Roadlamps were removed at a highway strip in Pingtung ahead of the Han Kuang military exercise. Local officials said it is unfair for them to shoulder the cost of removing and reinstalling the lamps.
Only the bases of the road lamps remain along the 3-kilometer Jiadung highway strip between Jiadung and Fangliao townships. This is Taiwan's only highway strip. The five road lamps along the strip were removed ahead of the Han Kuang military exercise on Sept. 15, which was the first time the strip was used. It's been over two months, but the road lamps are still missing.
Area Resident: “Even the smallest alleys have lights (at night). There are a lot of accidents around here with people driving too fast and not being able to brake in time.”
Area Resident: “It's better to have road lights for better visibility.”
Area residents say there is high traffic volume along the stretch and lights are crucial for safety. As fixed lights are not allowed on highway strips, lamps can only be placed at intersections. The Fangliao Township Office is blasting the military for removing the lights for the exercise and then telling the township it had to foot the bill to reinstall them.
Chen Ya-ling, Fangliao Township Chief: “The military removed the lights for its exercise and then told us to reinstall them ourselves. This is so wrong.”
The township says it already has to pay the electricity bill for many of the traffic lights along the strip and the military is putting the township in financial distress. It is calling on the central government to confront the issue and provide a solution.
只剩基座的路燈，無法照明，長達3公里的佳冬戰備道，橫跨枋寮鄉與佳冬鄉，是全台唯一在省道的戰備道。9月15日漢光演習，第一次有戰機在跑道降落，因應當時演習將路口的路燈拔除，演訓過了快2個月，路燈還是沒復位。
當地居民表示:「（晚上）又看不到，連那種小巷子都有設一個路燈就是這樣，常常車禍，這邊也常車禍，速度又很快，又挺快。再來煞不住，碰一下就撞上。」
也有民眾表示:「有路燈比較好啦，較好走路（行車）。」
民眾說，戰備跑道寬又長、東西向路口也多，路燈真的很重要。礙於法令，戰備道中間不能設固定式路燈，才改由公路局在橫向路口設路燈。枋寮鄉公所表示，配合演習拔除路燈，後續卻要公所負擔復位費用，相當不公平。
屏東枋寮鄉長陳亞麟表示：「為了配合國軍演習，將這個路燈拔除，但是國軍竟然要求我們要去，自己要去恢復路燈的設置，我覺得這個非常的不公平。」
枋寮鄉公所表示，轄區也承接許多戰備道的路燈電費，支出吃力，這次又得自付電燈復位費用，增加財政困難；公所除了積極籌經費因應，也希望中央正視，提供解套辦法。
