Taichung has the highest crime rate of all the major cities of Taiwan. Kidnapping, sexual assault, prostitution, illegal gambling, organized crime and burglary are of major concerns for local inhabitants. Much of the crime is ignored by the local police authorities.
Air pollution in Taichung is one of the most obvious problems for residents. Taichung is the third largest city and like many other Taiwanese cities, notorious for the poor air quality. Taichung is on a coastal plain surrounded by mountains, which trap pollutants. The primary cause of urban air pollution is the large number of vehicles (mostly motorbikes and scooters) used by residents. There are more than 11 million scooters in Taiwan and the per capita distribution in Taichung is much higher because of the lack of public transportation available.
Despite the rhetoric by both the elected and appointed government the EPA has failed in its attempts to solve the motorbike problem. In July 1999 the EPA began issuing monetary rewards to residents who report cars and motorbikes that emit unusual amounts of dark exhaust but the program never made it past the pilot program. The agency also made poor use of subsidies intended to encourage the purchase of fuel efficient and low-emission vehicles. Motor vehicles are subject to air pollution control (APC) fees levied by the EPA. These fees also are applied to larger emitters like factories. The government credits the APC system with helping to reduce the number of days when the country's pollution standard index score exceeded 100 from 7% of days in 1994 to 3% of days in 2001. However the cultural norm encouraging creative accounting and the general lack of accountability in Taiwan makes official statistics highly suspect.
Under no circumstances should untreated tap water be used for human consumption. Despite the affluence of the local inhabitants, water pollution is considered a significant threat to the health of Taichung's people as well as to the economy. Agricultural run-off, coastal aquaculture, industrial effluents, and domestic sewage are responsible for the pollution of coastal areas, surface water and ground water in Taichung. Water pollution is most severe in areas with a high concentration of industrial activity such as the Taichung industrial park and surrounding areas. Much of the fault lies with Taiwan's inadequate sewer system, which covers only 10% of the country as well as the inability of both local and regional governing authorities to enforce existing regulations.
There are three schools in Taichung City designed to educate children of expatriate residents of the Taichung area. A foreign passport is required to enter any of these schools.
Sea Port
Taichung harbor is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping.
The port is closed to unauthorized personnel and there are no passenger ferry services available from the Taichung port.
Inner City Traffic
Driving in Taichung City is as bad as other less developed Asian cities. Driving in the downtown area is as arduous as Taipei or other large Taiwanese cities. Unlike other major cities, Taichung has no expressway crossing the city and roadwork or construction is done primarily during rush hour. The heaviest traffic congestion is on Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), which can can come to a stand still not only during rush hour, but also on weekends or late evenings as many of the most popular shopping centers and movie theaters are on that stretch of road. Traffic lights are not synchronized and traffic censors are not properly utilized. Traffic conditions are on par with Mexico or Mainland China. Hit and run accidents are very common and offenders are rarely cited. The local police tend to do sobriety test primarily on drivers that fail to flee the scene of the accident. There are wide, two-lane roads with a number of narrower one-lane roads but thay are more often used for parking or motor scooter traffic. The downtown area is vaugly a grid pattern with Tsu-you Road (自由路) and Sanmin (三民路) running basically southwest to northeast while Jhongjheng Road (中正路) and Linsen Road (林森路) run northwest from the center of the city.
A large number of multi-lane roads then lead out of the downtown area in all directions. Some of them are divided by a physical barrier or median to enhance safety. These roads include Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), WuChuan West Road (五權西路), Beitun Road (北屯路), Taiyuan Road (太原路), HanXi Road (旱溪路), KuoKuang Road (國光路), WuChuan South Road (五權南路) and WenHsin South Road (文心南路).
There is no Mass Transit System (MRT) in Taichung and the local public bus system is considered the worst on the island. Many bus stops are nothing more than signs with no buses servicing the stops. On average there is one motorcycle per person in Taichung. Stop lights and lane indicators are generally observed on major streets but often are viewed more as suggestions rather than legally enforced traffic rules. Speed limits, when posted, are not enforced, making traffic conditions some of the most dangerous on the island. With a small percentage of street signs displaying romanized or English characters, navigation is difficult. In addition, visible steet signs and building or house numbers that are mandated by the central governing authority are not common, thus finding specific locations or addresses is extremely difficult.
Sidewalks are a rarity in Taichung, available on a few major streets and then only intermittently. Public sidewalks are considered to be the personal property of the nearest building residents as are public parking spaces. As a result sidewalks are primarily used for car and motorcycle parking as well as front room extensions for nearby homes and businesses. Public parking spaces tend to be used to store unwanted refuse or family gardens. Pedestrians are generally forced to share the roads with automobile traffic and a seemingly endless river of motorcycles.
