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Taoyuan Stadium Traffic Woes Could Turn 'Golden Egg' into 'Disaster,' Say Officials

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Taoyuan City councilors are concerned that unresolved traffic issues could turn the planned "golden egg" stadium into a "disaster."
  • The city government plans to build a 20,000-seat stadium in the sports park, but current road infrastructure is deemed insufficient for future traffic.
  • Officials outlined plans for public transport, including enhanced MRT services and bus transfers, to manage crowd flow and mitigate traffic impact.

Concerns are mounting in Taoyuan City that the ambitious plan to build a 20,000-seat stadium could become a traffic nightmare if infrastructure issues are not addressed. City councilors have warned that the "golden egg" project could turn into a "disaster" if the surrounding roads cannot handle the influx of visitors.

During a city council meeting, Councilor Xie Meiying questioned the progress of the Zhongli Dome project, emphasizing that the current road widths in the sports park are inadequate for the anticipated traffic from a future shopping center and the stadium. She stressed the need to solve the traffic problem for 20,000 attendees before the stadium's completion, fearing that spectators could be trapped in traffic jams, rendering the "golden egg" a "complete failure."

In response, Transportation Bureau Director Zhang Xinfu assured that crowd management would prioritize the MRT, supplemented by bus transfers. He stated that during large events, the MRT would increase service frequency. The Transportation Bureau will also implement traffic improvement measures, including temporary parking, crowd control, road management, and traffic signal adjustments. Plans are also in motion to establish bus and shuttle services to key transport hubs like the Zhongli train station and high-speed rail station to minimize the impact on surrounding roads.

The stadium's BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) case has seen its bid deadline extended to August 25. Sports Bureau Director Xu Yan-hui explained that the extension was necessary for potential bidders, such as insurance companies, to complete their internal approval processes. If the bidding proceeds smoothly, contract negotiations could conclude in the fourth quarter of this year or the first quarter of next, with the stadium potentially opening by 2035.

the future giant egg, after it is built, and the MRT is operational, but the audience is trapped in a traffic jam, unable to get in or out, then this giant egg will not be a 'golden egg,' but a 'complete failure.'

— Xie MeiyingTaoyuan City Councilor Xie Meiying expressing concerns about traffic congestion impacting the new stadium.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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