The three leading contenders in the Nov. 26 Taipei mayoral race traded barbs over various issues during a TV debate on Saturday, including traffic congestion in the city’s Neihu District and tight electricity supply.
In a session where candidates threw questions at one another, opposition Kuomintang Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) asked independent former Deputy Taipei Mayor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and former Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party about their solutions to traffic congestion in Neihu.
Arguing that the congestion is a result of former city governments’ failing to carry out proper urban development plans, Huang said the short-term goal is to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
The number of people working at the Neihu Technology Park has grown threefold to 180,000 since around 2000, but then-mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) did not plan for such an expansion, Huang said.
In the long run, she said, construction of the east section of the Taipei MRT Circular Line and relocation of the Taipei Songshan Airport are necessary to tackle the issue.
Chen acknowledged current efforts such as smart traffic development and road widening projects, adding that there should be more direct connections between major roads and elevated expressways.
For instance, he said, Huandong Boulevard should be directly linked to Freeway No. 1 to avoid detours on city streets.
Meanwhile, Huang asked her opponents how they would address the tight power supply in the city, with Chiang and Chen both saying they valued cooperation between the central and local governments.
Chiang also vowed to eliminate energy-intensive products, and learn from Japan, for instance, to encourage the public to rent air conditioners instead of purchasing them.
He also criticized the current Taipei government for only meeting 12 percent of its goal to turn all buses electric, vowing to accelerate this effort if elected.
Chen emphasized green energy developments, saying there should be more incentives to encourage the public to utilize solar or wind power.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel