DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Energy & Infrastructure

New barriers in Luodong turn pedestrian crossings into an obstacle course

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Road improvement works in Luodong, Taiwan, have placed new railings across crosswalks at several intersections, forcing pedestrians to detour near traffic.
  • The township office says the problem results from construction sequencing and that paving and pedestrian routes will be adjusted within two weeks.
  • Local businesses say the railings also address vehicles illegally driving onto sidewalks, which has endangered pedestrians.

A road safety project in Luodong has drawn criticism after newly installed railings blocked crosswalks at several busy intersections, forcing pedestrians to detour and compete with traffic. Residents mocked the setup as an obstacle course, asking whether they were expected to practice hurdling.

The Luodong Township Office is spending NT$16.58 million on the project, officially intended to improve sustainable pedestrian safety. Railings have been installed around Xingdong, Tianjin, Changchun and Gongzheng roads, but the work is only halfway complete. Residents say the temporary arrangements have made crossings dangerous.

The township office said the problem reflects the order of construction. Workers must install the barriers before repaving the roads, which has temporarily changed the position of the pedestrian routes. The final layout should become clear from the existing tactile paving, officials said.

Huang Shiqing, director of the township public works section, said crews would repave the roads within two weeks and restore the pedestrian routes at the same time. Officials have placed signs telling pedestrians to detour during construction.

Nearby shopkeepers defended the barriers, saying drivers have often taken shortcuts by driving onto sidewalks and seriously threatened pedestrians. The project is expected to finish by the end of September.

Do we need to practice hurdling?

· ResidentsResidents mocked the new railings after they blocked crosswalks during construction.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog