A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor criticized the Taipei City Government yesterday for failing to present a comprehensive traffic plan to handle congestion in the area surrounding the Sogo Department Store’s new Tienmu branch after it opened on Friday.
The store attracted huge crowds and the surrounding area — including Zhongshan North Road and Fulin Road — experienced serious traffic congestion, especially on Saturday and yesterday.
Taipei City Police Department’s Traffic Police Division dispatched more than 20 traffic police officers to control traffic, but Zhongshan North Road, Fulin Road, Dexing West Road and Zhongcheng Road remained jammed over the weekend.
KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Chih-ping (汪志冰) said the department store had failed to present the Taipei City Traffic Department with a proposal on traffic measures until earlier this month, adding that the traffic department had also failed to prepare for the expected traffic.
“Even more seriously, we didn’t see any measures to protect pedestrians. The Traffic Department ignored the impact of the department store on the traffic around the area. This put people at risk,” she said.
This was not the first time Sogo was responsible for causing traffics jams. There was serious congestion on Zhongxiao East Road when the Fuxing branch opened on the intersection of Zhongxiao East Road and Fuxing South Road in 2007.
Luo Shiaw-shyan (羅孝賢), commissioner of the Traffic Department, said the department had inspected the branch and surrounding area last month and earlier this month to help the store draw up traffic plans and improve traffic conditions around the area.
The efforts will continue and the store will have to assume the costs if any construction or new facilities are needed, he said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS