The director of the Department of Railways and Highways (DRH) yesterday defended himself after being quoted in the local media as saying on Sunday that “being stuck in traffic was a kind of blessing.”
Chi Wen-jong (祁文中) said that his comments had been misunderstood, adding that he meant if one has to be stuck in traffic, instead of getting irritated one could think about the fact that having so many cars out on trips was a sign of an improving economy.
“A major reason for the jams in the Hsuehshan Tunnel was there were too many cars; another reason was there were a lot of breakdowns or minor accidents,” Chi said.
The accidents were mainly a result of motorists switching lanes or driving on the shoulder and cutting into the traffic lane in front of them, he said.
“When stuck in traffic, drivers should stay calm and follow the car in front of them, so that traffic will flow smoothly,” Chi said.
“While solving traffic problems is the responsibility of transportation authorities such as the DRH and the tourism bureau, motorists can try adjusting to the situation because the more agitated they are, the more likely they are to cut into traffic and cause accidents,” he said.
Asked if he would apologize for his statement, which drew criticism from a number of transportation academics and the public, Chi said he would apologize because the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had not done enough to prevent the traffic jams.
“I apologize that the traffic jams affected the public's mood during their travel,” he said.
“There is room for improvement. We will hold a self-evaluation meeting after the long weekend and welcome interested academics to take part in the discussion,” he said.
Chi said, however, that he could not take back what he had said.
Drawing from his own experience driving from Hualien to Taipei, Chi said: “I told myself that while traffic jams are bad, it's a good thing that there are so many cars on the road during the holiday. It means the economy has improved.”
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