Extra high-occupancy vehicle traffic rules on Hehuanshan in central Taiwan during coming holiday

台灣中部合歡山假日高乘載管制交通規則

Traffic control to allow 20 vehicles to pass through every 10 minutes might also be put in place


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — With red-hairy azaleas blooming in the Hehuanshan (Mt. Hehuan) area in central Taiwan, the country’s highway authority has planned to enforce high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) rules to control traffic going up the mountain during the coming Dragon Boat Festival holiday from Friday to Sunday (June 3-5).

The Second Maintenance Office of the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) has come up with a plan to enforce the HOV rules requiring three people per vehicle on the section between Tsuifeng (翠峰) and Dayuling (大禹嶺) of Provincial Highway 14A, the only highway that passes through the Hehuanshan area, from 6-11 a.m. during the holiday period, Liberty Times reported.

This year’s azalea season on Hehuanshan started on April 16 and will last until June 19, according to the report. The DGH had for the first time enforced the HOV rules on the Tsuifeng-Dayuling section on weekdays and national holidays during the early period of this year’s azalea season, resulting in improved traffic in the Hehuanshan area compared to last year.

As recent plum rains have dampened many people’s desire to go admire the azalea blooms, the HOV rules have been canceled for two weekends in a row. The DGH expects crowds heading for the mountain during the Dragon Boat Festival due to the red-hairy azalea blooms on Hehuanshan North Peak and other scenic wonders, hence the HOV rules.

In addition to the traffic rules, the highway authority said that extra traffic control that allows 20 vehicles to pass through every 10 minutes might also be put in place during the coming holiday, depending on the weather and traffic conditions, per Liberty Times.