In extending the past clean air zone promotion policy, it is hoped that the certain special controlling areas could evolve into “air quality maintenance zones,” in which there would be strengthened restriction or prohibited driving of all vehicles with high pollution, including diesel vehicles, old and two-stroke motorcycles. Therefore, the various counties and cities originally made plans in the direction of the related policies. They hoped to use license plate recognition system to replace police spot checks to save manpower, and intended to establish a database platform for controlling and cross-checking vehicle registration information in order to carry out vehicle inspection and control work in the air quality maintenance zones. After the Amendment to Air Pollution Control Act was passed, in accordance with Article 40, the competent authority may plan and establish air quality maintenance zones to control or prohibit specific mobile pollution sources within. Nevertheless, promulgation of this Amendment caused a backlash from specific vehicle groups, which has protested for multiple times. In this City, the protesters even smashed cars while marching to the City Hall, and forced the government to change the policy and inspection, thus creating a lot of problems. In fact it is highly difficult to implement control or prohibit driving of vehicles in the planned and established air quality maintenance zones. Therefore, after discussion and evaluation of the impacts and effects, investigation and analysis are still made continuously this year for the main vehicles coming to and out of the feasible air quality maintenance zones. Besides, focusing on the planned and established zones (Anping Commercial Port, Chimei Museum, Jianshanpi Jiangnan Resort, Hutoupi Scenic Area), related management departments were invited to hold Mobile Pollution Source Control Promotion and Negotiation Meeting on November 25. In the future, those interested parties being affected by the impacts shall be invited to hold a negotiation meeting to discuss the matters concerning the planned and established zones, and to promote the control measures, with a hope to minimize the impacts and effects.
Through implementing this plan, license plate recognition systems were installed, and back-end information collection was established. Notification of inspection was sent out to the owners of the diesel vehicles not under control, and second reminders of inspection were sent out to the motorcycle owners with their motorcycles uninspected upon expiry dates. The equipment for license plate recognition system was used, in an attempt to apply it as a combined noise inspection and control device. Through collection of vehicle license recognition data as well as cross-check and analysis of the vehicle registration information, driving vehicle information and high pollution maps can be provided to different areas to serve as a reference in future for drafting of mobile pollution source control strategies as well as control measures for planning and establishment of air quality maintenance zones.
1. Implementation period of this plan
The implementation period of this plan was from March 26, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Statistics on the implementation results of the final report are as of December 31, 2020.
2. Main implementation results
(1) According to the statistics as of December 31, the total number of recognized license plates was 636,309 vehicles (318,466 diesel vehicles, 317,841 motor vehicles). After ruling out the invalid license plates, and then filtering and cross-checking the number of vehicles with license plates repeating letters and numbers, there were 54,401 running-times of diesel vehicles, and 164,300 running-times of motorcycles (exclusive of automobiles), with a total of 218,701 vehicles.
(2) Focusing on the diesel vehicles not under control and those motorcycles uninspected upon expiry dates, notifications of inspection were sent out to their owners. There was a total of 21,567 cases (12,040 cases of motorcycles, 9,527 cases of diesel vehicles) with notifications of inspection being sent out.
(3) This plan divides the license plate recognition areas into six types of major zones: general roads, industrial districts, air quality measurement stations, highway interchanges, air quality maintenance zones (Anping Commercial Port, Chimei Museum, Jianshanpi Jiangnan Resort, Hutoupi Scenic Area), and incineration plants (Chengxi, Yongkang). Amongst them in this city, the registered vehicles at the air quality measurement stations account for the highest percentage and those with second highest percentage are in incineration plants. As to other counties and cities, the registered vehicles at highway interchanges account for the highest percentage, and those with second highest percentage are on general roads. No matter the vehicles were in this city or in other counties and cities, the vehicle type of small truck accounts for the highest percentage; and the vehicle type of large truck accounts for the second highest percentage.
(4) Related advocacy work had been completed, including two press release articles, one radio broadcast (75 times of continuous broadcasting for 10 days), and two electronic road signs about subsidy for large diesel vehicles.
(5) Assistance was given for receipt, review and remittance operation of applications for different diesel vehicle subsidies. There was a total of 992 applications received; and 983 cases (878 cases of replacement of the old vehicles, 94 cases of adjustment and repair, 11 cases of additional installation of smoke filter) had been reviewed, and had subsidies approved and remitted.
3. Suggestions
(1) Improvement action during the period with poor air quality
During the period with poor air quality, it is suggested that at the upwind road sections around the air quality measurement stations (in Tainan, Annan, Xinying, Madou), potential air pollution road sections should be specified in accordance with the license plate recognition results. Roadblocks and spot checks of diesel vehicles and motorcycles should be implemented every month. During the period with poor air quality, contingency and improvement action should be taken, and would become a reference for making inspection control plans.
(2) Expansion of improvement action for vehicle survey
It is suggested that the license plate recognition results at the various interchanges in the jurisdiction area (interchanges of Rende, Yongkang, Anding, Madou, Xinshi, Xinying and express highway No. 61) can be cross-checked with those in different industrial districts in order to see whether the diesel vehicles driving from these interchanges and express highways have entered the industrial districts in the jurisdiction area, and investigate what the major vehicle groups and industries entering the industrial districts are. Subsequently, focusing on the diesel vehicles not under control and those with high pollution, notifications of inspection will be continuously sent out to their owners, who would also be provided with an inspection plan of diesel vehicle planned station as a reference.
(3) Vehicle survey in air quality maintenance zones
It is suggested that license plate recognition equipment should be installed at the entrance and exit gates of the planned and established air quality maintenance zones in order to investigate the percentage and vehicle types of phase 1 to phase 3 large diesel vehicles entering the zones. Based on the data, interested parties affected by the impacts can be invited to attend the subsequently held negotiation meeting. Through consultation and discussion, the impacts and effects will be reduced to the least possible level or amount.
