President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday inspected the Taipei Bus Station in another attempt to boost Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) electoral momentum, praising Hau for continuing to succeed in his municipal developments.
The station, launched in August last year, was designed when Ma served as Taipei mayor in 2003. Located at the intersection of Chengde Road and Huayin Street, the station serves as the main transportation hub for 10 bus companies running 39 routes to Yilan county and city, as well as counties south of Hsinchu.
Accompanied by Hau and Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), Ma walked around the station for about 20 minutes and thanked Hau for helping carry out his promise to revive the development of the western area of the city.
“The bus station was planned during my term and the station has had a greater effect than we had expected, thanks to Mayor Hau,” Ma said at the station after the inspection.
The president touted the Hau team as building and operating the bus station to a standard better than New York’s bus terminal on 42nd Street. He expected the businesses in the surrounding area to further flourish after the completion of the twin tower next to Taipei Railway Station and encouraged the Taipei City Government to replicate the successful model on the Taipei City Hall Bus Station, which is scheduled to open next month.
“Municipal developments are like a relay race and each mayor should continue the development left by their predecessors. Each mayor should show a great achievement,” he said.
Hau stressed his cooperation with Ma in continuing the development of municipal projects and used the occasion to attack his opponent, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), for vowing to demolish the bike lane on Dunhua N and Dunhua S Road and a bus lane on Zhongxiao E Road.
“Municipal development should be a continuous process, like former mayor Ma and I achieved. A Taipei mayoral candidate should deliver his plans to develop the city, rather than talk about tearing down municipal projects,” he said.
Ma’s inspection of the bus station marked the third visit he has made to major construction projects in Taipei after Hau rated poorly in several polls.
Ma inspected the MRT Xinchuan Line and the Maokong Gondola with Hau last month and promoted the mayor’s municipal achievements on both occasions.
Ma may visit the Taipei City Hall Bus Station when it is formally opened next month to again endorse Hau’s municipal performance.
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