The Taipei City Government yesterday fined Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corp, the owner of the land where Sogo Department Store’s new Tianmu branch is located, for not providing enough parking space or implementing measures to prevent traffic congestion around the area.
The company was fined NT$300,000 for failing to construct ground-level parking for pickup and delivery trucks and taxis, as well as public parking at a discount for the area’s residents.
SIDEWALK
The company also failed to set up a 2m-wide sidewalk on the north side of Fuhua Road to offer more walking space for pedestrians, the city government said.
The city fined the company after the new department store attracted huge crowds and caused serious traffic congestion in the area, which includes Zhongshan N Road and Fulin Road, since its opening earlier this month.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Chih-ping (汪志冰) said the department store should also be held responsible for the recent traffic jam because it failed to submit proposed traffic measures to the Taipei City Traffic Department until a few days before the store’s opening.
ASSESSMENT
Lu Shih-chang (盧世昌), a division chief at Taipei City’s Environmental Protection, said regulations require the landowner to present an environmental impact assessment and solutions before starting construction.
The company will have to negotiate with the department store if it wanted the retailer to share part of the responsibility, he said.
The company needs to comply with the government’s demands by Aug. 31, the city said.
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