But when the freeway cut down the traveling time to two hours, Hsinchu became just another spot along the route. And since it is still too far from Taipei to become a satellite city like Chungli or Taoyuan, Hsinchu gradually fell behind.
當高速公路逐漸取代縱貫公路，成為貫穿全島的交通動脈後，台北到台中的行程縮短為兩小時，客、貨車不必再中途打尖，新竹於是成了人們「過門不入」的路邊都市；而它又不像中壢、桃園近得可以發展成台北大都會的衛星城，新竹因此逐漸沒落。