Thu, Jun 25, 2015 page5

• Night volunteer makes city roads safer

  MIND THE GAP: After hitting a low point in her career three years ago, Hsiao Ko was inspired by a Ming Dynasty book to perform good deeds, such as fixing street holes

  • By Yao Yueh-hung and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  When most people in Taipei and New Taipei City are retiring for the night, a 40-year-old woman nicknamed Hsiao Ko (小可) steps out of her home with a bag of asphalt, scouting the streets for potholes and repairing them to make roads safer for scooter drivers in both cities.

  Hsiao Ko, who lives in Sanchong District (三重), New Taipei City, with her family, said she used to ride a scooter to work at a securities firm in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), so she knows how dangerous uneven roads or potholes can be to motorcyclists.

  Hsiao Ko said she hit a low point in her career three years ago, but after reading Liao Fan’s Four Lessons (了凡四訓), she resolved to stop dwelling on her difficulties and do good for others.

  

  A 40-year-old woman nicknamed Hsiao Ko fills a hole in the road with asphalt in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District on Thursday last week.

  Photo: Huang Chieh, Taipei Times

  Written by Yuan Liaofan (袁了凡) during the Ming Dynasty, the book was an exhortation to his son to be charitable, saying he could change his life and fate by performing good deeds.

  Hsiao Ko said she had appealed to the two city governments’ road maintenance divisions about the street holes to no avail, so she decided to help fix the problem herself.

  She asked a charity group for advice on how to patch up the holes, and the group pointed her to an asphalt factory in Lujhou District (蘆洲), New Taipei City, where she could buy material at a lower price.

  At first, she only repaired roads during weekends, but said she could not stand seeing so many potholes, so she began fixing them on weekdays too. Most nights she works until daylight when the buses start running.

  Hsiao Ko estimates that since she started her road repair project in June 2012, she has bought a total of 384 bags — or 15,360kg — of asphalt.

  The owner of the asphalt factory was kind enough to deliver the purchases to her door, she said.

  Repairing roads is hard work, and her mom, worried about her safety being out at night, has urged her stop, but Hsiao Ko is adamant about continuing her project.

  She said she usually tests her own work by riding her scooter over the patch to make sure that it is flat.

  She admits that there is an element of danger in what she does, because motorists tend to drive faster in the wee hours of the morning, with some almost hitting her. She has since added precautionary measures by putting up warning lights and cones.

  Despite her dedication, Hsiao Ko said there is only so much she can do herself, so she is looking to form an association of volunteers to help repair potholes in the two cities as well as some rural areas.

  On hearing about Hsiao Ko’s story, both the Taipei and New Taipei City governments thanked her for her efforts, but urged her to stop because of safety concerns.

  Road repair should be left to professionals, and Hsiao Ko can still help by calling the government agencies if she sees any potholes, they said.

  Hsiao Ko said she had already tried that, abut it did not produce any results.

  Moreover, the contractors hired by the city governments usually do a poor job to save on overhead costs, she said.

  She said she would continue with her road repair work, but promised to notify the city governments if she sees potholes that she cannot repair on her own.

  Additional reporting by Huang Chieh
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