President Ma Ying-jeou attended the opening ceremonies of the 4th International Conference on Accessible Tourism (ICAT) on the morning of April 12 and reiterated the importance that the government places on accessible environments and related issues. The president urged government agencies to put themselves in the shoes of others and continue working to create barrier-free environments.
The president remarked that many people still encounter barriers as soon as they step out the door, so we need to show compassion. He pointed out that the government two years ago unveiled the "White Paper on Protecting the Interests of the Physically and Mentally Disabled" to serve as a framework to eliminate the barriers that such individuals encounter. Meanwhile, amendments this year were passed to the Act for Protecting the Interests of the Physically and Mentally Disabled, he said, adding that Taiwan now has a fairly comprehensive legislative framework to achieve this objective. The key now, the president mentioned, is to execute these policies effectively, and he admitted there is still room for improvement on that score.
During the president's tenure as Taipei City mayor, he pushed a project to level the surface of pedestrian arcades, and 23 kilometers of such walkways were improved during his time in office. Current Mayor Hau Lung-bin has continued the project, and 121 kilometers have now been leveled. The eventual goal is to level 170 kilometers, which would account for most pedestrian arcades in the city. The government will continue with the project to create a barrier-free pedestrian environment. President Ma also remarked that the Rehab Bus fleet for the disabled and elderly had 40 vehicles when he took office as mayor of Taipei, but was up to 121 vehicles by the time he left office. Mayor Hau has further increased the size of the fleet to 168 buses. Rehab buses charge one-third the price of taxis and can respond to over 95% of all requests for service, he said, which is an enormous help to disabled and elderly persons.
President Ma stressed that all of the aforementioned work has been carried out to ensure that people can actually feel that Taipei is a city with compassion. Since assuming the presidency, he has had even more opportunities to allocate funds for barrier-free environments throughout the entire nation, and said he hopes to see further progress on this front in the near future. The president also urged charitable organizations to continue to donate Rehab buses so long as these donations do not mean fewer ambulances. This will provide benefits to even more disabled and elderly individuals, he said.
President Ma mentioned that Chen Wan-ping, who was awarded the Presidential Education Award, wrote him a letter last year calling on the government to make the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) train stations more accessible. The president said he immediately instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to address the situation and that the TRA has already decided to build barrier-free facilities at the 93 most heavily used train stations. President Ma expressed his belief that disabled persons must be able to enjoy the same pleasures and conveniences enjoyed by those without disabilities before there will be true equality in the ROC.
President Ma remarked that 1.07 million people in Taiwan have a Disabled Person Certificate, while 2.48 million individuals are over the age of 65, which means that more and more people need a barrier-free environment. The president said the government will fulfill its responsibility and show its concern for the people by continuing to promote a barrier-free living environment.