Traffic guidelines that prioritize pedestrian safety are to be passed at a weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said yesterday.
The guidelines detail the government’s plan to clear the nation’s reputation of being a “hell for pedestrians” through road construction, technology and education, he said.
“We need to enhance the safety of pedestrians, as more than 300 pedestrians die in traffic accidents each year, and the issue needs to be tackled through better road design, safety at intersections and education,” he said.
Photo: CNA
The Construction and Planning Agency has proposed allocating about NT$40 billion (US$1.3 billion) over the next seven years to expand or add sidewalks within 500m of school districts, hospitals and key public facilities nationwide, an Executive Yuan official said.
The plan is expected to be approved by the Cabinet, they said.
The agency would also propose supporting measures to prevent motorcycles and bicycles from illegally occupying sidewalks, they said, adding that local governments would be evaluated on their parking management policies.
Forty-six percent of roads that are 12m or longer do not have sidewalks, agency data showed.
The agency estimates that thoroughly addressing the problem would take 100 years, the official said.
Technology would in the short term be used to assist law enforcement in improving the environment for pedestrians, while in the long term, road construction would be used to improve safety, they said.
The Executive Yuan last year approved the appropriation of NT$5 billion to enhance road safety around 446 primary school campuses, which would be enforced this year.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have jointly budgeted NT$9.836 billion this year to mainly subsidize improving accessibility for pedestrians, which would be funded by the budget allocated for the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
An additional NT$10.1 billion would be spent in the next two years to enhance road quality.
This year, agencies are to focus on four key enforcement priorities: improving the pedestrian environment on 100km of roads, enhancing safety at 1,218 intersections, eliminating obstacles for pedestrians at 161 locations and establishing 25 pilot areas for road safety.
Additional reporting by Cheng Shu-ting
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS