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Updated Thursday, September 17, 2009 9:23 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Three strikes for Taipei over faulty projects

There is an old adage that admonishes one to “look before you leap.” Taipei City has done a lot of leaping recently, but perhaps too little looking. A couple of glaring examples include the Maokong Gondola and the Neihu MRT Line.

The Neihu MRT line has gotten quite a bit of press coverage owing to frequent delays and stoppages. Engineers have blamed the problems on the difficulties of connecting two mismatched systems, but many people have asked if the city had rushed the opening of the line to adhere to deadlines without really being sure that all systems were go. The MRT line has become a disgrace and for a few weeks, some city officials, including the mayor, wondered aloud if the entire system would have to be shut down and reconfigured.

Luckily the system began to stabilize just before the Deaflympics, sparing Taipei further embarrassment. The service has improved in recent weeks, but be sure that the Neihu Line fiasco will feature prominently in upcoming opposition election campaigns.

The Maokong Gondola unfortunately has not witnessed any improvement. In fact, as we learn more about the gondola's construction, the inherent flaws are beginning to seem obvious to even a layman, leaving many to wonder how Taipei City could have green-lighted the project in the first place.

The Maokong Gondola started with a good idea: create a brand-new tourist spectacle that will bring both prestige and cash. But, before one leaps into even a good idea — especially an idea that costs billions of dollars — much “looking” should first be completed.

The idea that pillars built along a sloped mountain could sustain the weight of cable cars now seems a tad foolish, especially when we consider Taiwan's weather patterns and tendency towards earthquakes. If the reconstruction of the Maokong Gondola is successful, it will be at the cost of many, many millions of extra NT dollars. The loss of prestige can never be recovered and it's hard to say whether people will actually line up again for a ride that could end up stranding them or — heaven forbid — much worse.

Now comes a third Taipei City folly. At a cost of NT$100 million in taxpayer funds, Taipei City has basically completed its first official bicycle lane. The problem is, cyclists are finding it impossible to use.

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September 17, 2009 linotw@

Bicycle Lane was not supposed to be with city streets/roads. Pedestrian lane on both sides of Tun Hwa road still have room. I think it is best to remove this so called "Bicycle Lane" and at the same time demote the person or engineer who planned this useless project. Honestly, I prefer to remove the whole Taipei Urban City Development Department and related sectors because they might also be behind the technical troubles of the new Neihu MRT and weak foundation of Maokong.


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