Twenty years ago, traffic in Taipei ambled along at the slow, sleepy pace of a small city. Taipei had a population of only 271,754. There were thousands of bicycles, pedicabs, ox-carts and hand-carts in the streets but very few buses and fewer automobiles. Pedestrians could cross the street at a leisurely pace, and there were no traffic accidents to speak of.
Crossing the street in Taipei today is like running an obstacle race through a jumble of vehicles - each seemingly propelled by a speed demon following his own private set of traffic rules and regulations. Sixty-seven persons were killed on Taipei streets in 1966. Another 1,213 were injured in 1,234 accidents.
Traffic in Taipei is so congested that some pedestrians have taken to waving a bright yellow flag before they step off the curb. Even so, they have to be nimble to get out of the way of the city's 35,000 motor vehicles, 2,500 pedicabs, and 217,000 bicycles.
Artist's sketch shows east-west underpass on Chungcheng Road, fly-over linking Chungshan South and North Roads, and surface interchange lanes. (File photo)
Most urban planners agree that Taipei's trouble - aside from a population of 1.3 million that is continuing to grow too fast - lies mainly in two facts: inadequate popular knowledge about what constitutes safe traffic behavior and narrow streets that were planned before the arrival of motor vehicles on the city scene.
For the last two years, the Ministry of Communications, city planners, and traffic police have been working together to try to untangle the mess in Taipei's streets. One approach is through well-publicized safety drives. This year an island-wide campaign against reckless drivers and nonchalant pedestrians was undertaken in April and May. Cash prizes of up to US$40 were given for posters on safety.
Sidewalks Cleared
Pedestrians were urged to stay on sidewalks and out of the middle of the street. To give them walking room, the city government cracked down on street stalls and other obstructions. Peddlers and vendors long have regarded sidewalks as their special domain. They were asked to move along-off the walks entirely or to wider sidewalks where both stalls and passersby could be accommodated.
Shacks built as lean-tos and serving as slum housing or storage space were ordered dismantled to create more room for pedestrians. Drivers who had been parking their cars on sidewalks received tickets.
Pedestrians find their way eased a bit. But Taipei still has many traffic headaches to cure-not enough parking space, fines that are too light to give pause to the reckless driver, and too large an assortment of vehicles in the streets.
Taipei's traffic police have not yet turned to parking meters and tow-away zones. But they have started to restrict parking and to plan for more parking lots, especially in the congested downtown shopping and theater district. No parking is allowed on several main but narrow thoroughfares. Taxicab cruising has been prohibited in part of the area. Cars are permitted to discharge and pick up passengers only at designated places.
Fines Are Small
Stiffer fines for traffic violators may be the next step. Present fines are too low to be much of a deterrent. These are examples:
Speeding—US$2.25. Only after eight violations in three months is the driver's license suspended.
Driving without a license—US$20-45.
Parking violations—US$1.50.
Jumping a red light—US $ 1.50.
Drunken driving, considered a serious offense in many countries, brings only a US$1.50-3.50 fine in Taiwan.
Police are experimenting with the idea of supplementing fines with additional punishment.
Visit police headquarters on certain days of the week and you will see a group of sheepish looking men listening to a lecture on traffic rules they already know but were caught not practicing. Later they will be shown documentary films on traffic accidents. This approach to the problem of traffic offenses was started in October, 1966.
Labor Service
Police hope the new method of dealing with violators will be more effective than a small fine. A taxi driver can easily make up the amount of the fine with one or two good fares. But he may not want to lose half a day's work sitting through a lecture and films. Some drivers may be slowed down or sobered up by the gory films of death on the highway.
Another form of punishment was begun in April when offenders were sentenced to several hours of hard labor in addition to payment of their fine. They have been sweeping the streets, polishing lamp posts, scrubbing road signs, and cleaning out drainage ditches. The loss of face involved in such public humiliation is expected to restrain drivers who have been paying fines only to repeat the offense again and again.
