Urban Traffic

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

Traffic in Taiwan's major cities is very congested. Urban planners in all of Taiwan's metropolitan areas must cope with a similar set of challenges: a soaring number of new motorcycles and cars, a limited number of streets, and the complexities of acquiring very scarce space for improvements. Fortunately, countermeasures such as mass rapid transit systems and swift and convenient bus lanes have alleviated some of the burdens.

Taipei's Traffic Challenge

The increased number of private vehicles has made traffic congestion and parking worse in Taipei City. As of October 2003, there were 692,756 automobiles and 991,472 motorcycles, an increase of 1.8 and 2.5 percent, respectively, from one year ago. Therefore, the top priority for Taipei's transportation policy has been to promote public transportation and to improve pedestrian facilities.

Preparations for the Taipei Rapid Transit Systems (TRTS) began in early 1986, when the Executive Yuan completed preliminary plans for a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network and approved its implementation. The initial network, with a total length of 67.2 kilometers already in operation, and another 67.7 kilometers under planning or construction.

Since then, the Taipei City Government has improved urban transportation ever more by integrating bus and MRT connectivity with 77 feeder bus routes, providing discount transfers for MRT passengers, and unifying the pricing of all bus operations. A newly designed, no contact, IC smart card (Easycard system) integrated the ticketing systems of the MRT, city bus services, and municipal parking lots.

The city has also designed ten exclusive bus lanes covering 50.28 kilometers of city streets. Crosswalk monitors with countdown timers have also been extensively installed at pedestrian crossings to improve safety. Diagonal crosswalks at major intersections were added to shorten pedestrians' crossing time. The number of traffic related deaths was the lowest in two decades (81 persons in 2002). Lanes and parking bays exclusively for motorcycles have also been established. The Taipei City Government has authorized private operators to build additional parking lots under the BOT method and boost parking fees to increase the number of parking spaces, raise the parking turnover rate, and reasonably reflect social costs. All of these efforts are designed to create a more convenient transportation environment and improve Taipei's quality of life.

Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System Development Plan (First Phase)

Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan, is also Taiwan's premier harbor. Rapid industrial development and population growth have accentuated the need for efficient metropolitan transportation. Accordingly, the Kaohsiung City Government has completed the first phase of the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area Mass Rapid Transit System Development Plan, which was approved by the Executive Yuan in January 1994. The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (KMRT) system is designed to integrate high-speed and regular railways with the city bus system, thus providing a comprehensive mass transportation network.

The US$6 billion network will consist of a Red Line and an Orange Line with 37 stations and a total length of 42.7 kilometers. Two additional lines and extensions to both are currently in their planning stages. The KMRT project will be constructed under the BOT approach and has already been approved by both the Executive Yuan and the Kaohsiung City Council. In 2000, the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) won the bid to construct the system at US$5.38 billion. According to the requirements of the contract, the concession period is 36 years, i.e., 6 years for construction and 30 years for operation. So far, construction has proceeded smoothly and according to schedule. The KMRT project is expected to conduct its first test run in December 2004, start partial operations in April 2007, and begin full operations of the Red and Orange lines in October 2007.

Rapid Transit in Other Cities

Following Taipei's lead, many other cities in Taiwan aside from Kaohsiung have also initiated plans for MRT systems. These cities include Taichung, Tainan, and Taoyuan. Private participation in MRT projects for all of these cities is currently under study; however, the only project to pass the planning stage so far is Kaohsiung's MRT.