TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Saturday, the Taipei City Police Department announced that Taipei’s Dihua Street Section 1 would become a pedestrian zone every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in September. No vehicles, except for ambulances or fire engines will be allowed in.
Dihua Street is located in Dadaocheng, one of the earliest developed commercial areas in Taipei, famous for Chinese herbal remedies, fabric, and dried food.
Unlike Taipei’s Xinyi business district which was developed much later with modern city planning, old districts in Taipei like Dadaocheng often consists of narrow streets and winding lanes where cars, scooters, and pedestrians are packed together.
In recent years, Dadaocheng has seen various regeneration projects by the city government and local organizations with an aim to develop the area into a thriving tourist zone featuring traditional cultural practices.
In a press release, the city government said that because of increasing numbers of tourists in the area, local people suggested the area become a pedestrian zone. Hence the city government, after discussions with the local community, decided to have a four-week trial in September, making Dihua Street Section 1 a completely pedestrian zone.
The police said that cars parked in the car-free zone before 10 a.m. on Sunday would not be towed but could not be moved by their owners until 5 p.m.
The police said that traffic auxiliary police would be deployed in the area, adding that drivers are recommended to use alternative roads such as Yanping North Road Section 2 and Xining North Road if they need to go to the area.
