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.
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