Mayor’s remarks:
I.New ramp in the northbound direction of Tainan Rende System Interchange to be opened before Lunar New Year Festival
1. During its construction 30 years ago, the Tainan Rende System Interchange of the National Freeway No. 1 adopted a simple diamond-shape design that resulted in severe traffic jams on nearby ground level roads during peak hours. Most traffic congestion complaints received by the government since the integration of Tainan County and Tainan City were related to this particular road section.
2. I have raised this urgent issue during the Executive Yuan meetings and finally convinced the central government of the importance of this matter and secured relevant support. Collaboration between the local and central governments will be implemented. The Tainan City Government carried out first carry out a feasibility study, after which the project was transferred to Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) for subsequent design and construction. The strategy of targeting the root cause and gradual improvement was adopted. We first identified bottlenecks along the ramps and intersections that are prone to traffic congestion before adopting both traffic management and construction methods to resolve each issue. The improvement will be carried out in four stages. Stages 1 through 3 were completed in 2015. Stage 4, which was the most challenging, involved changing the 1 entrance 1 exit design to a 2 entrance 1 exit design. Change in for the northbound entrance ramp has been completed and opened to traffic on June 24, 2016. Finally, the new northbound exit ramp will be completed and opened to traffic before this upcoming Lunar New Year. This project, in combination with the Dawan Interchange, opened to traffic on July 6, 2016, will help to alleviate traffic issues along the Yongkang and Rende System Interchanges and ensure smoother trips for travelers during the Lunar New Year festival. I hereby request the Transportation Bureau, Police Bureau, and Rende District Office to carry out another round of review of traffic signals and signs before the Lunar New Year festival to ensure that they are working properly.
3. Since assuming the office of Tainan Mayor, I have regarded the construction projects of the Liuying Interchange, Dawan Interchange, and improvements to the Rende System Interchange as one of the most important infrastructure and transportation programs in the city, and included them as part of the Convenience for Greater Tainan project under the Ten Flagship Projects of New Tainan that is provided with a construction budget of about NT$ 1.945 billion. In addition to expressing my gratitude towards Deputy Mayor Wu, Director General Su of the Public Works Bureau, and Director-General Chang of the Transportation Bureau for their active participation in these projects, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the central government for their support in ensuring that construction could be completed on schedule.
II.February 6th Earthquake Anniversary - Tour of Gratitude to Japan
1. The first anniversary of the February 6th Earthquake will soon be here. I therefore arranged a tour to Japan to express our gratitude towards the country and her various agencies and groups, giving an address at the Kisha Club (reporters’ club) in Tokyo to make use of mass media and reports in offering our thanks to Japan and various Japanese agencies for showing concern and providing support to Taiwan during the earthquake, and to share our opinions regarding Taiwan-Japan exchanges.
2. On the day that the earthquake occurred in Tainan, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrote a letter to Taiwan and expressed his willingness to provide aid. Within 14 hours of the disaster, Japan had dispatched a reserve investigation team to survey the site of the earthquake and assess the needs of Tainan City. Monetary and material donations were also provided. I was extremely touched when donations from regional groups, societies, and even individuals began to arrive in Tainan.
3. Friendly connections will be crucial to the new era of Taiwan-Japan relationships, and this friendly connection is supported by the friendship between the Taiwanese and Japanese people. To Taiwan, Japan is a neighbor akin to a family member, and vice versa.
4. I also visited President Kubo Hiroshi of the Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome and toured the stadium to learn from their experiences. I hereby express my gratitude to President Kubo and the management team for their warm welcome. The comprehensive plans and meticulous designs of the Tokyo Dome can be referenced by the future Tainan Asia-Pacific Baseball Stadium & Training Center to maximize the performance and benefits offered by the design of this Center.
5. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike and President of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly who expressed their willingness to pursue further exchanges with Tainan City.