Taichung mayoral rivals Ho, Chiang visit transport project sites

Taichung, Oct. 5 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) on Monday inspected a newly opened bus transit center in the city, while her Kuomintang (KMT) opponent Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) visited the site of a proposed road extension to the Central Taiwan Science Park.

Ho, along with several DPP city councilors, visited the Shuinan Transit Center, which opened in August. She criticized the current Taichung City government over the poor design of the complex, which serves several intercity express bus routes.

The entire complex cost NT$4.7 billion (US$147 million), yet only a few buses are currently operating there, she said, calling on the KMT-led city government to make improvements as soon as possible to strengthen the city's bus network.

In response, the Taichung City Transportation Bureau said it would continue coordinating with bus operators to add more routes to the newly opened center and provide more comprehensive transfer services for citizens.

Meanwhile, KMT Taichung mayoral candidate Chiang and several KMT city councilors and lawmakers visited the designated site of a proposed extension to the Xitun District No. 5 connecting road, also known as "Special Route No. 5," which is designed to alleviate traffic congestion around the Central Taiwan Science Park.

The proposed project is expected to cost NT$4.1 billion to build, according to Chiang. The heavy financial burden should not fall solely on the local government, he said, urging the central government to jointly shoulder the cost to help resolve the traffic challenges facing Taichung residents.

Local elections across Taiwan will be held on Nov. 28.

The elections are also known as the "9-in-1" elections because voters in Taiwan's 22 cities and counties will cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different types of local government posts, including city mayors, county magistrates, and city and county councilors.

Also up for grabs are the positions of township chiefs and chiefs of Indigenous districts in municipalities, township councilors, Indigenous councilors in municipalities, and ward chiefs. In total, elections will be held for 11,051 local government officials at all levels.