The Tainan City Government this month expanded the traffic “calming zones” in the city to include areas around parks and residential communities.
Honking is not allowed and a speed limit of 30kph is enforced in the zones, while walking, cycling and using public transportation are encouraged, the city government said.
In addition to promoting the new zones on public buses and on the city government’s Web site, the Tainan City Government’s Bureau of Transportation has invited Barkley the Cat — the protagonist in Chiu Li-wei’s (邱立偉) award-winning animation Barkley (小貓巴克里) — to serve as the mascot for the zones, the bureau said.
Starting this month, Barkley the Cat is to stage flash mobs in crowded areas to tell people that pedestrians have the right of way, it said.
The city first introduced traffic calming zones last year in the commercial district surrounding National Cheng Kung University, near Anping Fort (安平古堡) — also known as Fort Zeelandia — and in the area near Chihkan Tower (赤嵌樓) — also known as Fort Provintia.
The newly designated traffic calming zones are the Jinhua Community (金華) in the South District (南區); the area surrounding Cingnan Street (慶南街) — including Jiankang Road Sec 2, Jinhua Road Sec 2, Sinsiao Road, Zunnan Street (尊南街) and Siannan Street (賢南街) — the section of You-ai Street (友愛街) between Hai-an and Simen roads; parts of Anping Old Street (安平老街) — including Lane 850, Anping Road and Lane 233, Anbei Road — and the area surrounding Barclay Memorial Park (巴克禮公園) — including Barclay Road — and Lanes 357 and 377 of Jhonghua E Road Sec 3.
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