Taipei will shorten the duration of red lights at 770 intersections over the summer to reduce the time pedestrians and motorcycle drivers have to spend in the sweltering heat, the city government said Thursday.
The signal cycle lengths at the intersections have been reduced by an average of 30 seconds between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., from Thursday through Sept. 1, Wang Yao-to (???), director of the city government’s Traffic Control Center, said at a virtual news conference.
The largest reduction, Wang said, is at the intersection of Tienmu East Road and Tienmu East Road Lane 107, which will have its red light duration cut by 95 seconds.
The city was able to shorten red light lengths at more locations this year — up from only 210 intersections in 2021 — because of a 5-8 percent drop in traffic caused by the recent surge in domestic COVID-19 cases, he added.
June, July, and August are the hottest months of the year in Taipei, with average temperatures of 28.3, 30.1, and 29.7 degrees Celsius, respectively, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel