Sidewalk Improvements in New Taipei City: Councilors Urge Urban Planning to Consider Ancillary Facilities Space

New Taipei City is pushing forward with its 'Utility Box Impact on Sidewalk Passageway Improvement Execution Plan,' aiming to complete 1,000 improvement projects ahead of schedule by September. The initiative seeks to enhance pedestrian environments by addressing obstacles on sidewalks.

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Utility boxes, trees, and other sidewalk obstructions can be difficult to relocate due to limited road space for ancillary facilities. We hope that through a review of urban planning, consideration can be given to facility strips and road widths.

City councilors, however, have raised concerns about the underlying urban planning issues that complicate these improvements. Councilor Huang Shu-chun pointed out that utility boxes, trees, and other obstructions are difficult to relocate when the designated road space for ancillary facilities is insufficient. She advocated for a review of urban planning to better consider the width of facility strips and roadways.

Councilor Chen Wei-chieh emphasized the need for accelerated improvements, particularly along school routes, near hospitals, and around public transportation hubs. Councilor Yamada Mo-yi added that other obstructions, such as uneven pavement, should also be included in the overall improvement plan to comprehensively enhance the pedestrian environment.

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We hope for higher efficiency from the city government in the 'Comprehensive Review Plan for Pedestrian Environment.' After systematic analysis, accelerate the inclusion of utility boxes confirmed to have improvement benefits for relocation, and prioritize improvements around school routes, hospitals, and public transportation hubs, so that resources can be invested more effectively in a people-oriented transportation environment.

The councilors' discussions highlighted a recurring issue: existing urban plans often allocate minimal space for sidewalks, sometimes as little as 90 centimeters, with a preference for 120 to 150 centimeters. When combined with road designs, this can lead to narrower vehicle lanes or insufficient space for essential infrastructure like utility boxes. They stressed that future urban planning must integrate the necessary width for features such as gutters, green belts, and utility corridors to ensure both functional roadways and accessible pedestrian pathways.

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Since taking office, I have paid attention to people-oriented transportation. The streets in Banqiao District are generally narrow, and sidewalk space is precious. However, due to poor early design, many sections have insufficient net sidewalk width and still have facilities such as utility boxes, trees, and street light bases, resulting in insufficient passage space. Even adults who can walk freely are forced to detour into the road. We call on the city government to continue improving utility boxes and also include other obstructions and sidewalk height differences in the improvement plan to comprehensively improve the quality of the pedestrian environment.