Taoyuan to establish air quality zones in science parks, penalize heavy machinery emissions

Taoyuan City is set to implement stricter air quality controls by designating the Taoyuan Science Park and Environmental Science Park as air quality maintenance zones from January 1st next year. Mayor Chang San-cheng announced that the initiative will regulate emissions from diesel buses and construction machinery, marking the first time such heavy equipment will be managed under these regulations. Violators face penalties of up to NT$5,000.

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The city government's Environmental Protection Bureau announced a month ago the addition of the Taoyuan Science Park and Environmental Science Park as air quality maintenance zones, implementing emission controls for diesel buses and construction machinery starting January 1st. For the first time, 'construction machinery' will be included in management, with fines for violations up to NT$5,000.

The new measures focus on two main areas. Firstly, diesel buses and trucks entering the Taoyuan Science Park zone must undergo an emissions test within a year or possess a valid self-management label for diesel vehicles if manufactured before September 30, 2006. Secondly, construction machinery like forklifts and excavators operating within the industrial park, which often run on diesel and emit significant black smoke, will be subject to similar controls. They must obtain a clean emissions self-management label to operate.

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In the past three years, the city government has promoted low-dose lung cancer screening, but this is a 'downstream' health care. The core 'upstream' work is to improve air quality from the source. By including Taoyuan Science Park in the air quality control zone and strictly regulating mobile pollution sources, we hope to achieve both economic development and substantial care for citizens' respiratory health.

Mayor Chang emphasized that improving air quality is a core strategy to protect citizens' respiratory health, complementing the city's downstream efforts in lung cancer screening. He stated that by controlling mobile pollution sources at the source, the city aims to balance economic development with the well-being of its residents. The Environmental Protection Bureau expects these measures to reduce high-polluting vehicles in the area to below 10%, significantly decreasing black smoke and fine particulate matter emissions.

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The city has successively designated the Taoyuan International Airport, Guishan Sanhuan (Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chunghwa Post Logistics Park, and Huaya Technology Park) as the nation's first international airport and first medical zone air quality maintenance zones. This time, it is expanded to the Taoyuan Science Park.