Taichung City Government Continues to Implement Crosswalk Widening and Pedestrian-Only Phases to Optimize Walking Environment

The Taichung City Government is continuously building a human-centric and pedestrian-friendly transportation environment. Traditional 3-meter-wide crosswalks often become congested during peak hours, leading to pedestrian overflow and increased risk of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. To address this, the Transportation Bureau has flexibly widened crosswalks to 6 meters based on actual demand, significantly reducing collision risks. On the 21st, the bureau presented a special report titled 'Human-Centric, Sustainable, and Livable: The Crosswalk Widening Initiative' at the city’s executive meeting. Mayor Lu Hsiu-yen emphasized that transportation planning philosophy has shifted from 'vehicle-centric' to 'people-first,' with the city persistently advancing measures such as crosswalk widening and pedestrian-only signal phases to improve walking safety. According to statistics from the Ministry of Transportation, pedestrian fatalities in Taichung during the first quarter of this year dropped by 64.3% compared to the same period last year, demonstrating initial success. The city government will continue refining its human-centered traffic policies to safeguard pedestrian safety.

Mayor Lu highlighted that to enhance pedestrian safety, Taichung has proactively widened certain crosswalks from the standard 3 meters to up to 6 meters, providing more walking space and a safer distance from vehicles. The widening project involves not only repainting road markings but also relocating and adjusting surrounding infrastructure such as barrier-free facilities, bus stops, and traffic signals, making implementation challenging. She has instructed the Transportation Bureau to prioritize improvements at historically accident-prone intersections and to continuously monitor post-improvement accident rates and effectiveness, overcoming construction difficulties and advancing implementation.

Furthermore, the city is implementing pedestrian-only phases and early-release signals at intersections near schools and high-pedestrian-demand areas, allowing vehicles to stop and yield so pedestrians can cross first, thereby protecting children and other pedestrians. Mayor Lu stressed that traffic governance must shift from 'vehicle-oriented' to 'people-centered,' placing pedestrian safety as the top priority. She also urged drivers to patiently comply, stop, and yield, collectively creating a safe and considerate walking environment.

Transportation Bureau Director Yeh Chao-fu noted that traffic planning has comprehensively transitioned from the past 'vehicle-first' model—focused on vehicle flow speed—to a 'people-first' approach that prioritizes pedestrian safety. While the average adult requires about 0.75 meters of walking width, individuals using wheelchairs, strollers, or walking aids need 1.1 to 1.25 meters, increasing spatial demand by over 50%. Maintaining traditional 3-meter-wide crosswalks can lead to congestion, reduced efficiency, and pedestrians stepping outside designated areas during high-traffic periods. Therefore, the city has launched the crosswalk widening initiative to provide safer, more practical walking spaces that meet real-world needs.

Director Yeh explained that the bureau has re-evaluated configurations at high-traffic intersections, prioritizing areas around schools, commercial districts, and key public facilities. Based on actual pedestrian volume, existing 3-meter-wide crosswalks are being widened to 6 meters, effectively alleviating bidirectional pedestrian flow conflicts during peak hours and enhancing both safety and comfort.

In addition, in coordination with crosswalk setbacks and widening, the Transportation Bureau has adjusted sidewalk chamfers, intersection corners, and stopping areas. Yellow checkerboard patterns and colored auxiliary markings have been added on both sides of crosswalks to improve driver visibility and warning effectiveness, forming a comprehensive human-centric traffic improvement strategy. So far, 20 key intersections have been improved, including intersections at Shang’an Road and Zhishan Road in Xitun District, Shuangshi 2nd Road and Jinan Street near school zones in North District, Gongyi Road and Zhongxing Street in the Jingmei commercial area in West District, and Fuxing Road and Fengjia Road in the Fengjia commercial area in Xitun District. The city plans to expand improvements to over 10 additional key intersections.

The Transportation Bureau added that, to date, the city has completed 168 school zone improvements, 777 early-release pedestrian intersections, 263 pedestrian-only signal phases, 999 green zebra crossings, 538 visual speed-reduction markings, 372 pedestrian refuge islands, 29.11 kilometers of line-type sidewalks, 33 intersection geometric improvements, and 20 crosswalk widening projects. Going forward, the city will identify high-demand intersections and gradually expand implementation to provide citizens with safe, convenient, and considerate walking spaces.