A new message broadcast on the Taipei MRT’s Wenhu (Brown) Line urging passengers to yield their seats to those in need, not necessarily elderly people, would be extended to other MRT lines and public transportation in the capital, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
Chiang was responding to reporters’ questions on the sidelines of a news conference at Taipei City Hall promoting healthy walking.
Several disputes over priority seats on public transportation have recently been reported, sparking debate about who qualifies to sit in them, as most of the cases involved elderly people asking young people to give up their seats.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Recently, a new message has been broadcast on the Wenhu Line.
“Hello, age is the not the only standard for sitting in the priority seats. Please show empathy, love and care,” it says.
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp is using the message to promote the idea that priority seats are for those with genuine need, and that “you may not be able to see it, but they need it,” Chiang said.
Asked if the message would be broadcast on other MRT lines or public transportation, he said it would be.
During the news conference, the Taipei Department of Health said that with convenient transport and food deliveries, many people lead a sedentary life.
It said it conducted a survey, which found that 40 percent of the city’s residents exercise regularly.
To encourage Taipei’s residents to be more active, the department announced the launch of a four-month healthy walking campaign that runs through Oct. 25.
People can join the campaign by downloading a hiking app, and score points by answering health questions, completing quests such as walking 400m per day for at least three days per week and finding digital treasures at designated spots along hiking trails, it said.
The accumulated points can be used to enter a lottery for prizes, including a smart phone, smart watch, coffee maker, video game console, fitness wearables and wireless earbuds.
Details can be found on the walkintaipei.com.tw Web site.
The WHO says tobacco use, inactivity, an unhealthy diet and the harmful use of alcohol are four common, but preventable risk factors that lead to most noncommunicable diseases, the department said, adding that walking is a simple and cost-effective way of being active.
Department Commissioner Chen Yen-yuan (陳彥元) encouraged people to incorporate walking into their daily routines, starting with just 10 minutes.
A person who walks until they are sweating slightly and breathing more heavily is doing enough to be fitter, prevent chronic illness and reduce stress, Chen said.
Commuters can add a brisk walk to and from work into their routine, or go hiking with friends or family over the weekends as an easy way to become more active, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS