City says bus-lane repairs must wait

It is a common occurrence. You are waiting for the bus in the pouring rain. From a distance, your bus approaches. But before you can get on the vehicle, you are splashed with dirty water from deep puddles in the express lane.

Most of Taipei City's express lanes are in poor condition but repairs for some will not likely be made until the middle of next year at the earliest, city officials say.

Out of seven express lanes scattered throughout the city, just two of them have been overhauled since Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in 1998.

While the mayor has made many other campaign promises related to cleaning up Taipei's streets and sidewalks, improving the condition of bus lanes was never high on his list.

Critics say that this is the reason why so little has been done.

The city is planning to fix three more lanes but the overhaul projects -- which usually take about six months -- are not scheduled to take place until the beginning of next year.

"I don't think the city gives a damn about how many holes there are on the road as long as nobody gets hurt or killed," said DPP City Councilor Lee Chien-chung (李建昌).

Chang Ya-hui (張雅惠), a 28-year-old working woman who used to take the bus to work but now takes the MRT, said that she has been splashed with dirty water while waiting for a bus in the bus express lane.

"I wanted to smash the bus and kill the driver on the spot," she said.

The city blames circumstances.

According to Lin Li-yu (林麗玉), the director of the traffic control department under the city's Bureau of Transportation, bus express lanes have to handle much more stress than regular asphalt roads.

"Because buses are heavier than regular automobiles, they create more friction on the road when they come to a stop or start moving," she said. "Their loading capacity also creates substantial pressure on the area where the wheels travel."

Most bus express lanes are 3.5m wide, leaving only an additional meter of space. Buses are 2.5m wide. A fully loaded 40-person bus can weigh as much as 15 tonnes. During peak periods, about 150 buses travel on an express lane every hour.

Lin also said that oil leaking from the bus can easily trigger a chemical reaction with the asphalt, which is partly responsible for the deterioration in road quality.

The city first established express bus lanes along Jenai and Hsinyi road in 1991. By 1996, eight lanes had been established. From north to south they are on Minchuan East and West roads and Nanking East and West roads. From west to east they are on Chungshan North and South roads, Hsinsheng North and South roads, Sungchiang Road and Tunhua North and South roads.

Chungshan North Road later became an express bus lane only during rush hours.

The lane on Nanking East Road is currently the busiest, with more than 200 buses an hour jamming the road during rush hours.

"That's why we don't allow other kinds of buses to use this particular lane," said Hung Tsang-lang (洪滄浪), deputy chief engineer of the traffic control project department.

Long-distance buses or public buses of schools or government agencies are allowed to travel on the express lanes along Tunhua, Jenai and Hsinyi Roads if they have permission from the city's transportation bureau.

Those who do not have the permission but use express bus lanes face fines of between NT$600 and NT$1,800.