Motorcycles with engine capacities of more than 550cc will be allowed on the country's expressways from today, but will still be excluded from freeways, a Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) official said yesterday.
The official, from the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, reminded motorcyclists riding on the 15 expressways that are connected to freeways to pay close attention to exit signs, in order to avoid ending up on a freeway.
Motorcyclists who are caught riding on freeways will be fined NT$3,000, the official said.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
J-Motors Professional Group vice president Hsiao Yu-lin (蕭毓麟) said that the regulation change had boosted his company's sales of large-engined motorcycles by about 20 percent.
Meanwhile, a National Police Agency official said that during the early stages of the new road rules, police will focus on serious violations by motorcycle riders and only issue warnings for minor violations, as riders adjust to the new regulations.
The official advised motorcycle riders to wear full-face helmets when riding on expressways and called on drivers of cars to respect the bigger motorcycles on expressways, as they enjoy the same road rights as cars.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (
Wang, who was joined by bike enthusiasts and DPP legislators Wang Shu-hui (
Wang Sing-nan said the Tainan City Government and motorcycle manufacturers and organizations would host celebrations to mark the law change on Saturday.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we