Along-running dispute between residents of the Taipei County township of Pinglin (坪林鄉) and government agencies involved in the construction of the Taipei-Ilan Freeway (北宜高), or Route 5 as it is also known, may have abated in recent weeks but the fallout has left many in the town rather frustrated.
The issue pitted the people of Pinglin against the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and more recently the Taipei City Government. The issue has, according to the head of Pinglin Township Liang Jin-sheng (梁金生), been one of contradictions, political wrangling and misleading media coverage from the very beginning.
"One week the EPA said this and the next it said that. One week it was reported that [Pinglin] wanted this and the next [we] wanted that. Then various politicians stepped in and it all got out of hand," Liang said. "The contradictions and media coverage only made the situation worse."
When complete the NT$60.1 billion freeway, which boasts the longest road tunnel in Asia -- the 12.5km Hsuehshan Tunnel -- will cut the car journey from the capital to Ilan, from the current two hours to a mere 40 minutes. Construction began in 1991 but was plagued with problems from the beginning. Cost reevaluations and
setbacks have played havoc with the project's completion date.
The most contentious issue of all, however, has been that of the status of the Pinglin access ramp. The controversial ramp was originally built by the Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau (TANEEB) to be used solely as an access route for construction and emergency vehicles. On completion of the Taipei-Shihding section of the freeway late last year, however, Pinglin residents demanded public use of the access ramp.
Residents took to the streets to force a quick opening of the road. According to Liang, misleading media coverage led to an exaggeration of the issue and made the town look
ridiculous.
"The coverage made us out to be little but mad dogs. Nobody outside of the town bothered to think about us or take our side in the argument," Liang said. "The [media] made us not only look foolish but portrayed [the
residents of Pinglin] as the wrongdoers rather than the victims. All we wanted was the right to use the [ramp]."
Located roughly 30km southeast of Taipei midway along Route 9 -- the only artery from the capital to Ilan -- Pinglin is a sleepy backwater town with a population of 6,000. Famous for selling teas grown both locally and elsewhere in Taiwan to tourists, local government estimates said the town attracts between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors a week and that the local tea industry generates profits of NT$500 million per year.
The pro ramp-opening clique argued the road would be to everyone's benefit while the anti-road clique countered saying Pinglin wanted the road for financial reasons only.
"The argument that we wanted [the road] solely to boost tourism was rubbish," said the head of Pinglin Township. "People have been coming here for years on the old road and will continue to come whether we have a new road or not."
The MOTC caved in to popular demand in February this year and allowed Pinglin residents limited access to the road during the Lunar New Year holiday. The move enraged the peoples of both Ilan city and county, who were furious that the government agency would limit access to a public road.
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