But no amount of vigilance on the part of traffic police can alter the fact that there are too many vehicles for Taipei's streets. In the last 20 years, the population has quadrupled. Vehicles have increased 33 times.
This is the breakdown: 9,737 non-commercial automobiles, 1,620 buses, 3,435 trucks, 2,655 three-wheeled trucks, 2,809 motorized carts, and 53,253 motorcycles or scooters. Then there are those thousands of red, blue, green, and yellow taxicabs speeding through the streets and not always defying death. At the beginning of 1967, there were 4.300 taxis in Taipei, 2,000 more than a year before. As one traffic engineer put it, Taipei has just about reached the saturation point in taxis.
Add to these the thousands of unmotorized vehicles and the result is near-chaos. There are 217,592 bicycles, 2,588 pedicabs, 1,335 hand-carts, and 213 ox-carts.
Vanishing Pedicab
Attempts have been made to cut down on the wide variety of vehicles. Ox-carts are disappearing as small three-wheeled trucks become more plentiful. Taxis are sounding the death knell of dangerous, traffic-impeding pedicabs. These tricycles with room for two passengers behind the pedal-pusher have been reduced from 14,000 to 2,588 in the last five years. No new licenses are being issued. Pedicabmen are given driving lessons and helped to get jobs as taxi drivers.
New regulations may slow down the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles. Motorcyclists previously were not required to demonstrate skill in handling their vehicle before receiving a license. As a result, about half of all traffic violations involved motorcycles. Since March, 1966, motorcyclists have had to pass both written and driving tests.
Import of motorcycles previously was easy; they could be brought in as part of a traveler's personal effects. Now an import permit must be obtained.
The variety of vehicles means that Taipei requires extra traffic lanes-two for bicycles, pedicabs, and carts as well as the fast lanes for motorized vehicles. But only a few streets are wide enough for four or more lanes. Widening of all existing streets is impossible, so efforts have been concentrated on reconstructing main arteries and exercising stricter traffic surveillance over the others.
End of a Bottleneck
One of the main bottlenecks in Taipei soon will be eliminated with the completion of a complicated overpass and underpass system at the intersection of the busiest streets - Chungshan Road, the main north-south artery, and Chungcheng Road, the main east-west road.
This intersection used to have a traffic circle with a bronze statue of President Chiang Kai-shek in the middle. By 1966 the traffic jams were colossal. The statue has been moved. An overpass speeds through traffic across the railroad mainline and from north to south Chungshan Road. An underpass carries through traffic along Chungcheng Road, which affords the only access to the Taipei Railroad Station. Turning traffic follows special surface lanes. Pedestrians have their own tiled subway.
To the Suburbs
Construction work was undertaken by the Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen at a cost of less than US$1 million. The Provincial Government's special fuel tax raised US$450,000. The city government allotted US$44,450 and US$387,500 came from a United States aid loan.
Another major north-south Taipei project will facilitate the flow of traffic to several growing suburbs-Shihlin, Peitou, Tien Mou, Yangmingshan, and Tachih, as well as Waishuanghsi, where the National Palace Museum is located. Accessibility to this area will take on greater importance July 1 when these suburbs become part of Greater Taipei.
This US$325,000 project will widen the Chungshan Bridge from 33 to 60 feet. A 132-foot underpass just north of the bridge will carry through traffic on to the suburbs. Completion is expected by the end of the summer.
Other street improvements involve the razing of shack slums. One hundred huts on a section of land in the middle of Jen Ai Road have been torn down to make way for street widening.
Traffic police are trying to exercise stricter control over especially dangerous intersections. They are faced with too few men to do the job. The traffic section of the Taipei police includes 10 officers, 18 sergeants, and 182 patrolmen. Allowing for those off duty and others detailed to special duty, not enough are left to discipline and control Taipei traffic.
Despite all these headaches, Taipei traffic problems appear on the way to gradual solution. When the city attains special status July 1, the budget will be virtually doubled. There will be more money for everything. The need to move more people and vehicles faster and more safely assures that traffic projects will receive their full share.