Taiwan Today

Yonghe City residents in Taipei County have suggested all local address plates be adjusted when the county is upgraded to a special municipality known as New Taipei City, to make things easier in its complicated web of streets. The streets, alleys and lanes in Yonghe, located across the river from Taipei City, are so complex that even local police get lost in them sometimes. Yonghe, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is known for having a virtually limitless number of small alleys and lanes, and as most of them wind back and forth, the street names and numbering of these alleys are frequently inconsistent. Even local people often avoid using the alleys and lanes out of fear that they will get lost. Not too long ago, a local resident, Mr. Lin, contacted the police from his office about a possible case of household violence triggered by a heated husband-wife feud. A long time passed, and just as he started to wonder why a single police officer had yet to arrive on the scene, the police administration called him back, saying that the officers were unable to find the address that Lin had given them. Ultimately, Lin had to go out to a major street and direct the police to the scene. Lin said although his office on Huanhe East Road Section 4 is in the immediate vicinity of Huanhe East Road, after a building was constructed on one side of the road, his office and several older structures next to the new building were no longer adjoining the main street, being hidden back in the alleyways. In addition, the address plates on the building referred to the address as being in a certain numbered lane off of a certain numbered alley. In addition to the phenomenon of adjacent buildings being identified by a string of address plates with largely similar addresses, the addresses of buildings next to those structures cannot be found anywhere in the vicinity, Lin said, adding that sometimes neither couriers nor the police are able to figure out the roads in the area, making things hopelessly complicated in the event of an emergency. Lin's colleague, Mr. Chen, said the complicated nature of lanes and alleys in Yonghe reminds him of an incident when he was young, when an elderly neighbor started choking on something and rescuers were delayed since the ambulance had gotten lost. These days the same kind of tragedy would certainly outrage the public. Chen urged the government to improve the situation, suggesting that at the end of this year when the status of Taipei County is upgraded, address plates should be changed throughout the area. This would also be a perfect time to adjust the addresses of some of the particularly complicated roads. The government could take care of two issues at the same time and save resources, he said. Meanwhile, one Mr. Chien, who is frequently on the go, said generally speaking, alleyways should be through streets. Many Yonghe alleys, however, are split into two sections. Miss Chang, a lifetime Yonghe resident, also complained that the city's alleyways are just too hard to figure out. "I don't venture from the roadways I know out of fear of getting lost," she said, adding that she still loses her way sometimes despite sticking to the major roads. She gave the example of Yongzhen Road, which is considered an important artery in the city. However, the road at one point wraps around itself, making a big "U." All people can do is roll their eyes in frustration, she said. (This article originally appeared in “The Liberty Times” March 16, 2010.)