Pingtung County’s creative spin on pedestrian crossing lights has taken off as the county government yesterday launched an update to its animated traffic signs, known as the “little green man,” to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The county in December last year started accepting bids for a new design for the iconic green man.
The initial version that was accepted by the county showed the little green man walking across the screen with his girlfriend on his arm when the light is green, and he proposes to her during red lights, the Pingtung County Police Station said.
Photo: CNA
The updated version shows the “couple” expecting a child during red lights, and a family of three walks across the screen when the light turns green, it said.
The new version would appear on 37 walking signals, bringing the total number of traffic lights with creative animations to 76, including 39 devices that display the proposal version, the county said.
The update was made to increase traffic safety awareness, and to add warmth to the city, Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said.
The creative lights have drawn the attention of local and foreign tourists, and they promote the city, Pan said, adding that the county would continue to update the animations.
The county has also made a short film showing the process of creating the animated traffic lights and plans to submit it to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which is to be held from June 18 to June 22, with the aim of attracting more international attention to Taiwan.
The county is also holding a raffle event offering 40 pairs of T-shirts to 20 groups of winners, the county government said.
People who want to enter the raffle can do so by posting a family photograph on the county government’s Facebook page, it added.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
A woman who allegedly spiked the food and drinks of an Australian man with rat poison, leaving him in intensive care, has been charged with attempted murder, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. The woman, identified by her surname Yang (楊), is accused of repeatedly poisoning Alex Shorey over the course of several months last year to prevent the Australian man from leaving Taiwan, prosecutors said in a statement. Shorey was evacuated back to Australia on May 3 last year after being admitted to intensive care in Taiwan. According to prosecutors, Yang put bromadiolone, a rodenticide that prevents blood from
A Japanese space rocket carrying a Taiwanese satellite blasted off yesterday, but was later seen spiraling downward in the distance as the company said the launch attempt had failed. It was the second attempt by the Japanese start-up Space One to become the country’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, after its first try in March ended in a mid-air explosion. This time, its solid-fuel Kairos rocket had been carrying five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures. Spectators gathered near the company’s coastal Spaceport Kii launch pad in Japan’s