Jiayou Bike Path the best way to downtown Chiayi

Just three-and-a-half kilometers long, it links Gexiliao (鴿溪寮) in Chiayi County’s Shuishang Township (嘉義縣水上鄉) with Shihsian Road (世賢路) in the southeastern corner of Chiayi City (嘉義市).

Like several former sugar refineries around Taiwan and the Gold Ecological Park in Taipei County’s Jinguashih (台北縣金瓜石), the trail is another example of industrial heritage being repackaged as a tourist attraction.

Originally, a narrow-gauge branch railroad operated by CPC Corporation, Taiwan (台灣中油) – the state-run oil company – it was converted to a cycle path and opened to the public in late 2007. The name was chosen by local citizens via an Internet poll.

The tracks, which were laid in 1942, are still in place. On either side there are concrete lanes just wide enough for bicycles to pass each other. As on a normal road, cyclists are expected to stay on the right.

According to Chinese-language newspaper reports, local residents are very pleased with the transformation. Flowers, bushes and saplings have been planted along the route. The drainage ditches on either side of the railroad, which used to be sewage-filled mosquito-breeding grounds, have been cleaned up. The existence of the cycle path has probably boosted the value of nearby houses.

If you start from Gexiliao, you come across four ‘stations’ as you move northeast. At each one, there’s a tastefully-designed shelter and benches where you can rest. In order, they are Daojiangzun (道將圳), Hongwacuo (紅瓦厝), Nanjing Road (南京路) and Minsheng South Road (民生南路).

For the first few hundred meters, you’ll feel as if you’re in a sleepy rural community. The trail then passes through countryside; on both sides there are rice fields and vegetables patches. Beyond Hongwacuo, the surroundings become more urban. But it goes without saying that the absence of cars, plus the work that’s been put into beautifying the trail, makes cycling on this path much more pleasurable than using conventional roads.

Those interested in the history of the trail will appreciate that not everything has been cleared away: levers, switchboxes, signs and stop/go lights that were used to control the trains remain in place, although many are rusted beyond recognition.

The bike trail officially ends when it hits Shihsian Road. However, you’ll notice on the other side of the road another 20 or 30 meters of abandoned railway leading to a padlocked gate.

If you peer through the wire fence here, you’ll see a compound overgrown with weeds and grasses, and a few pieces of decaying rolling stock. The CPC factory here used to produce thinners and solvents.

Finding the bike trail

If you’re not familiar with the Chiayi area, it’s best to start from the trail’s southern end. Get on Taiwan Highway No. 1 (which many locals refer to as the ‘sheng-dao,’ 省道) and look for the Solar Exploration Center (北回歸線太陽館), the landmark that sits astride the Tropic of Cancer. Less than 50 meters north of the center, a bilingual sign points the way to the beginning of the bicycle path.

I didn’t notice any bike-rental businesses on or near the trail, so you’ll have to make your own arrangements. If you’re bringing bikes on the train, get off at Shueishang station, then pedal north along Taiwan Highway No. 1 for a little over three kilometers until you reach the Solar Exploration Center.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email