TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A heavy thunderstorm did not dampen the spirits of the thousands of participants in "March for Pedestrian Rights," which culminated in a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 20).
Organizers wanted to see the number of pedestrian deaths cut in half by 2030 and "zero" deaths by 2040, per Taiwan News. The event was attended by leading presidential candidates and political figures, including Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Foxconn founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), and Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材).
Gou was the first to address the audience, as he pledged to "return the road to the people" and make pedestrian crossings safer. Gou said he was almost hit twice by large vehicles in the past six months and has empathy for people who have to endure "pedestrian hell" on a daily basis.
Terry Gou speaks at a protest for pedestrian rights. (CNA photo)
Gou added that many buses can not see pedestrians when turning, noting this flaw in road traffic design needs to be improved. He hoped relevant government units would pay more attention to road planning and design to create adequate distance for buses to execute turns.
Ko was the next to speak, noting that Japan has five times the population of Taiwan, though its number of pedestrian deaths is still lower. He said the government has only thrown money at the issue with little results, as the number of casualties associated with car accidents increased by 13.2% over the same period last year, per Taiwan News.
Ko Wen-je attends a pedestrian safety protest. (CNA photo)
Ko talked of his tenure as mayor, noting that when a car accident killed four people on Yangde Boulevard, he asked Taipei City’s Department of Transportation to investigate, finding that 700 car accidents had occurred in the same location over five years. Later, a change was made to traffic signals on the road, and the annual auto accident rate dropped by 60%.
The next presidential candidate to speak was Lai, who said that in the future, he will uphold the principle of "people-oriented" traffic control and the implementation of "smart technology" to improve road safety. Lai also pledged to support amendments to the Road Traffic Safety Act recently passed by the Cabinet, which focuses on road safety supervision, traffic, and law enforcement.
Lai also said he would join hands with local governments to improve the traffic conditions in counties and cities. As an example, he noted 600 dangerous intersections have been identified and given priority for road safety improvement.
Lai Ching-te attends a pedestrian safety protest. (CNA photo)
The final presidential hopeful to speak was Hou, who said that Taiwan’s traffic safety is facing unprecedented challenges that are making it a necessity to make continuous improvements. He pledged to "return the road to the people," through measures such as reviewing traffic signs and markings that are confusing and out of date, as well as making roads more "human-oriented".
Finally, remarks were made by Wang, who took responsibility for the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries over the past few years. Wang bowed deeply to the public and apologized for his failure to improve road safety.
Wang said he has read all five demands put forward by organizers of the "March for Pedestrian Rights" and will review them one by one, later incorporating these ideals into national policy. Wang said cross-ministerial cooperation is needed to make substantive changes, hoping that all ministries, commissions, and municipal governments can work together to ensure pedestrian safety.
As for immediate actions and short-term goals on behalf of the transport ministry, Wang said there is an urgent need to improve safety at 600 accident-prone intersections across Taiwan. From now until the end of 2023, the priority will be improving these dangerous intersections.
