TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese man on Friday (Feb. 17) spotted dozens of school children in southern Taiwan holding onto a rope due to a lack of a sidewalk.
Robert Huang uploaded a photo showing at least 50 elementary school students holding a rope as they walk in line. Huang wrote, "I just passed by this and it felt so sad that they had to create such a 'sidewalk' to protect themselves."
Huang said Taiwan has recently been labeled a "hell for pedestrians," and added that pedestrians' right of way should be taken seriously. He claimed that people encounter difficulties traversing Taiwan's streets, but have become resigned to the situation.
He argued that improving pedestrian zones would not only be good to attract tourists, but is essential for the "daily life of a civilized city."
Based on the photo, SET News identified the area as Wenzhong Street in Kaohsiung City's Fengshan District. Because there is no sidewalk on the main road, school children hold up a rope to form their own "moving sidewalk," while guarding the outer perimeter.
A Taiwanese Facebook page has labeled Taiwan as a "living hell for pedestrians," drawing attention from international media such as CNN, which, in December last year, claimed Taiwan suffers from "battlefield-like" traffic conditions. There are approximately 400 traffic accidents in Taiwan that result in the death of pedestrians every year, while in New Taipei City alone, there were 8,000 traffic accidents involving pedestrians, according to the New Taipei City Police Department.
