Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-Cheng, along with the municipal government team, delivered an administrative report and explanations to the 3rd regular session of the 2nd term of the Taoyuan City Council today (October 11). During the report, he detailed the policies implemented in six major areas, transportation, healthcare, food safety, urban development, organizational restructuring, and investment promotion since taking office, which include initiatives such as the “TPASS” for commuters in Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City and Taoyuan City, progress on the metro project, the southward relocation plan for the underground railway in Pingzhen excavation section, the “Expanded Lung Cancer Screening Program,” “Egg Freezing Nutritional Subsidies,” “Postpartum Depression Psychological Counseling,” the establishment of a joint food inspection mechanism, five major safety measures on construction sites, the “Silent Taoyuan Project,” an inventory and improvement of children's playgrounds throughout the city, the “Future Urban Space Development Committee,” the establishment of the Women and Children’s Bureau and the Smart City and Community Development Commission, as well as investment promotion efforts in the United States. The hope is to work hand in hand with the City Council to actively build a brilliant Taoyuan.
Mayor Chang expressed that since he took office, there has been no moment of relaxation in advancing municipal administration. The proposals he put forward, based on the principles of prioritizing citizens and professionalism, are being systematically implemented one by one. The transformation of Taoyuan depends on the collective efforts of the municipal government and the City Council. He also invited every council member and citizen to join in building Taoyuan together, making it a radiant new city characterized by friendliness, inclusiveness, smart technology, and sustainable development.
Regarding transportation policies, Mayor Chang pointed out that since taking office, for 291 days now, he and the municipal government team have been diligently working every day, all striving for the development of Taoyuan. Every policy, construction project, or event planned by the city government is aimed at bringing a happier life to the citizens. In order to make it more convenient for residents to commute between counties and cities, with the joint efforts of the Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City and Taoyuan City and support from the central government, the NT$1200 Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan Commuting Monthly Pass was smoothly issued. This not only reduced the commuting costs for citizens but also set a record for the MRT with over 120,000 daily ridership, doubling the number of passengers compared to the same period last year in 2022.
Mayor Chang mentioned that in a progressive city, a well-developed public transportation system is a crucial key. The Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan Commuting Monthly Pass was warmly received by the public as soon as it was introduced, with a utilization rate accounting for 90% of all monthly passes in Taiwan. It brought about a groundbreaking change in Taoyuan’s public transportation. In October, the Taoyuan-Hsinchu City-Hsinchu County-Miaoli Monthly Pass was introduced, providing residents with a more diverse range of commuting options. The city government has also taken a three-fold strategy, including adjusting bus routes, schedules, and increasing the number of drivers, to actively improve the quality and utilization of public transportation in Taoyuan.
The current metro construction is proceeding steadily. The Green Line is under construction in its entirety, and the section north of G11 Arts and Cultural Business District aims to be opened to the public in 2026. The extension plans for Sanying to Bade, the Brown Line, and the Green Line extension to Zhongli have all been revised based on the feedback from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and are expected to be submitted for central government approval later this year.
Mayor Chang mentioned that in order to better understand the voices from the frontlines, the city government continues to strengthen its interaction with grassroots neighborhood leaders, allowing local opinions to be fully expressed. For example, after active feedback from the local community regarding the impact of undergrounding the railway on local transportation, the city government proposed the southward relocation plan for the Pingzhen excavation section, which was adopted by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. All of this was made possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of legislators, local neighborhood leaders, and council members.
In healthcare policies, Mayor Chang mentioned that to take care of the health of the citizens, the city government has been promoting an expansion of lung cancer screening programs. Currently, there are more than 18,000 applicants. In addition to identifying 849 suspected cases for follow-up, 45 confirmed cases have been found and are receiving treatment. In the future, the city government will expand the target population for screening, and based on the analysis of screening data, assess high-risk areas and occupations of the patients for policy development. The city government will also enhance Taoyuan’s healthcare capacity, including the establishment of a small municipal hospital in the Fuxing district and a municipal hospital in the southern district.
Furthermore, to provide comprehensive assistance for more women in their family and career development, Taoyuan City has taken the lead in Taiwan by introducing special programs such as egg freezing nutritional subsidies and postpartum depression psychological counseling. Currently, nearly four thousand residents have received assistance through these initiatives.
In food safety policies, Mayor Chang stated that to ensure the food safety of the citizens, the city government has established a joint food inspection mechanism involving the Department of Public Health, Department of Legal Affairs, and Department of Agriculture, among others. Starting from January of this year (2023), whether it’s concerning ractopamine in food, residual radiation, or the incident involving moldy Thai eggs, the city government has been taking immediate action.
In response to the recent issue of imported eggs, the city government has proactively conducted inspections on major retailers, supermarkets, traditional stores, egg sorting facilities, and egg product factories. They were among the first in the country to discover nearly 1.5 million eggs with expired dates and cases of misleading origin labeling. Mayor Chang has also urged the Department of Education to pay close attention to the sources of eggs used in school nutrition programs, ensuring the food safety of schoolchildren.
