards. Intercity buses will deploy extra services depending on passenger demand at key areas and attractions (Traditional Arts Center, Dongshan River Water Park, Wushigou Scenic Area, Lanyang Museum) or events during the holiday.

2. For tourism shuttles, red and green holiday shuttle bus lines have been introduced to meet holiday sightseeing needs. The main trunk line buses are marked in red, including “Red 1” (Waiao–Luodong Transfer Station) and “Red 2” (Yilan Transfer Station–Nanfang’ao), running every 15 minutes.

3. Green-marked scenic area shuttle buses have been expanded to four routes. Together with the county’s two Taiwan Good Bus lines, there are a total of six scenic shuttle bus routes, operating at 30-minute intervals. Passengers holding same-day intercity bus or Taiwan Rail tickets can ride the “red and green” Yilan County shuttle buses for free.

5. Jiaoxi Traffic Congestion Response Measures
1. Alternative routes are encouraged: additional signage will guide through traffic to use County Road No. 192, Yilan County Road No. 8, Yilan County Road No. 6 to No. 191, and Provincial Highway No. 2 for northbound travel. Drivers can access Pinglin Interchange via the North–Yilan Highway or head to Taipei and Keelung via Provincial Highway No. 2 to help disperse traffic.
2. Police will strengthen traffic control at congested sections such as the intersection between Park Road, Jiaoxi Transfer Station, and the Toucheng interchange, ensuring clear intersections and increased towing of illegally parked vehicles.