The Taipei City Government has been asked to improve the management of the bicycle lane on Dunhua N Road as it has been turned into an illegal temporary parking space for cars and taxis.
The Dunhua N and S Road bicycle lane, which cost more than NT$100 million (US$3 million) to build, was partly launched in July, while the whole line was expected to be fully operational this month.
The 4.6km lane, which is marked off with green, red and gray paint, however, is largely occupied by cars and taxis, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Chih-ping (汪志冰) said, urging the city government to stop ignoring the situation and clamp down on illegal parking along the lane.
Wang said she received many complaints from cyclists, saying that the situation was particularly bad at the corner of Nanjing E Road and Bade Road, where KTVs, hotels and a shopping area are situated, adding that the section is blocked 24 hours a day by parked taxis waiting for customers.
“The lane is always occupied by cars and the situation keeps deteriorating, but we have yet to see police clamp down on illegal parking. The money and effort to build the lane will be in vain if the city government fails to take the situation seriously,” she said.
Wang criticized the city government for turning the lane into a “parking lot” and challenged it for failing to promote its proper use.
“It’s as if the city government was afraid of telling people the lane is complete. The city government’s responsibility doesn’t end with construction. The promotion of the lane and its management are equally important,” she said.
Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻), chief engineer at the Taipei City Department of Transportation’s traffic engineering office, said the department had set up pickup/drop off zones next to the lane and would seek cooperation from police in clamping down on illegal parking.
Commissioner of the transportation department, Luo Shiaw-shyan (羅孝賢), said the department would promote the lane and encourage drivers to respect cyclists.
The bicycle lane project will also be expanded to Xinyi Road and Nanjing E Road after the MRT’s Xinyi and Songshan lines are completed, he said.
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