In urban development policies, Mayor Chang pointed out that Taoyuan is a city actively under construction. To ensure the safety of various construction sites and their surrounding environments, the city government took the lead at the beginning of this year by proposing five major safety measures, which include establishing an external review system for construction plans, conducting inspections of on-site safety measures, creating a big data database, implementing dedicated engineering personnel and site supervisors, and establishing a mechanism for handling damages to neighboring properties to prevent accidents.
Mayor Chang stated that in the previous session, several council members raised concerns about the noise generated by modified vehicles, which was affecting the peacefulness of citizens’ lives. In response, the city government introduced the “Silent Taoyuan Project,” collaborating with agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection and the Police Department to actively enforce regulations. Additionally, the city promoted traceability, legislative amendments, and called on motorcycle businesses to help curb illegal vehicle modifications. Since the launch of this project, there has been a significant increase in reports and notifications of noise pollution, while the number of vehicles reported by citizens for excessive noise has decreased by 13%. This policy has been emulated by other five municipalities in Taiwan, and the central government has also agreed to review relevant regulations and propose legislative amendments. The Ministry of the Environment and the Highways Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have come to Taoyuan to explain the progress of legislative amendments and have recognized that the city government's efforts have set a precedent nationwide. All of these changes are attributed to the active feedback from council members.
In addition, many council members have also raised concerns about the numerous children’s playgrounds in Taoyuan City that were suspended due to non-compliance with the new safety regulations set by the central government. In response, the city government has conducted a thorough inventory and improvement of all 354 public children’s playgrounds in Taoyuan. To date, 337 of these playgrounds have been inspected and brought up to standard, achieving a completion rate of 95%. The remaining 11 playgrounds will be completed by the end of this year, and the final 6 will be completed in the coming year (2024), ensuring that all children in Taoyuan can grow up happily in safe and secure play spaces.
Mayor Chang pointed out that, to address issues related to the aging urban landscape, the city government has established the “Future Urban Space Development Committee.” Through the improvement of pedestrian spaces, the connection of art and cultural districts, and the creation of pedestrian scenic corridors, the plan is to create a model area for urban revitalization, injecting new vitality into the old urban areas.
In the city government’s organizational restructuring policies, Mayor Chang emphasized the need to break free from the traditional mold for the long-term development of the city. To enhance the well-being and rights of women and children, the city government proposed the organizational regulations for the “Department of Women and Children” in this council term. Furthermore, he noted that government departments have traditionally lacked an operational model driven by technology in municipal governance. Information-related resources have often been scattered across different departments, making effective integration challenging, and there has been a lack of uniform progress throughout the government. As a result, the city government introduced the organizational regulations for the “Smart City and Community Development Commission,” combining information technology expertise with research and planning functions to serve as the engine for technology-driven governance within the city government.
In terms of investment promotion policies, Mayor Chang mentioned that in August of this year, he led a delegation to the United States and signed a memorandum of cooperation with Plug and Play, the world's largest startup accelerator, with the aim of expanding overseas markets for Taoyuan’s startups. Furthermore, the American artificial intelligence giant, Nvidia, is set to establish a presence in the Taoyuan Farglory Free Trade Zone. This development not only enhances the industrial competitiveness and drives the industrial supply chain but also provides ample employment opportunities, becoming a new force that propels Taoyuan towards becoming a technological hub.
Finally, Mayor Chang stated that in these 291 days, the city government has cultivated a unique cultural identity for Taoyuan. The World Hakka Expo launched in August attracted more than 8.5 million visitors. Combining diverse cultural events such as Daxidaxi, Minnan Festival, Land Art Festival, Creative Expo, and ACGT Fair, the city government has allowed the public to gain a deeper understanding of Taoyuan’s rich multicultural heritage and creative capacity.
The Longgang Rice Noodle Festival and Land Art Festival, both organized by the city government, have been selected by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to be included in the latest edition of the Taiwan Tourism Events. This recognition elevates Taoyuan’s cultural and special celebrations to iconic events in Taiwan. The World Pavilion at the World Hakka Expo and the Minnan Festival received the Gold Award and Platinum Award, respectively, in the Muse Design Awards in the United States. The 2023 Taoyuan International ACGT Fair also received the Melbourne Design Gold Award and the London Design Silver Award. These domestic and international recognitions represent the best portrayal of the city’s transformation.
The Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Water Resources’ implementation of the air quality IoT platform and the 3D Geographic Information System for water resources management has led Taoyuan to be recognized as one of the top 50 smart cities globally this year. This not only showcases Taoyuan’s technological governance capabilities to the world but also makes Taoyuan the only Asian city to receive a dual award acknowledgment.