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Core Pacific taking safety measures

Safety and traffic problems at the Core Pacific mall have led the facilities' managers to compromise with city officials over the number of shoppers that are to be allowed inside the giant shopping complex. PHOTO:: TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO

In a bid to ensure public safety, the Core Pacific City shopping mall may limit the number of shoppers allowed inside at any one to time 63,000.

The 44,000-ping (145,000m2) facility is estimated to comfortably accommodate 100,000 at one time. Reportedly, the mall attracted 300,000 people in one day last weekend.

"As soon as the number of people exceeds the set figure of 63,000, we'll begin preventing more people from coming in and only allow people to leave the facility," said a press release issued by the Core Pacific City yesterday afternoon.

The decision was made in response to a call by city government safety officials Thursday night. Core Pacific mall managers had originally proposed setting the ceiling at 90,000, but were advised to reduce the figure to 63,000 by safety officials.

In a bid to help disperse and direct traffic around the mall, the statement said, 15 volunteer traffic officers would be deployed outside the mall. Further, more than 200 employees inside the mall would be on hand today and tomorrow to assist shoppers.

The city will also dispatch a number of police officers to supervise traffic and maintain order this morning.

During the city's weekly public security meeting yesterday morning, City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that although existing laws do not mandate that businesses impose a limit on the number of people entering a building, it does not make practical sense to allow them to overload a facility in the face of obvious safety concerns.

"It's like allowing 500 people to cram into a room which can accommodate only 50 people," he said. "We simply cannot wait for the law to change -- the enactment of a law takes times and the immediate situation requires action."

Ma added that there is no doubt that government authorities can step in to prevent accidents from happening.

"Nobody believes that it's not the government's responsibility to stop accidents from happening," he said.

Commenting on the bickering over the city government's handling of Core Pacific's illegal opening and continued illegal operation, Ma said that there is no point in engaging in continued mudslinging and passing of blame.

"I believe Minister Chen (Ding-nan (陳定南)) meant well and his motive was simple, but we are not remiss in our duties as he claims," he said.

"I'd like to see a stop to the war of words because there's already too much mudslinging in this society," the mayor said.

Minister of Justice Chen held a press conference on Wednesday to criticize Ma for taking a "soft stance" when dealing with the mall's management.

He proposed that the city government turn off the mall's water and electricity, and ask the police to seal the facility.

A city government official said, however, that existing rules prevent them from taking such drastic measures and that they are pursuing the problem one step at a time in accordance with city safety regulations.

Meanwhile, the Fire Department conducted another round of inspections of the facility Thursday afternoon at the request of the mall's management.

A Fire Department spokesman estimates that a complete inspection of the entire mall and its related facilities, which has 12 stories above and three stories below ground, will take at least four days to finish.
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