The Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend is coming soon. Yilan has planned “five major traffic measures” to prevent severe congestion.

▲ The Jimmy Liao art installations have become a symbol of Yilan. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin)

Reporter Cai Wenjun / Comprehensive report

The Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend is about to arrive, and Yilan, which usually sees a surge in vehicles and visitors during holidays, has planned five major traffic measures while urging the public to make greater use of public transport.

Based on past data, Yilan County Government has provided information on the traffic flow on National Freeway No. 5 heading southbound and northbound during the holiday period for public reference. It also advises road users to plan their travel itineraries in advance, avoid peak hours, or take alternative routes. The public is encouraged to take Taiwan Railways or express buses to travel to Yilan.

Southbound: Heavy traffic is expected from the morning through the afternoon on September 15 (Thursday) and 16 (Friday); on September 17 (Saturday), traffic will be heavy in the morning and ease in the afternoon; on September 18 (Sunday), the day before people return to work, traffic may be heavier during certain morning periods.

Northbound: Traffic congestion is expected during certain afternoon hours on September 15; heavier traffic will occur from the afternoon to the evening on September 16; the peak traffic periods for northbound travel are from noon to midnight on September 17 and from noon to the evening on September 18, when traffic volume is expected to be higher.

▲ Yilan sees a large influx of vehicles every long holiday. (Photo / Eastern Broadcasting Co.)

In terms of traffic management, Yilan County Government has set up a task force this time and introduced five major traffic contingency measures, including:

1. Freeway Control:
1. Implement ramp metering control on National Freeway No. 5, prioritizing bus access at the northbound entrances of Toucheng, Yilan, Luodong, and Su’ao interchanges during the control period. Additionally, the shoulder of the freeway between Yilan and the former Toucheng toll station (large vehicle inspection lane), approximately from Km 35.3 to Km 29.5, will be flexibly opened for buses. This measure is expected to save 20–30 minutes of travel time for buses during peak hours.
2. Allow small vehicles to use the shoulder along the section from Toucheng exit (approximately Km 32.7 to Km 30.6).
3. Enforce high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) restrictions on southbound National Freeway No. 5 (from Nangang System to Pinglin) from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on September 15 (Thursday) and 16 (Friday).
4. Impose HOV restrictions on northbound National Freeway No. 5 (from Su’ao to Toucheng) from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on September 17 (Saturday) and 18 (Sunday).

▲ Past scenes of heavy traffic heading to Yilan during holidays. (Photo / Eastern Broadcasting Co.)

2. General Road Control:
1. Traffic guidance and control measures will also be implemented at several locations including the Dali Tian Gong Temple section and Lanyang Museum section on Provincial Highway No. 2, the Luodong Guangxing section on Provincial Highway No. 7C and the Meihua Intersection on County Road No. 33, the Jiaoxi section on National Highway No. 9, the northern and southern entrances of the Su-Hua Highway, and the level crossing in Nan’ao. The public is advised to pay extra attention.
2. During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Taroko National Park will implement a total visitor cap. Once the number of entrants reaches 2,800, the public will be notified via police radio broadcasts and electronic message signs. Entry will be restricted once the number hits 3,000. Visitors are advised to stay informed.

3. Inter-city Public Transport:
1. Increase the supply of express coach services and encourage the public to use public transport when traveling to Yilan. During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, trial temporary express coach routes with multiple departure points in the Taipei and New Taipei areas will be launched, providing direct service to Yilan, including:

● Trial routes from “Metro Sanchong Station” and “Songshan Station” in the Taipei-New Taipei area to the Luodong Transfer Station, plus an additional direct route from “Banqiao Transfer Station” to the Luodong Transfer Station.
● In Yilan, existing routes will be extended to provide shuttle services to five popular attractions: Jimmy Liao Square, King Car Distillery, Lanyang Forest Park, Luodong Night Market, and the Traditional Arts Center.

2. Additional train services will be added to accommodate travel demand during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Extra Taipei–Yilan round-trip commuter trains will be scheduled during daily peak hours. Discounts of NT$100 will be offered for trips from Taipei to Yilan or Luodong from September 15–17, and from Yilan or Luodong to Taipei from September 16–18.

▲ Dongshan River in Yilan. (Photo / Provided by Jia’s Hotel Yilan Jiaoxi Branch)

4. Intra-county Public Transport in Yilan:
1. To meet holiday tourism demand, Yilan County Government has launched a “Red and Green Line Holiday Shuttle Bus.” Passengers holding same-day express coach or Taiwan Railways tickets can ride for free.

Main trunk line buses, identified in red, have been consolidated into two routes: “[Red 1] Waiguo (via Wushi Harbor) – Luodong Transfer Station” and “[Red 2] Yilan Transfer Station – Nanfang’ao,” both operating at 15-minute intervals.

The scenic area shuttle bus routes are identified by the color green and expanded to four routes. Together with the county’s two Taiwan High-Quality Tourism Routes, there are a total of six scenic area shuttle bus routes, operating at 30-minute intervals. Additionally, major attractions benefit from overlapping routes that provide direct service at 15-minute intervals.

V. Traffic Congestion Response Measures in Jiaoxi
1. Encourage the use of alternative routes: Additional guide signs will be installed to direct through traffic to take County Route 192, Yilan Routes 8 and 6 to Routes 191 and 2 for northbound travel, connecting to Pinglin Interchange via the Suhua Highway or Route 2 towards Taipei and Keelung, thereby dispersing through traffic.

2. At congested intersections between Park Road, Jiaoxi Transfer Station, and the Toucheng Interchange, police authorities will strengthen traffic control measures to keep intersections clear and increase towing of illegally parked vehicles.

3. In the event of congestion on national highways, the Yilan County Police Bureau Emergency Response Center will coordinate horizontally with the National Freeway Bureau and the Directorate General of Highways to display diversion advisories on all Variable Message Signs (CMS) LED panels. When traffic backs up to the Jiaoxi Transfer Station, the bureau will initiate diversions for national highway buses heading southbound to Yilan Interchange and then northbound. The county police will also enforce traffic control and diversions on County Route 6, while reminding road users to utilize alternative routes.