Taoyuan adds 4 more pedestrian-friendly areas! Get rid of single-point improvements and create an inclusive walking environment

Taoyuan City continues to expand the construction of a human-oriented environment. The Taoyuan City Government stated that in October this year, four pedestrian-friendly zones were completed in Longtan District, Longtan District, Nanxing District, Luzhu District, Datong District, and Guishan District. Through cross-bureau cooperation and regional overall planning, Taoyuan City has completed a total of 7 pedestrian-friendly zones so far, implementing vehicle speed management and improving pedestrian safety at intersections and road sections.

Transportation Director Zhang Xinfu said that in the past, traffic improvements were mostly limited to single intersections or road sections, that is, improvements to points and lines, while pedestrian-friendly areas have been upgraded to comprehensive overall planning. Since its launch in 2024, resources have been integrated across units to connect the originally fragmented pedestrian spaces.

Zhang Xinfu said that the four areas selected and completed this year have all solved long-term pain points such as excessive vehicle speeds, insufficient pedestrian space, and conflicts between turning vehicles and pedestrian movement lines through systematic improvements.

The Transportation Bureau stated that the Pedestrian-Friendly Zone project hopes to improve problems such as excessive vehicle speeds, insufficient pedestrian space, and conflicts between turning vehicles and pedestrian movement lines. The promotion focus includes vehicle speed management, such as setting up visual deceleration markings, speed limit markings and signs, etc., as well as improving the pedestrian environment of existing roads, such as adding marked sidewalks, green-bottom crossings, and enlarged versions. Measures such as pedestrian signals, early pedestrian driving hours, enlarging street corners and setting up pedestrian shelter islands are used to guide drivers to slow down and pay more attention to pedestrians. They also provide a safer road environment for pedestrians, reduce the incidence of traffic accidents, and take into account the needs of the elderly, schoolchildren and people with mobility impairments to create an inclusive, comfortable and safe walking environment.

The city government emphasizes that “in addition to the city government’s proactive assessment and planning of pedestrian-friendly zones, it also attaches great importance to local participation. If the public has a proposed location for promotion, they can submit an application to the city government after collecting public opinions through the neighborhood office.