Boom boxes prohibited in Ximending area after 9pm

CURFEW:
Repeated complaints from residents despite the 10pm curfew is why the Department of Cultural Affairs brought the ban an hour forward

• By Yang Hsin-hui
  and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The use of boom boxes, microphones and other sound-enhancing devices in Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) area after 9pm would be prohibited from Monday when new rules go into effect, the Taipei City Government said on Wednesday.

The amendments were made to the Management of Applications for Artists Performing at the Ximending Pedestrian Area (台北市信義及西門徒步區街頭藝人從事藝文展演活動申請管理要點).

The new regulations are intended to address residents’ complaints that Ximending was a source of loud noise that affected surrounding neighborhoods.

Photo: CNA

In addition to the amendments barring sound enhancement equipment, the rules also address the size of awnings or umbrellas over stalls, stating that these should not obscure the entrances of other stores or store-front signs or impede pedestrians.

However, as Ximending is a longtime favorite hotspot for street artists and performers, some artists and performers are already expressing their discontent online.

The performers said the performance ban in Ximending had previously been set for 10pm, and moving it to an hour earlier was too restrictive.

They also complained that the Department of Cultural Affairs failed to consult with performers before enacting the regulations.

Asked for comment, the department said the decision to restrict sound-enhancing equipment to 9pm was due to repeated complaints from residents in the area.

Many residents had complained in the past, but the issue had not been ameliorated despite the 10pm cutoff and police patrols being dispatched to warn the performers, it said.

From tomorrow, any failure to make improvements after being warned would result in a write-up, and if performers accrue three write-ups in a year, they would be prohibited from applying and performing in the area for the following year, the department said.

The area receiving the most complaints was near exit 6 of the Ximending MRT station, it said, adding that other performing areas, including those on Wuhan Street and Hangzhong Street, received fewer complaints.

The department said it would mull the possibility of limiting restrictions to specific exhibition points.