The Pingtung County police are inviting bidders for a contract to produce creatively designed crosswalks and traffic lights that would lighten up the wait for pedestrians, it said, adding that it hopes such crossings could be introduced by the end of next year.
In the new design, the crossing signal display, pole and crosswalks are all in sync with the traffic light. The crosswalks and pole are to both be green when it is safe to walk, and begin to flash as the traffic light inches toward red, the station said earlier this month in a statement.
When the traffic light is red, the pole is to flash red, but the crosswalk is to stay green, it added.
Photo: Lee Lee-fa, Taipei Times
In addition to the flashy digital effects, the green or red man on pedestrian crossings signals would be replaced, the station said.
The little green men on Taiwan’s traffic lights have over the years become animated and now walk, gradually picking up speed when the traffic light is about to change.
The little green man in the police’s design is no longer alone and cheerfully marches across the screen with his girlfriend on his arm, the station said, adding that when the traffic lights turn red, the little red man proposes to his girlfriend.
Photo: Lee Lee-fa, Taipei Times
“We hope the animation will entertain pedestrians waiting to cross the street,” the station said.
The station aims to introduce the new animation and system around the renovated Pingtung Railway Station, as it expects that many people will cross the plaza in front of the station after it is opened to the public next year.
“We are initially allotting NT$3 million [US$99,950] for the system and if it is well received, we will be installing the new crossing signals at around all parks and greenways in Pingtung City,” it said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS