Taipei’s Department of Transportation announced the city’s top 10 accident hotspots for last year, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) proposing that authorities consult the so-called “Internet army” before taking any formal action to reduce road accidents.
The hotspots are where the frequency and severity of accidents were highest, with busy arterial roads constituting most of the hotspots, department safety division head Chen Kuan-lung (陳冠龍) said.
The intersection between Zhongshan N Road and Civic Boulevard topped the list for two years in a row, while the intersection between Zhongxiao W Road and Zhonghua Road stayed in the top three for the second straight year, according to the department.
Photo: Kuo Yi, Taipei Times
Roadworks at the two locations had contributed to the high accident rates, but the situation would presumably be improved as construction is completed, the department said.
Collisions between scooters and cars made up the majority of traffic accidents, with motorists the most liable to be injuries, Chen said.
Motorists contributed to 54.2 percent of traffic incidents, while pedestrians were next with 32.5 percent.
The department is looking for a way to reduce the use of scooters in the city and encourage people to use public transportation instead, Taipei Transportation Commissioner Chung Hui-yu (鍾慧諭) said.
Ko said civic participation could be introduced to the government’s decisionmaking process by way of a government Web site where hotspot information could be disclosed and citizens could voice their suggestions online.
“Advice by road users will flood in two weeks after the data is made public,” he said.
The “Internet army” — usually perceived as being ruthlessly critical of the government — could be used as an aid to city government decisionmaking instead, he said
Referencing the Hawthorne effect — a psychological theory assuming that individuals can improve an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed — Ko said that drivers would exert more caution if the hotspots were kept under constant observation and supervision.
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