TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei's Yongkang Street launched its first-ever weekend pedestrian zone on Saturday as part of a month-long trial.

The pedestrian zone is in effect every Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. until June 10, per UDN. During this period, vehicles will be banned from a 250-meter stretch of Yongkang Street between Xinyi Road Section 2 and Lane 14. 

Although Taipei's Department of Transportation had initially worried that Saturday morning downpours would reduce foot traffic, the weather cleared up in the afternoon. With the Mother’s Day weekend also bringing in more people, local neighborhood leaders and Taipei's Office of Commerce teamed up to host themed activities, drawing large crowds.

Few people were initially walking on the street, but as word spread about the street closure, the number of people grew. 

Borough Chief Lee Ming-ying (李明螢) welcomed the trial and suggested using weekly activities to raise awareness of the weekend closures, such as the Mother’s Day event at Yongkang Park. Lee also recommended that the city provide more trash bins to help maintain cleanliness.

Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻), head of the Taipei City Government Department of Transportation, said that during the trial period, the department will collect traffic signal data and traffic volume, and ask shop owners, residents, and tourists to complete surveys. Hsieh said a review meeting will be held every Monday to evaluate the previous weekend and make adjustments as needed.