Complaints by Taipei residents about defective park playgrounds have risen to more than 1,000 cases in the past two years, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-jen (洪婉臻) said yesterday.
Among the 446 playgrounds in the city, 1,345 complaints were reported last year, up from 1,079 in 2022 and 946 in 2021, Hung said.
As of May 7, 221 city parks had not been inspected for more than three years and 139 park playgrounds were undergoing improvements, she said, adding that the improvements should be accelerated to ensure children’s safety.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Public Works Department
Repair works take an average of 24 days and could last up to 375 days, which is clearly too long, Hung said.
The repair of inclusive playground equipment, which has been promoted by the city government for many years, could drag on for months due to a shortage of materials, she added.
The Public Works Department’s Parks and Street Lights Office should try to shorten the repair period and optimize its management of frequently repaired items and material inventory, Hung said.
The office yesterday said that 81 city parks were identified as having deficiencies after inspection, which are expected to be fully resolved by the end of next month.
The office has collected and classified the faults and deficiencies found in Taipei’s 446 park playgrounds, and would ask the contractor to prepare the materials for frequently damaged parts in advance for the future construction or renovation of playgrounds, it said.
The contractor would also be required to specify repair timeframes to reduce the waiting period and post a notice with the expected date of completion to inform visitors, the office added.
Hung said she has received multiple requests to construct inclusive parks in neighborhoods.
Residents of Wanhua District (萬華區) and Zhongzheng District (中正) were particularly keen, as they have the least number of parks among the administrative districts in Taipei, she said.
The authorities should implement a construction plan of inclusive facilities at the riverside park crossing both districts, while also looking into the possibility of building inclusive neighborhood parks in smaller districts, Hung said.
The department’s Hydraulic Engineering Office yesterday said that the construction plan of the riverside park has been put into practice, while the roadmaps and designs would be completed by the second half of this year, and the engineering projects would be outsourced next year.
The Parks and Street Lights Office said that playgrounds of all levels in the city have been successively revamped according to local needs every year since 2016.
While Wanhua District and Zhongzheng District collectively have eight out of the 72 inclusive park playgrounds governed by the office, construction or renovation plans would continue to meet local needs while maintaining a regional balance, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA.
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