Protesters March in Five Cities Calling for Safer Roads for Pedestrians

A pedestrian rights' movement gets a fresh jolt of energy with marches in five cities for safer roads.

Transcript

00:00Across the country, it's a weekend of protests by pedestrians fed up with the state of Taiwan's

00:07roads. The behavior of Taiwan's drivers has earned the country travel warnings from foreign

00:11governments. A 2022 CNN article even branded the country a pedestrian hell. A grassroots

00:18movement has since taken off, aiming to give sidewalks and pedestrian lanes back to the

00:22people. A year on from big marches in 2023, protesters are back to let drivers and officials

00:28know that the movement still has legs.

00:47The agitation has had an impact. Since last year's rallies, the government's passed two

00:52pieces of legislation meant to protect people out on foot. Last year also saw pedestrian deaths

00:57drop to 380, a 16-year low. But organizers say 380 deaths is 380 too many. And protesters

01:05are focusing on one area for change, basic infrastructure.

01:16It's still not uncommon to see scooters in pedestrian lanes or delivery trucks blocking

01:20them as drivers drop off packages. And these protesters say that it all has to stop.

01:26Organizers hope two days of protests across the country will drive that message home.

01:31Howard Zhang and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.