The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday held a meeting with representatives from the six special municipalities, during which they agreed on six strategies for improving transport safety and infrastructure.
The six strategies include changes such as improving sidewalks, removing obstacles and adding better lighting to intersections, among other reforms.
South Korea has 30 years of efforts in improving road safety and Japan has 50, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said, adding that it is Taiwan’s turn to change from a car-centric nation to a people-centered one.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
We have worked hard to improve and are already seeing results, he said.
Although it was only the first meeting of the group, it would not be the last, Chen said, adding that the meetings would expand to include all counties and cities rather than just the six special municipalities.
Each municipality would review its road safety metrics and promote new safety standards, such as providing at least two lanes for scooters where possible, lengthening the distance between stopping lines and crosswalks, improving intersection visibility and signage, and adding lights, he said.
The ministry would standardize intersections according to a guide covering 18 potential scenarios, and municipalities would prioritize accident-prone intersections, he added.
Cities would also implement a pilot program from the Highway Bureau that mandates the use of white LED lights at intersections, Chen said.
Regarding two-stage left turns for scooters, he said that they would remain optional at some intersections, allowing motorists to choose how to turn.
The six strategies are expected to be carried out over the next two to three years, Chen said, adding that some, such as scooters using two lanes, would be quicker to implement than others.
Results over the next few years would serve as a reference for the rest of the nation, he said.
Improving road safety requires efforts from all parts of government, including the transport ministry, the Ministry of the Interior and local officials, he said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS