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Hau visits site of gondola repairs

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) inspected erosion damage to the Maokong Gondola system yesterday for the first time since the service was suspended on Oct. 1, while geologists said the gondola may not be able to resume service for another six months.

Hau, city government officials and several Taipei City councilors climbed a hillside in the Muzha (木柵) area to inspect repair work where mudslides brought on by Typhoon Jangmi created a 2.5m hole beneath one of the system’s support pillars late last month.

Shannon Lee (李咸亨), spokesperson for civil engineering groups invited by the Taipei City Government to conduct an evaluation of the safety of the gondola, said a report would be complete by the end of next month, but that the line could be out of service for six months.

PAYING THE PRICE

“The system can be repaired and operated again as long as the city government is willing to spend the money. The question is whether the city government wants to pay the price,” Lee said.

In response to calls by some Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors for the cable car to be permanently closed for the sake of public safety and environmental protection, Lee said the system’s situation was not that bad, and that safety was the first priority in the evaluation.

A group of residents from nearby communities went to the site and urged Hau to move the pillar.

“The mountain area is very fragile now and the ground will only get softer and worse. This mountain can’t take the weight of the system, and we worry about our own safety every day. Please move the system away,” a man surnamed Lin said to Hau.

LISTENING

Hau did not promise to move the gondola, but said the city government would invite representatives of the residents to join the civil engineer groups’ meetings and would not ignore their opinions.

Lee said moving the damaged pillar or relocating the whole system was not impossible. The group was looking at all possibilities, and would include the experts’ suggestions in the evaluation report.

Hau said the city government would respect the group’s evaluation report, and the safety of residents and visitors was the city government’s only priority.
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