The HSPB-County-City Mutual Benefit Summit jointly organized by the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau (HSPB) and the governments of Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County and Miaoli County was held in Miaoli today (June 27th). In attendance and co-chairing the summit were Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke; Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an; Miaoli County Magistrate Chung Tung-chin; Hsinchu Science Park Director General Wayne Wang; and Allied Association for Science Parks Industries Board of Directors Chair CK Lee. They discussed a variety of proposals on traffic conditions/transportation, investment, and other topics, aimed at continued mutual prosperity and shared benefits between HSP, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, and Miaoli County.
The summit was attended by groups from the city and county governments, HSPB and manufacturer representatives, and more. Six proposals resolved in the previous summit were first discussed. These included: Promotion of flexible working hours to help solve traffic congestion during peak hours; proposed formats for HSPB-County-City Mutual Benefit Summits; encouraging companies to promote working from home; promoting an integrated communications platform for traffic/transportation issues between Hsinchu City and County; improvement of the Baoshan Interchange, and improving Baoshan Township’s road connections to HSP; and starting a shuttle bus service, to run from east of the National Freeway 1 Zhubei section to HSPB.
The “flexible working hours to help solve traffic congestion” and “promoting working from home” proposals would reduce overall traffic by 40% or so in comparison to HSP traffic levels before and after the Level-3 pandemic alert. Thus, the HSPB sent official letters to Science Park companies in April, recommending that companies find ways to allow employees to work from home one day a week. The HSPB also recommended making staggered working-hour start and end times official. The proposals will be continuously promoted in the future.
Future summits are tentatively scheduled to be held every three months, with the next meeting to be organized by Hsinchu County in September. For the integrated Hsinchu County/City traffic/transportation-issue communications platform, five specific collaboration programs have been approved, and implementation measures are ongoing. In regards to the Baoshan Interchange proposal, Hsinchu County Government and HSPB have collaborated to promote projects such as the Feasibility Study on Improvement of the National Highway No. 3 Baoshan Interchange, and applied for grants from the central government. More collaborative promotion will be continued in the future.
Regarding the shuttle bus proposal, Hsinchu County Government has discussed bus routes, timetables, and other such issues with HSPB. Further discussion is scheduled for opening shuttle bus or city bus service, bus routes, frequency, etc. This proposal will continue to be followed up on.
Ten new collaboration proposals were also submitted at the summit. One of these was promoting introductions/transfers of potential investing companies to start plants in areas under HSPB/City/County government management. The proposal recommended that HSPB/City/County investment recruiters compile and exchange information on idle industrial land. Once investment demand from potential companies is known, if the HSPB, City, or County cannot meet their needs, such investors should be guided elsewhere in the HSPB/City/County. This way, investment can be retained within the HSPB/City/County area.
The proposal to add shuttle bus stops in Tongluo Science Park recommended that, due to insufficient space in the park, separate shuttle buses and stops should be added to meet needs. Another proposal, to expand the HSPB's Zhunan Site and Neighboring Areas Special Zone Development Project, recommended that the HSPB expand urban planning at their Zhunan site to include areas already approved by the Ministry of the Interior for expansion, and list the site as a major national construction project.
There were other proposals as well, such as alleviating unauthorized parking by plant-constructing personnel at Zhunan Science Park; internships at HSPB companies; using recycled waste glass materials to pave HSP roads. All were passed as proposed. The Leading Bus Project – a project to construct charging sites for electric buses – will be integrated into Science Park Bureau's orange line and red line shuttle buses. These will then become the first routes that go directly from Hsinchu City to HSP. Plans have also been made to introduce fast charging sites for electric buses.
The HSPB/Hsinchu County/ Hsinchu City/Miaoli County proposal to charge for trash collection on a per-bag basis will receive further discussion and deliberation. Other proposals, such as workplace metabolic syndrome referrals and implementation for egg freezing subsidies/AMH blood test promotion, have been approved and will be arranged.