Revamp of Yingge’s Wenhua Rd reaps third-rate results

In a bid to improve the overall image of Yingge District as well as tourist accessibility, since 2011, New Taipei City Government has been implementing an upgrade of the pedestrian sidewalk in Wenhua Rd. However, only a year after the completion of this development project, which spent a large amount of public funds, many concrete pillars lay broken and the ‘pedestrian sidewalk’ has been reduced to nothing more than private parking for local stores, forcing pedestrians to compete with cars for space in the busy narrow road.

This development project stretches from Yingge Train Station, from where a pedestrian sidewalk has been constructed to offer tourists easier access to Yingge Old Street, Yingge Ceramics Museum and Sanyin Arts Village, as well as various other attractions. However, a glut of crooked and collapsing cement columns are clearly visible. On inspection, one concrete column that had been recently knocked down was measured to have a base depth of only 5 to 8 cm and contain no steel reinforcement bars; the fallen column had ironically been ‘put to good use’ as a platform for flower arranging by the adjacent shop owners.

Although there are numerous signposts warning the public that parking cars on the walkway is forbidden, there are no shortage of cars and scooters blocking the walkway, and local residents seem to be using the sidewalk for private purposes. At one place, concrete barriers straddle the sidewalk leaving not even room for a wheelchair to pass through, at another, the local Farmers’ Association has circled the area of sidewalk outside its offices with chains, turning it into a private courtyard. In light of the fact that locals have turned the pedestrian sidewalk into private parking spaces that leaves no space for pedestrians, it seems clear that a huge amount of public money has been squandered. This raises series questions as to the efficacy of such government building projects.

PeoPo 公民新聞 by 藍天採訪組

Revamp of Yingge’s Wenhua Rd reaps third-rate results
URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/108971

鶯歌文化路空間改造 施政成果豆腐渣製造

新北市政府為提升鶯歌地區整體形象及觀光品質，從民國100年開始進行建構文化路人行步道空間，但完工啟用一年來，公民記者卻發現花了大筆公帑打造的「空間改造工程」，不但水泥柱一碰就倒，步道更淪為當地店家私有停車場，行人還是得走在狹窄的路上與車爭道。

這項「空間改造工程」範圍橫跨鶯歌火車站附近路段，它提供搭乘火車抵達鶯歌的遊客步行前往老街、陶磁博物館及三鶯藝術村等景點，不過到處都可以看到歪歪斜斜的水泥柱，這座不久前才被撞倒的，量一量它的底部深度只有5到8公分，甚至一根鋼筋也沒有，垮掉的水泥柱最後淪為店家的專用花台。

美美的人行步道，有禁止人行道停車的警告標誌，卻停了不少汽、機車，甚至被私佔為其它用途，兩座護欄只剩下小小的通道，還有農會辦事處用鐵鍊把人行道圈住，佔地為王當成自家庭院。行人根本沒有走路的空間，政府浪費大筆公帑打造出來的豆腐渣公共設施變相成為私用的停車場，讓人質疑這種施政成果。