Controversy shrouds plan for bridge over Taipei’s Civic Boulevard

Controversy shrouds plan for bridge over Taipei’s Civic Boulevard

2023-03-24

The Taipei Metro has announced plans to build a pedestrian bridge over Civic Boulevard near Taipei Main Station, to make the area more walkable. The proposal has gotten mixed reactions. Some pedestrians say a walkway would save them time and hassle. But critics raise concerns about the impact on motorists and local businesses.

Even after rush hour, Civic Boulevard near Taipei Main Station is still busy with traffic. Along the thoroughfare, signs warn of fines for jaywalking. To cross the street, pedestrians have two options: taking an underpass connecting to the Zhongshan Metro Mall, or walking 200 meters to the nearest zebra crossing.

Member of public
The metro mall and MRT corridors are all connected, so you can lose your way quite easily.

Member of public
I have tried walking around, but it’s a hassle. It takes an extra 5 to 10 minutes.

Member of public
I hadn’t come for some time, so I didn’t quite know how to get around. If you take the wrong exit you have to go back in. It’s annoying.

According to Taipei Metro, out-of-towners often get lost in the underground mall, and must spend a long time deciphering maps or turning to their phones for guidance. After years of deliberation, the transport company decided to build a raised walkway connecting Taipei Bus Station with Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport’s bus terminal. With a price tag of NT$400 million, the project aims to save pedestrians a headache.

Voice of Hsu Chin-chih
Taiwan Institute of Landscape Architects
It would have to be at least 4.6 meters tall, so that vehicles can pass through below. It has to be high, but we can’t move the overpass above it, so that gives very little clearance to pedestrians on the walkway. It’d be quite uncomfortable. If you are driving at ground level on Civic Boulevard, the bridge would form a divider that cuts the skyline in half.

Although some applaud the initiative, experts say it would obstruct views for motorists, and run counter to current trends in urban design. Meanwhile, a city council member questions the need for a raised walkway.

Chen Yi-chun
DPP Taipei councilor
This would be putting the cart before the horse. They would be doing it without consulting anyone. If they build the walkway, then nobody would pass by the shops in the metro mall, which would deliver a blow to their business. Also, nowadays, many cities are taking down their pedestrian bridges. Why is building a bridge the solution to lost tourists?

Voice of Ling Chi-yao
Taipei Metro customer service center
Tourists don’t know how to navigate the underground passages. They often have to come up to ground level to find their way around. The sky bridge would benefit tourists who come.

The metro company said the bridge was part of the Western District Gateway Project and was still under review by the urban planning committee, which will accept feedback from all stakeholders.

北捷砸四億蓋跨市民大道天橋議員質疑疊床架屋

2023-03-24

台北市近年逐漸淘汰天橋，北捷卻規劃在國光客運台北站旁的市民大道上方，興建造價四億的造景天橋，來往台北轉運站，減少乘客迷路，也節省通行時間。但議員質疑，已有地下街，再花錢造橋，恐有疊床架屋疑慮，還可能讓地下街人潮流失，影響生意，也有專家擔心對景觀與開車視線造成阻礙。

來到台北車站的市民大道，儘管過了上班尖峰時間，車流量仍不小，擔心民眾違規穿越，還特別設了告示牌，行人如果想到對向，只能走捷運地下街或繞到兩百公尺遠的斑馬線!

[[民眾]]
“地下街有些跟捷運路線混在一起，就很容易迷路。”

[[民眾]]
“我有試著從這邊走過去，確實很困難，至少要5到10分鐘。”

[[民眾]]
“太多年沒有上來了，方向會有一點錯亂，走錯出口又要往回走，很麻煩。”

許多從外地民眾和觀光客，經常在地下通道迷了路，或是花時間看地圖、滑手機，尋找路徑。北捷評估多年之後決定，在台北轉運和國光客運台北站，斥資四億打造一座造景天橋，節省民眾的通行時間!

[[聲源:中華民國景觀學會執行長許晉誌]]
“高度要4.6米，才能夠提供一般車輛通行，所以天橋又要高，上面又沒辦法動，所以走在天橋上面會變得很侷促，很不舒服，開車在市民大道上，天橋會形成一個阻隔，它會把天際線切掉一半。”

多半民眾都覺得美意很不錯，但專家擔心會影響到駕駛或騎士的景觀視覺，更諷刺現今蓋天橋是反潮流。議員也質疑，北捷作法根本疊床架屋!

[[台北市議員(民) 陳怡君]]
“這根本就是本末倒置且便宜行事，設置天橋之後，地下街沒有人逛，店家的生意也會因此受到影響，且很多地方都在拆天橋了，怎麼會為了遊客迷路的問題來蓋天橋呢?”

