by Brian Hioe

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English
Photo Credit: 臺北旅遊網

A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE in Taipei has become the site of protests, after local residents have sought to push back against plans by the Taipei city government to demolish the bridge. The bridge is located near Daan Park, in the vicinity of National Taiwan Normal University.

In particular, local residents have called for the bridge’s preservation, highlighting that the bridge is part of Taiwan’s collective memory. The bridge has stood for several decades and has been featured prominently in movies, music videos, and television shows including Edward Yang’s Yi Yi.

Likewise, such residents have emphasized that the bridge is useful for pedestrian safety, in allowing for crossings without needing to take to the road. The argument is also that the city government did not consult with local residents before deciding on the demolition of the bridge.

The Taipei city government plans to demolish pedestrian bridges that cross streets, as part of efforts at improving traffic safety. The city government argues that such pedestrian bridges obstruct the view of cars turning right, leading to accidents.

The Taipei city government highlighted a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Xinyi and Keelung Road, with pedestrian accidents having declined by 60% after the bridge was demolished. The Taipei city government likely has its aims on improving Taipei’s pedestrian traffic safety record, with Taiwan criticized as a “pedestrian hell” in past years, with an eye on attracting international tourists.

Photo credit: 玄史生/WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 3.0

This is not the only time that planned demolitions of pedestrian bridges have caused controversy. A pedestrian bridge near the intersection of Keelung Road and Guangfu South Road caused controversy in the past decade because of plans by the city government to demolish it.

This is not the only time in which sites of collective memory have seen calls for preservation against efforts by the city government to demolish them. This has occurred in the past on a number of occasions.

Otherwise, there has sometimes been pushback against renovation projects for sites of collective memory seen as poorly preserved. This has been the case with a pedestrian bridge in Keelung that features in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film Millenium Mambo under the tenure of Mayor George Hsieh.

For now, the Taipei city government has stated that it will relent on the bridge demolition until there is further consultation with local residents. Yet it is to be seen whether the pedestrian bridge will lead to a protracted protest movement such as occurred during the years leading up to and in the immediate aftermath of the Sunflower Movement.

This occurred regarding a number of issues, whether in terms of the eviction of often impoverished and elderly urban residents for infrastructure or commercial development or because of the historic and cultural value of certain sites. Such was the case regarding historic trees around the Taipei Dome, for example, with many years of protest against efforts by the city to cut them down.

It is to be seen whether the Chiang administration listens to residents or whether this is the start of a protracted struggle, then. Such protest movements largely died down after the Tsai administration took office, but with KMT control of a number of local governments, it is possible that such local struggles in Taiwan resume once more.

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