Small businesses in Taipei’s older districts are concerned that the sudden influx of visitors since the Luzhou Line began operating earlier this month may only be a short-term boon for the local economy, with the one-month free trial of the new MRT line ending on Thursday.
At the inauguration of the line connecting downtown Taipei City with Taipei County across the Tamsui River, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said the new line would usher in a cultural renaissance and boost businesses in some of the oldest parts of Taipei.
However, residents of Datong (大同) and Zhongshan (中山) districts — two of the first settlements in what is now Taipei City and at one time the area’s commercial center — are not so optimistic.
PHOTO: CNA
“We are not sure how long the ‘Luzhou Line momentum’ is going to last,” said Wu Ming-hsueh, head of an association of businesses that oversee the tourist night market on Yanping N Road Sec 3 in Datong District.
“We have seen an average 30 percent increase in turnover in the past few weeks,” Wu said. “But most of the visitors came here by chance because they wanted to explore the area for free.”
For those in the Qingguang Commercial Zone — an old-style market in Zhongshan District that has been offering imported goods since the 1960s — commercial prospects after the Luzhou Line’s trial run look slim.
“I don’t even know if the crowds on some weekends are brought by the Luzhou Line or the flora expo,” said Chang Ching-i, a vendor who’s been selling soya-mixed meat for more than 10 years.
He was referring to the Taipei International Flora Expo, which opened this month.
“I would rather count on regulars because the crowds might just be passers-by,” he said.
Nevertheless, experts said it’s only a matter of time before these areas benefit from the opening of the Luzhou Line.
A more convenient transportation system will eventually boost interaction between old and new communities, as well as attract urban renewal projects and business opportunities, said Mai I-an (麥怡安), a section chief of the Urban Regeneration R&D Foundation.
“It will take years to see how old communities are revived by a better transportation network,” he said.
“Whether the trip is free doesn’t really make a difference,” he said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS