Taipei residents protest planned demolition of 'sky bridge'

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Residents have called on the Taipei City government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass bridge located near Daan Forest Park.

The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping Road and Xinsheng Road will be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition work slated for completion by the end of November.

In recent days, however, local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as "sky bridge" in Chinese.

"This bridge carries the community's collective memory," said Mr. Chuang (莊), a local resident who recalled frequently crossing it with his children to take them to school more than 20 years ago.

"The government's attitude of 'just tear it down' without listening to the people shows a lack of connection to the city and an arrogant disregard for culture," Chuang said.

"Most residents, myself included, hope to keep the bridge," said Huang Shih-chuan (黃世詮), the local ward chief. "Separating pedestrians from vehicles is the safest way."

Located about 500 meters from National Taiwan Normal University at the southwest corner of the Daan Forest Park, the gray sky bridge allowed pedestrians to walk over the busy multiple-lane intersection for more than four decades.

Despite many residents' fondness for the functional -- if not classically attractive -- pedestrian footbridge, the city announced its plan to demolish it in October.

According to the city's New Construction Office, the current policy is to "gradually" replace all the city's pedestrian overpasses in order to increase visibility for pedestrians and drivers, as well as create more space on sidewalks.

As the city's population gets older on average, ground-level crossings are also considered by the city planners to be "more safe and convenient" than bridges.

The Department of Transportation agreed with the New Construction Office, commenting that "current column placements at intersections obstruct right-turning vehicles from clearly seeing pedestrians."

Referring to the pedestrian overpass bridge that stood at the intersection of Xinyi and Keelung Roads, the bureau said traffic accidents involving right-turning vehicles had decreased by 60 percent one year after it was removed.

Many residents want to preserve the bridge, however, and feel that the government has not taken their views into account.

Lin Wen-chun (林玟君), an organizer of a protest group that has used art and slogan banners to rally support for keeping the bridge open, said the authorities have failed to explain the necessity of the planned demolition.

"There are 13 sky bridges exceeding 40-years-old in use in Taipei City," Lin said, adding that the oldest has already been operational for 55 years.

"The inspection company's report did not show any structural safety issues, but the city government nonetheless decided to demolish it," he said, adding that he thinks the New Construction Office should provide "scientific" reasons for the decision.

Public pressure in favor of keeping the bridge open has even reached the city's mayor, Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who told reporters on Monday that he will ask the Transportation Department, the Public Works Department and the New Construction Office to "continue communicating" on this issue.

In recent days, many residents have visited the intersection of Heping Road and Xinsheng Road to bid farewell to the "sky bridge" that may soon vanish from the urban landscape.

"In terms of memories, of course I hope to preserve it," said Mr. Ouyang (歐陽), a local resident who visited the bridge with his family to see it, perhaps for the last time, on Sunday. "But if it's for urban development, we must respect the views of nearby residents."