By KHT Staff. Images via KH City/UDN/Liberty Times.
Note: This article originally said it was a mother and daughter who were killed. Later reports clarified it was a mother and her son-in-law who died. We regret the error.
KAOHSIUNG — A mother and daughter were killed in Zuoying District (左營區) on Friday evening after a driver plowed into a family of three on Jyunsiao Road (軍校路), putting Kaohsiung’s “pedestrian hell” problem back under scrutiny.
Local media reported that the family was walking along the road when they were struck. Police said that driving while fatigued is believed to be the primary cause of the crash, but a city inspection also identified a familiar combination of illegal scooter parking, limited pedestrian space, and road design issues around the site.
The Kaohsiung City Police Department (高雄市政府警察局), Transportation Bureau (交通局), Public Works Bureau (工務局), and local borough officials inspected the section at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Transportation Bureau said it would narrow traffic lanes on Jyunsiao Road and add wider separation markings, edge lines, and take other actions near the intersection of Junsiao Road and Lane 180 to discourage illegal parking and better define road space.
The Public Works Bureau said it would make short-term surface-level improvements near the crash site, while longer-term plans include adding sidewalks. The Parks Office (公園處) will review street lighting in the area. Police said they would also increase enforcement against illegal sidewalk parking and speeding.
City officials said they would use both engineering changes and stronger enforcement to reduce risks along the road section, and urged drivers and scooter riders not to park illegally or block pedestrian space.
The crash is another reminder that pedestrians in parts of Kaohsiung are still forced into dangerous roadside spaces where sidewalks are missing, blocked, or poorly protected. In a city trying to shake the “pedestrian hell” label, painted lines and warnings will not be enough if people still have nowhere safe to walk.
