Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was mocked by the Green camp after arriving late to a campaign event because of heavy congestion on National Freeway No. 5, but former minister without portfolio Chang Ching-sen publicly spoke up in his defence and argued for a reservation system to fundamentally resolve congestion in the Hsuehshan Tunnel — good news for drivers who frequently travel to Yilan.

• Chiang Wan-an arrived 40 minutes late in Yilan last Saturday, and his remark that he "didn't expect it to be this congested" drew heavy sarcasm from political circles.
• Chang Ching-sen said there was no need to laugh at him, because he himself had also misjudged it, getting stuck for four hours heading north on Sunday afternoon.
• The real problem is that nobody knows when congestion will occur or how long it will last, leaving everyone to guess blindly based on experience.
• With tens of thousands of people trying to avoid peak hours at the same time, the times they shift to become new congestion peaks themselves.
• He suggested starting with a trial allocating 20 to 30 percent of the Hsuehshan Tunnel's peak capacity to mobile phone reservations, with those holding reservations using a priority lane and those without queuing as usual.

Outlook: This is only a personal proposal, and whether the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Freeway Bureau are willing to run a trial remains to be seen; Hsuehshan Tunnel holiday congestion will not change in the short term.