The west gate of Hengchun Old Town prohibits four-wheel vehicles from driving on a trial basis, and the restricted elevated facilities will be relocated to the north gate.

The West Gate bans four-wheel vehicles on a trial basis, and the elevated facilities will be transferred to the North Gate where there are relatively few residents. (Photo by reporter Cai Zongxian)

The west gate of the Hengchun Ancient City, a national historic site that was once famous for being "stuck" by the tour bus in the movie "Cape No. 7", has long been used as a "can opener" for trucks that accidentally enter the city. The Cultural Assets Bureau of the Ministry of Culture has implemented a trial ban on vehicles with more than four wheels since January 30 this year. With the expiration of the trial period at the end of July, the Bureau of Cultural Resources has comprehensively considered local opinions, traffic needs and actual implementation conditions, and announced that it will no longer renew the traffic ban at this stage, and requested the Hengchun Town Office to assist in removing the existing physical road blockage, and will instead adopt the method of strengthening the risk warning for traffic at the west gate.

Looking back on the trial period, mobile vehicle barriers were erected on both sides of the west gate. Although they successfully protected the monuments from impact, they also caused great inconvenience to long-term residents who were accustomed to walking directly through the city gate and complained that their daily lives were seriously affected. The Bureau of Cultural Resources admitted that due to the difficulties claimed by the Hengchun Town Office in implementation and the constant backlash from residents, the policy had to be adjusted when the local government was unwilling to cooperate with management. In the future, road blockages will be removed and more obvious signboards will be replaced. In conjunction with the recent court ruling that a high-level fine of NT$1.7 million was required for damage to the west gate, publicity will be strengthened in the hope that drivers will automatically slow down when passing by.

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In addition, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage also revealed that the originally planned elevated facilities will be transferred to the North Gate, where there are relatively few residents, and construction is expected to start at the end of the year. As for the West Gate area, publicity will be carried out first, and another solution will be found between the maintenance of historic sites and traffic needs in the future.

However, the U-turn in policy has made many cultural supporters feel worried and helpless. Some residents lamented that "lazy administration will lead to the city's deterioration." They bluntly said that the historical monuments cannot withstand repeated destruction. They hope that stronger warnings and heavy compensation claims will have a deterrent effect in the future, so that this precious historical city of more than 150 years will not become a victim of reckless driving again. According to statistics, there are an average of 1 to 2 collisions in Ximen every year. In September last year, a small truck broke into the city, causing bricks to break.

The trial run of four-wheel vehicles at Ximen was blocked. (Photo by reporter Cai Zongxian)