[[聲源:北捷客服中心主任凌啟堯]]
“外地的旅客，對於地下動線不熟，常常要先到路面來尋找路徑，我們未來的空廊設置之後，就可以服務外地的旅客。”

捷運公司強調，蓋景觀天橋是配合市府的西區門戶計畫，目前已由都市審計會議審查，會再聽取各方意見。

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So people ask, “Why is Taiwan important?” Imagine if China invaded Taiwan tomorrow and controlled 90% of the global supply.

At a budget hearing for the fiscal year 2024, the chair of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs underscored China’s threat to Taiwan.

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He added that Taiwan was not ready for conflict.

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The U.S. budget for 2023 authorized up to US$2 billion in arms to Taiwan. No such clause was included in this year’s proposal. The omission raised objections from House Committee on Foreign Affairs vice chair Ann Wagner, who questioned the priorities of the Biden administration.

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Taiwan is a priority and, as you know, we have many different ways of doing this. At the same time, in the case of Taiwan, the most effective way to date, to make sure that they have what they need to defend themselves has been through the foreign military sales program. They increased their defense budget by 11%.

Speaking at a separate House committee hearing, defense secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. must be prepared for a potential conflict with China.

Lloyd Austin
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In 2015, Taiwan was horrified by a fire caused by combustible dust particles at a water park in New Taipei. It ended with 17 deaths, with many others left with severe burns. Today we meet one of the survivors, Lee Hui-chu, who has gone on to become a fitness coach. Despite living with the impact of burns on 42% of her skin, she’s competing in weight-lifting contests and running half marathons. We spoke to Lee to find out how she is rewriting the definition of health.

Lee Hui-chu lifts a barbell over her head in one clean swing.

She gently adjusts her position, watching herself in the mirror, and even using her rest breaks to train.

The determined, cheerful 29-year-old is full of life. It’s hard to imagine that she was one of the survivors of the 2015 New Taipei water park fire, which left her with burns on 42% of her skin. Seven years later, the scars are still very obvious across her arms and legs.

Lee Hui-chu
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I’ve had experiences where people have shouted at me across the street, “Hey, girl, what’s up with that? How did you get like that?” The scars will be on me for the rest of my life. I’m always practicing that.

After the fire, Lee picked up exercise again. Her skin is fragile and less flexible after recovering from the burns. But, undaunted, she trains hard and is learning how to live happily with her scars. She’s been in weight training for more than a year now, and can deadlift 105 kilograms.

Lee Hui-chu
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In the past, I couldn’t run up three flights of stairs. I think working out has been a very engaging thing for me, right from when I first got out of hospital, up until the moment when I realized that I’m in slightly better shape.

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Lee Hui-chu
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Some people say women should be skinny, that’s the only way to be beautiful. But health often doesn’t look like we think it should. I think what I’m constantly searching for is, “What is true health?”

Now Lee works as a full-time fitness coach. Her scars are proof of her immense courage and determination. She rebuilt her own agency after a horrific trauma and now she’s helping others find their own strength too.

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Kaohsiung fashion Awards celebrate a renaissance of style in Southern Taiwan

Taiwan’s fashion industry is thriving. But while most of the country’s fashion experts are based in Taipei, there’s a growing fashion hub down in the south. The Kaohsiung Fashion Awards are the highlight of the fashion calendar in southern Taiwan. Last year the awards opened up to international students, creating a burst of new energy for the fashion scene. We went to the port city to meet some of the designers who are contributing to this sartorial renaissance.

Models and celebrities take to the catwalk at Kaohsiung Fashion Awards, setting the standard for fashion in the south.

Kaohsiung has invested heavily in the fashion industry, hoping to tempt rising stars to build their careers in the city.

Fashion designer Sun Yi-chih focuses intently as he cuts a piece of fabric, before taking it to the sewing machine.

He’s been working in Kaohsiung ever since he graduated, and his formalwear creations are all one-of-a-kind.

Sun Yi-chih
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Meanwhile, Wang Jui-ting is another Kaohsiung designer. After growing up in Kaohsiung, he studied occupational therapy at university, before returning to his hometown to take up the family uniform business, and its three decades of history. His designs incorporate thoughtful elements from many other walks of life.

Wang Jui-ting
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My mother might feel that functional fabrics, such as antibacterial fabrics, are unnecessary. But what we discussed was first trying to use them in clothes that will come in direct contact with food, such as uniforms for restaurant staff, and in the end we came to an agreement.

Wang and his mother have clashed over design theory, but their collaboration has sweet results. They’ve also witnessed the transformation in Kaohsiung’s design industry in recent years.

Wang Jui-ting
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On the one hand, we’ve been serving in this place for a long time, and we’ve developed relationships with various firms and companies. Of course, the industry in Taipei is very far ahead. But we think there are also a lot of opportunities in Kaohsiung. More and more department stores are opening here, which shows that this place has consumer power.

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Chen saws a plank of wood up, only to reassemble it. He uses various textures and colors of wood to create many different types of products.

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