The Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government has received the First Prize in the Social Progress category of the 2025 Common Wealth Magazine Award for Excellence in City Governance with its project “Innovative Road Markings, Walkable Streets.” The jury recognized Kaohsiung’s ability to, under budgetary constraints and tight timelines, implement low-cost improvements through road markings, slim down traffic lanes, and reallocate road space to provide pedestrian access while balancing parking needs. This approach addressed the challenges of urban traffic management and echoed the words of renowned American urban planning critic Jane Jacobs: “Streets without pedestrians are like bodies without souls.”
Pursuing the goal of “Vision Zero”, the Bureau advanced the “Three Arrows of Traffic Engineering”—namely, left-turn auxiliary lanes, road-marking roundabouts, and parking-bay protective designs to improve pedestrian–vehicle interaction. Taiwan’s first road-marking roundabout was established at the intersection of Wunheng 3rd Road in Cianjhen District, reducing accident rates by nearly 70 percent. On Bo-Ai 1st Road, the city pioneered parking-bay protected bicycle lanes, granting cyclists dedicated right-of-way and ensuring pedestrians a safer walking environment.
In recent years, the Bureau has completed 134 sections of road-marking pedestrian paths, gradually introducing designs that integrate buffer zones so that citizens can experience safety and comfort in daily travel. Statistics show that traffic casualties in Kaohsiung have steadily decreased, with the 30-day traffic fatalities in 2024 reduced by 58 compared with 2022.
Beyond engineering measures, the Bureau emphasizes public communication and participation. Through local workshops and on-site walk-throughs, it invited city councilors, village chiefs, and residents to jointly discuss designs and even allowed citizens to sketch their visions of street renewal. This bottom-up process has built community consensus, transforming street improvement from mere physical infrastructure into a public dialogue on quality of life.
The Bureau stated that this award is not only recognition of the team’s dedication but also the beginning of greater responsibility. Moving forward, the Bureau will continue to deepen its people-oriented approach and advance left-turn auxiliary lanes, road-marking roundabouts, and parking-bay buffered pedestrian and bicycle lanes. By integrating smart traffic signals and big data analytics, and through inter-departmental collaboration and public–private partnerships, Kaohsiung will shape a safe, smart, and sustainable traffic environment—making the city one where walking feels secure and everyday life is enhanced.
