Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin arrived at the Chengde Road – one of the main arteries linking the pavilions of 2010 Taipei Intl’s Flora Expo – to inspect the progress of the sidewalk overhaul on December 16. According to the city officials, the city will complete the renovation of 110,000 meters of walkways by the end of this year.
To verify the accessibility of the renovated walkways, the mayor accompanied by neighborhood chiefs to utilize a baby stroller to test if the pavement is indeed smooth and level. The group also smashed ice carvings featuring Chinese words “sidewalk obstacles” during a ceremony; by doing so the mayor hopes to express the city government’s determination to carry through the renovation plan.
During his address, Hau noted that most of the city’s sidewalks were possessed by the non-government members. There are about 60,000 meters of walkways that can not be included in the current improvement plan for the lack of permission from the property owners.
After witnessing the positive results from the sidewalk smoothening initiative, the mayor hoped the residents could communicate their requests of sidewalk renovation to the city government by contacting the neighborhood chiefs or calling the 1999 citizen hotline service center. The public support will help reduce the level of resistance and encourage the city government to even work harder to implement the policy.