Transportation

Transportation Bureau Director Chang Shu-chuan (張淑娟) said the trial is aimed in part at helping owners of medium and large dogs, who have had fewer options for taking their pets on public transportation because of size restrictions.

The G7 has a suggested price of NT$125,800, which puts it well above the price of many standard white-plate scooters. Kymco is trying to sell it as a more premium model, with stronger performance, extra safety features, and a more advanced design.

The project is important for many in both Tainan and Kaohsiung, as traffic on National Freeway 1 continues to worsen. A diversion plan similar to the “stacked on top” Wuyang Elevated Highway in northern Taiwan has reportedly been evaluated for the Tainan-Kaohsiung corridor but deemed unworkable, leaving the Route 61 extension as one of the main long-term alternatives for traffic relief.

City officials said traffic safety work remains ongoing and called for public cooperation, saying the government will continue pursuing its “4-E” strategy for improvement: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Encouraging public transportation.

If successful, the pilot could offer a relatively simple way to improve walking conditions at some of the city’s most exposed transfer points. But the broader debate is likely to center on whether Kaohsiung is prepared to treat shade as essential public infrastructure rather than a seasonal afterthought.

The proposed “Kaohsiung Solution” (高雄方案) for the High-Speed Rail (HSR) southward extension will generate an average of 160 gravel truck trips per day through Sanmin District (三民區). While the exact duration of the project remains undetermined pending a second-stage environmental impact assessment, Kaohsiung City Councilor Cheng Meng-ju (鄭孟洳) warned Tuesday that the scale of excavation will create a multi-year logistical burden for the city.