Nearly 100 Kaohsiung Citizens Become 'Street Health Inspectors' to Build a More Walkable City

Whether a street is walkable depends not only on its width, but also on whether pedestrians can pass safely, children can commute to school securely, and seniors can freely walk to nearby stores. To promote human-centered transportation concepts and raise public awareness of neighborhood street design and traffic safety, the Kaohsiung City Government Transportation Bureau and Kaohsiung Public Library, in collaboration with the Pedestrian Rights Promotion Association, hosted the 'Step by Step: Street-Friendly Observers' walking tour event. Citizens were invited to become 'street health inspectors,' entering communities to observe street environments firsthand, identify safety hazards and dangerous spots, and propose improvement suggestions—collectively diagnosing the city’s transportation environment.

Kaohsiung Public Library Director Li Jin-ying noted that many participants, after walking the routes, began noticing previously overlooked street details and understanding the difference between human-centered and the past vehicle-centered road design philosophies. The library hopes that through the combination of 'reading + walking tours,' human-centered transportation will move beyond policy or slogans and become integrated into daily life, cultivating safe road-use habits from every step and jointly building a safer, more friendly, and livable Kaohsiung.

This event was part of the 'Read for Better Mobility' series, jointly promoted by the Ministry of Transportation, Kaohsiung City Government Transportation Bureau, and Kaohsiung Public Library. Held on August 4 and 5 at the Siaogang Branch, Singcheng People's Reading Room, Taitung Branch, and Kangshan Branch, the event connected northern, central, southern, and eastern regions of Kaohsiung, attracting nearly 100 citizens. Families and individuals stepped out of libraries and into communities, re-examining road environments through on-site observation and reflecting on how urban transportation can become more pedestrian-friendly.

Led by the Pedestrian Rights Promotion Association, participants toured streets around each branch, learning about common road designs and traffic facilities. They identified safety and hazard points, conducted actual 'street health checks,' and observed pedestrian spaces, road crossings, and traffic flows from a walker’s perspective. During the tours, participants deepened their understanding of human-centered concepts such as the '15-minute city,' 'living neighborhoods,' and 'Vision Zero for traffic fatalities.' They recorded observed issues and improvement ideas on worksheets and discussed feasible solutions. The inspection results and suggestions will be provided to relevant agencies, encouraging citizens to evolve from passive road users into active 'street observers' who care about urban environments and participate in public affairs.

In addition to on-site walking tours, the four participating branches simultaneously hosted human-centered transportation-themed book exhibitions. This dual approach of reading and experiential learning allows the public to understand human-centered transportation from multiple angles, including road safety, pedestrian rights, and sustainable cities.

Kaohsiung Public Library has also promoted traffic safety education through picture books. Previous titles such as 'Little Traffic Expert of Kaohsiung City' and 'Little Traffic Sign Detective' have been well-received by parent-child readers. The third traffic safety picture book, 'Every Day, Safely Cross the Street,' is scheduled for release in September. Through engaging stories, the library aims to instill traffic safety and human-centered transportation concepts in children from an early age, ensuring everyone returns home safely after each outing.

The library emphasizes that a city’s friendliness lies in the streets we walk every day. By learning concepts through reading, discovering problems through walking tours, and proposing change through citizen participation, the goal is to help more people see, care about, and co-create a 'safer, friendlier, and more walkable' Kaohsiung.