The Ministry of Transportation and Communications unveiled the second stage of the government’s smart transportation development project focused on enhancing the convenience and safety of transportation in Taiwan’s rural areas.
During a briefing at the Executive Yuan, Premier Su Tseng-chang said the plan is a key part of government efforts to rebalance regional development. Employing advanced information and communication technologies to bridge the urban-rural divide, the initiative will particularly benefit older adults and other disadvantaged groups living in remote areas, he added.
Under the project, the MOTC is set to invest NT$4.29 billion (US$145 million) between 2021 and 2024 in developing data analytics with 5G, enhancing digital infrastructure and providing smart mobile services in targeted areas.
Since the first stage launched in 2017, the project has delivered impressive results such as installing smart traffic lights to relieve congestion, the MOTC said. The funding has also helped local governments around the country launch their own smart traffic control centers, cutting travel times by nearly 30 percent in the northern county of Hsinchu and southern Taiwan’s Tainan City and Pingtung County, as well as reducing accidents by 43 percent in busy areas of Taipei City, the ministry added. (SFC-E)
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