The Beikeng hiking trail in Gonglaoping, Fengyuan District, is narrow with insufficient parking space, and residents have set up private fences. Yesterday, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung visited the site. He instructed the Construction Bureau to create additional parking lots, widen the trail, and enhance greening and beautification efforts. Next year, the city government will allocate additional funds to conduct a comprehensive review of Taichung’s hiking trails, providing citizens with better recreational spaces.
The Zhongzheng Park parking lot can only accommodate 50 passenger cars, and it fills up during holidays, forcing hikers to park along mountain roads, leading to traffic congestion. Legislator Chiang Chi-chen inspected the area twice, in April and June this year, and identified an unused public plot at the entrance of Beikeng Lane that could serve as a rest and parking area for the public. Chiang said he had lobbied the National Property Administration to allocate the land to the Taichung City Government, and all related procedures were complete, though the land, currently designated for agricultural use, requires a change in zoning.
The Construction Bureau stated that the site covers approximately 0.2 hectares, which could accommodate around 30 to 35 parking spaces. The initial plan is to use highly permeable gravel for the surface, with trees and flowering plants planted around the perimeter. Design is expected to be completed by October this year, with construction starting in November and taking about 50 days. Regarding concerns raised by the local village chief that a small portion of the planned parking site is privately owned, the Construction Bureau promised to coordinate with the landowners.
The Gonglaoping Beikeng hiking trail was originally built by hikers and has deteriorated significantly after years of use. Earlier this year, Legislator Chiang Chi-chen initiated the “Three Peaks Heritage, Stone Slab Relay” campaign to help repair parts of the trail. In June, he engaged the Council of Agriculture’s Soil and Water Conservation Bureau under the Rural Regeneration Program, in collaboration with the Gonglaoping Industry Development Association and the Nansong Community Development Association, to bring in public sector resources for the trail’s improvement, with completion expected by the end of the year.