Several Taipei City councilors blasted city traffic lights yesterday, claiming that they were operated in an “inhuman” way, as half of the devices in the capital signal red for at least 100 seconds, forcing people to breathe exhaust fumes as they wait for the lights to change.
City Councilors Chien Yu-yien (簡余晏), Chen Chien-min (陳建銘) and Lee Ching-feng (李慶鋒) criticized what they described as the “inefficiency” of the city’s traffic signals at a press conference at the City Council, with Chien pointing out that 1,026 of the 2,184 sets of traffic lights in the city have “a long red light,” while 42 of them force motorists to wait for at least three minutes during rush hour.
On the intersection of Mengjia Boulevard (艋舺大道) and Siyuan Road (西園路), people must wait long enough for the intersection to remain clear of traffic for “a while,” to get a green light, Chien said.
PHOTO: CNA
She said one taxi driver had complained that the traffic lights on Songkao Road (松高路) behind the City Council remain red for so long that his fare meter increases three times in a single traffic light cycle.
Chien said Germans tolerate red lights for a maximum of 60 seconds, while she claimed that the maximum time in Britain was 45 seconds.
In comparison, it was “inhuman” for road users in Taipei to have to wait at least 100 seconds before they could cross the road, Chien said.
Lee Kung-chen (李昆振), the city official responsible for traffic control, explained that signals were based on traffic load and pedestrian safety. Their operations were adjusted to different timings on different intersections, road sections and districts.
Lee said the longer signals were mostly on intersections with heavy traffic flows. Timing the lights for shorter periods would result in traffic gridlock, he said.
He said the city traffic control department would conduct an overall check of traffic signals next year and that the study results would be used as reference for a possible adjustment to traffic light operations around the city.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS