Keeping our roads even to ensure smooth travels

Taichung goes into action against an avian flu outbreak

Words by Lai Yu-heng
Translated by S. Ying

Well-lit and evenly-paved roads and a working sewage system are among the basic necessities for urban residents and are thus of great importance to city administrations. Road safety and road conditions are especially important to the welfare of residents, so Taichung City Government has made it a top priority to roll out new procedures that will involve the public in addressing concerns about uneven city roads.

The new "Even Roads Project" is aimed at major roadways in Taichung. For roads requiring significant reconstruction or special detours, this project will offer recommendations and execute the planning as needed.

During road safety inspections, the city government has evaluated the reasons for uneven roads and drafted solutions for different causes such as a lack of information, poor road-construction quality control, and a lack of effective road management. Two additional road maintenance projects will also be put into action to ensure road safety, respectively labeled the "Call to action for even roads" and "Special project to strengthen and even out roads".

Giving the public a right to road safety
There are many reasons for uneven roads, which have an impact on the daily lives of residents. The city government hopes to eliminate the causes of uneven roads by raising construction project standards and establishing penalties for project contractors who can't comply with standards.

aichung City Government Construction Bureau Director Mr. Huang Yu-Lin would like to standardize the underground utility system to minimize the impact of excavation work on road conditions. The government will also begin to extend road-maintenance projects to 21 districts and, in the future, also charge construction contractors a 20% fee for road maintenance in the future. Already, assessments have been completed on about 20 roads, including eight in the downtown area and 12 in the former county area.

Mobile "Taichung Hao Hao Xing" app for instant reporting
To enable members of the public to use mobile phones to report uneven roads, a new mobile phone app named "Taichung Hao Hao Xing" was rolled out on Feb. 10. This will increase efficiency and includes specific services such as "updates to road projects", "road construction updates", "reporting of uneven roads", "dialing of 1999 dedicated hotline" and "website links". The city government will be able to respond much faster to public reports via this mobile app because it uses GPS to note the exact location of the uneven road problem. Users are also allowed to post a photo with their report with check boxes to select "unlit roads", "uneven roads" or "sewer problems" and describe the problem. There will also be a response system that allows the government to inform the public of progress in fixing reported uneven roads, provided that those filing reports enter their contact phone number.

　
Left: Use your cell phone to scan a QR code and report broken street lighting.
Right: Full details on how to file claims are listed in the mobile app.

The Taichung City Government has set itself a goal to fix small problems within 24 hours if possible. If it is a dangerous situation, they will attempt to initiate a resolution within four hours, or have a repair plan in place within a week for bigger problems. A priority system for accepting road inspection requests is based on public interest and how many people are affected in the area. All relevant government agencies will be notified regarding any affected roads in order to speed up assessment and ensure the best road-repair plan.

Broken street lighting and unlit roads are also a major concern for many residents. Therefore, the government has started placing a QR code sticker on each light post in the city. When this initiative is completed, the public can also simply scan the QR code and use the "Taiwan Hao Hao Xing" mobile app to report any broken lights.

This is all part of the city government's recognition that the public has a right to road safety, and part of its promise to implement various means to enable more immediate reporting of uneven and unlit roads, thereby allowing everyone to play an active role in maintaining ideal Taichung road conditions.