There has been a spate of accidents involving falling objects, with some people killed by air-conditioners or crushed by trees.
On Wednesday last week, the ceiling of a walkway on Chongqing N Road in Taipei collapsed and landed on scooters parked below. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Accidents are not just a question of probability. They are often the result of a lack of safety awareness and risk management. If people were more alert to potential dangers in their work and travel, there might be fewer accidents.
Conversely, things tend to go wrong when people leave things to chance or just do not care.
In the suburbs of Taitung City is a 2km-long “green tunnel” formed by dozens of century-old Bishopwood trees. The green tunnel is on a famous scenic road in Taitung County. Vehicles pass through it traveling south to Taitung City on Provincial Highway No. 9.
When Typhoon Haikui made landfall in Taitung on Sept. 3, it knocked over many trees along roads or bent them over. Although the local authorities quickly dispatched workers to clean up, they only cleared away trees that were blocking roads, not the broken branches dangling in the roof of the green tunnel.
The branches were as high as the second or third story of a building — too high for standard machinery to reach, so they were not pruned.
Bishopwood branches can be 20cm to 30cm thick. If the trunks can no longer bear their weight, or if there is a strong wind, including from large vehicles passing beneath, the branches could fall.
People living near the green tunnel noticed this potential danger. They took photographs of the situation and reported it to the local authorities, seeking action to avert the danger as quickly as possible.
However, the local authorities said that provincial highways are not the responsibility of local governments.
The broken branches are scary for local residents, including more than 100 children and staff at the nearby Kids Alive International children’s home, to travel through the tunnel for fear of falling debris.
Government departments emphasize division of authority and responsibility, but when problems arise, they try to shift the responsibility.
Even if a problem is not their responsibility, they should contact the appropriate department.
Unfortunately, as of the time of writing this article, no one had taken the initiative to fix the branches problem.
When passersby catch sight of the precariously suspended broken branches, they can only pray that nothing will fall on them.
Shiao Fu-song is a lecturer at National Taitung University.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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