A long-serving local favorite merry-go-round in Pingtung County, built as an attachment to an unlicensed motorbike, was recently confiscated by police following a traffic accident and is slated for demolition, which has prompted nostalgic residents to fight to preserve the carousel and their childhood memories.
Linluo Village (麟洛) residents said the merry-go-round has been a children’s favorite throughout its 40 years of service, and that a documentary about the celebrated carousel was filmed in 2013.
However, it turned out that the motorcycle-cum-carousel, owned by an 84-year-old man surnamed Chung (鍾), was unlicensed. After a minor traffic accident on Thursday last week, when Wang was on his way to the night market where he had been operating the carousel, the police confiscated the unlicensed bike and fined Chung NT$9,600 in accordance with the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The police said that Chung was also driving without a license.
Photo: Yeh Yung-chien, Taipei Times
A senior citizen surnamed Fan (范) said he identified Chung’s carousel as soon as he saw it parked in front of the police station, adding that his grandson had just taken a ride on the merry-go-round last week.
The police should not have confiscated the carousel if no serious damage was done, he said.
“The laws should be sensitive to our feelings, and I don’t appreciate the police’s handling of the matter,” he added.
The news about the carousel quickly spread on the local community’s Facebook page and within a day has drawn more than 300 netizens voicing their concerns over the fate of the merry-go-round. Some called for local authorities to step in, while others tried to raise funds to preserve the carousel.
Pingtung County Councilor Lee Shih-pin (李世斌) of the Democratic Progressive Party and Linluo Village Warden Tsia Chi-ho (蔡志和) expressed concern over the matter with the police.
Traffic Brigade Captain Chen Wen-yao (陳文耀) said the motorcycle portion must be destroyed, but the carousel appendage could be returned to its owner. Chung’s family expressed their gratitude through a Facebook post to residents and netizens.
According to Chung’s son, Chung started working at a young age, and the price of a ride on the carousel has jumped from NT$10 years ago to the current NT$40. He added that the family was able to pay the fine.
Chung’s family had been attempting to dissuade him from driving due to his age, his son said, adding that “what [Chung] really regrets leaving behind is the joy he shared with children.”
An administrator, under the pseudonym “Chu Yeh-tai” (豬爺泰), for a Facebook community page conducted an online poll regarding the fate of the merry-go-round on Sunday. The majority of respondents said it should be preserved.
Some netizens suggested that the merry-go-round be placed at a local elementary school, while others proposed putting the carousel to rest at the night market next to Cheng Cheng-kung Temple (鄭成功廟), where the merry-go-round has “made happiness” over the past four decades since their childhoods.
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