Jointly Promoting Transportation Reform, DPP Mayoral Candidates in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Yilan Respond to Joint Petition

(Central News Agency Reporter Huang Li-yun, Taipei, July 8) The Next Generation People-Oriented Transportation Promotion Association has proposed a transportation improvement commitment white paper, covering 5 major demands. DPP mayoral candidates for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Yilan attended a press conference today to respond to the joint petition. Shen Po-yang stated that the safety of children's school routes is the top priority for improvement in Taipei.

The Next Generation People-Oriented Transportation Promotion Association held a press conference this morning titled "Transportation Reform Starts from the Beginning" for cross-county and city joint signing. DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang, New Taipei mayoral candidate Su Chiao-hui, Taoyuan mayoral candidate Huang Shih-chieh, and Yilan county magistrate candidate Lin Kuo-chang attended together.

Association Chairman Wang Chin-chien stated that this year's "2026 County and City Chief Transportation Improvement Commitment White Paper" aims to have candidates start from the ground up, leading grassroots local civil servants to transform Taiwan's transportation into safe streets. It proposes 5 major demands, including "establishing physical sidewalks on roads wider than 12 meters," and calls on candidates who have not yet responded to join the petition.

Shen Po-yang said that Taipei experiences over 30,000 traffic casualties annually, and road markings are crucial. Appropriate markings and visual cues can prevent many incidents. How to make school routes safer is also a concern for parents. His goal is consistent with the association's: to ensure pedestrian safety and allow people to commute to work, school, and return home safely in the final mile.

Su Chiao-hui said that she has been dedicated to improving sidewalks in recent years, with a particular focus on school routes. She pledges to accelerate the improvement of school-adjacent pedestrian walkways in the future. Additionally, New Taipei City has many rural areas that require greater transportation equity, and the safety of rural children's commutes is equally important, which has been gradually strengthened in recent years.

Huang Shih-chieh stated that he highly agrees with the association's 5 demands and has signed the commitment letter. Pedestrian space, school route safety, and rural transportation equity are all very important in Taoyuan City. These are not just visions but also have concrete plans, and they are important responsibilities for county and city chiefs that require comprehensive planning.

Huang Shih-chieh mentioned that the San-Ying Line has already opened and will be extended to Bade District in Taoyuan City in the future. The MRT network will be integrated. The connection of public transportation and pedestrian traffic safety are important issues within the shared living circle, and cross-district cooperation can create a better transportation environment.

Lin Kuo-chang stated that after returning to Yilan to practice law, he established the Yilan County Traffic Accident Victims Care Association and served as its chairman. In addition to caring for victims, he has also promoted many transportation constructions. He previously proposed a comprehensive review of Yilan County's traffic conditions and hopes that this joint petition can continue to identify problematic traffic points within Yilan County. He believes extending student routes is necessary and that YouBike systems should be established at the five major transfer stations.

When asked by reporters about what transportation issues need improvement in Taipei, Shen Po-yang stated that the safety of school routes is the top priority for improvement in Taipei. Routes for strollers are often discontinuous, as are school routes. Children's safety cannot wait.

In response to reporters' questions about the impact of the High-Speed Rail extension to Yilan on local urban and rural development, Lin Kuo-chang said that the High-Speed Rail extension is a current central government policy direction. If the direct rail plan were to be restarted, it would require a new environmental impact assessment, significantly extending the timeline for the entire transportation construction project. However, the High-Speed Rail environmental impact assessment has already passed and is awaiting approval from the Executive Yuan. He emphasized that it should not be viewed solely from the perspective of saving a few minutes between Yilan and Taipei, and that the entire transportation system should be considered from a national perspective. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 1150708

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