Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) yesterday vowed to reduce pedestrian deaths by 7 percent this year, adding that the ultimate goal is to decrease pedestrian deaths by half by 2030.
Chen briefed lawmakers on the legislature’s Transportation Committee about the ministry’s performance for the first time since taking office earlier this month.
Legislators questioned him about pedestrian safety after a Tunghai University student on Sunday was killed by a city bus while walking on a pedestrian crossing in Taichung.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ministry statistics showed that 183 pedestrians died in the first half of this year, up 5.8 percent from the same period last year.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔) said that the government has spent more than NT$10 billion (US$314 million) to improve pedestrian safety in the past two years, yet pedestrian deaths during the first half of this year were higher than a year earlier.
The ministry should tackle this issue by studying the causes of pedestrian deaths and finding the right remedies, and Chen should set a goal to curb rising pedestrian casualties, Liao said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said that Taichung had the worst road safety record in the first half of this year.
The city was expected to improve safety measures at 63 accident-prone intersections, but as of last month, only four had been completed, Tsai said.
The ministry should take a more aggressive approach against Taichung and other local governments that are slow to address road safety issues, Tsai added.
DPP Legislator Ho Shin-chun (何欣純) said that a high-school student in Taichung was also killed by a bus three years ago.
The central government has worked to improve pedestrian safety, having passed both the Road Traffic Safety Basic Act (道路交通安全基本法) and the Pedestrian Traffic Safety Facilities Act (行人交通安全設施條例) in the legislature last year and this year respectively, Ho said, adding that it has budgeted NT$40 billion to enhance pedestrian safety from this year to 2027.
However, the Taichung City Government does not seem to have kept up with the progress, she said.
Chen said that pedestrian deaths are expected to fall by 7 percent compared with last year, adding that the main goal is to reduce pedestrian deaths by 50 percent by 2030.
“Our analyses showed that 21 percent of pedestrian deaths were caused by drivers failing to yield the right of way, while 19 percent were caused by pedestrians’ failure to follow traffic signs and markings,” Chen said.
About 40 percent of those deaths were elderly people, and 60 percent were killed by motorcycles that did not yield, he said.
Most pedestrian deaths occurred between 6am and 8am, and the early evening hours.
More than 5,000 intersections across the nation are now equipped with signals for leading pedestrian intervals or pedestrian scramble, Chen said.
The ministry is considering using markings of different colors in intersections frequently accessed by elderly pedestrians, he said.
“Because many elderly people do not use the Internet or mobile phones, we are considering increasing the budget for road safety awareness campaigns on television, the print media and local governments,” he said.
The ministry would disclose the name of localities with poor road safety records and ask responsible officials to give regular briefings at the Executive Yuan’s road safety joint meeting, he said.
The death of the Tunghai University student occurred because the bus did not stop for her to cross the road, he said, adding that Taichung should launch more awareness campaigns.
‘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