Freeways and Expressways
National Highway No. 1 (國道一號), also known as the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway, passes through the western part of the city and has three interchanges in Taichung City. One is at Jhongching Road (中清路), another at Taichung Harbor Road (中港路) and the southernmost at Wuchuan West Road (五權西路).
Provincial Highway No. 74 (中彰快速道路), also known as the Taichung-Changhua Expressway, runs from northwestern Taichung City through part of Taichung County into the northern part of Changhua City just to the south of Taichung. At some points, it is just a few dozen meters east of the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway. While it doesn't connect directly to that highway, it does have an interchange with National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan) (國道三號) in Taichung County.
Taichung International Airport
The Taichung International Airport is the third and newest international airport on Taiwan.
The Taichung International Airport civilian terminal is located on the western corner of CCK Air Force Base, about 20 km from Taichung City. The main road linking Taichung and the airport is Zhong Qing (Jung Ching) Rd. (Route 10). The airport is also located within a kilometer of the National Highway Number 3, Shalu exit.
In 2002 Ministry of Transportation and Communications began working on a plan to move air traffic from Taichung's Shui Nan Airport to the Ching Chuan Kang (CCK) Air Force base as a first step to converting CCK into a new international airport to facilitate larger aircraft.
The airport opened in early 2004, and the expanded facility at Ching Chuan Kang (CCK) Air Force Base has a much longer runway capable of handling larger aircraft. International charter flight service from the city began the same day.
The opening of the The Taichung International Airport did spark a spat of controversy about being incomplete and safety concerns were raised. The fact that Taiwan has more airports per capita than any other country in the region and prohibits private airplanes fell on deaf ears because the anticipated and protracted opening of direct links with the Chinese mainland are expected to require an increase in air traffic.
Taichung's airport currently handles daily scheduled flights between Taichung and the cities of Taipei and Hualien, as well as the offshore islands of Penghu (Pescadores) and Kinmen. Airlines operating out of Taichung include Mandarin and UNI. International air services are expected to continue growing to include charter flights between Taichung and South Korea, plus special charter flights to other destinations and possibly the Chinese mainland.
Shopping
There are numerous shopping mallsn boutiques and department stores located in Taichung City. These are primarily located on the main street called Tai Chung Gang Road and include LV, Sogo, Gucci...
Jing Ming Street attempts to be an upscale neighborhood and is known for its delicious cuisine and small restaurants. A favorite local drink translated roughly to Pearl Milk Tea got its start at the famous Jing Ming Street.
The Tian Jing Clothing Area is also popular as well as the various night markets that offer a variety of wares at reasonable prices and moderate quality.
Bargaining or negotiating a price for goods is a common practice at smaller stores, shops and markets. The service industry is Taichung's largest employer but the service industry overall, remains substandard as Taiwan continues to have serious management failings outside of the manufacturing sector.
There are numerous Day Markets and Night Markets that offer a wide variety of novelties to purchase and food to eat. The hours of operation depend on the market. Negotiating a price is acceptable.
The Jade Market at the corner of WenHsin (UenXin) and TaiZhongGong (Tai Chung Gang)is open on the weekend for shopping. Natural stone, tea, tea sets, statues of sorts, jewelry, cell phone charms, old money, etc. can be purchased. Negotiating a price is acceptable.
Famous features
Taichung is most famous for its suncakes (taiyang bing), its three major national museums, and the monumental number of KTV lounges. Taichung's Chun Shui Tang teahouse (春水堂) is where bubble tea was invented, by a teahouse owner, Liu Han Chie(劉漢介).
Of the hundreds of brothels (KTV) and gambling houses lining Taichung's streets, the enormous six story Golden Puma KTV and Brothel Mega Complex located at the main street intersection of Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路) and Wen Shin Road (文心路) is world-renowned for its seedy thrills and erotic sex shows.
Taichung First Senior High School (TCFSH, 台中一中) was the first Chinese high school established by the descendants of early Chinese immigrants to Taiwan; most other highly respected modern high schools at the time were established by the Japanese colonial authorities.
Taichung has three national museums, which makes it unique among Taiwanese cities. The largest of the three is the National Natural Science Museum; it first opened in 1993, having been under construction for more than a half of century. The National Natural Science Museum is divided into 6 different parts, including the Botanical Gardens, the Omni Max Theater, "Chinese Techno", Life Sciences and the Science Center for the Global Environment. One of the most popular places for students in Taichung is 一中街, (Yi Zhong Jie). This is a popular "hang out" for most teenagers around the Taichung area. There are many small clothing and food stores in the area. Prices tend to be lower and it is frequented by students from the major Universities in and around Taichung.
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