As summer approaches and street racers start picking up speed again, authorities have dived back into the battle of preventing people from whizzing through cities late at night and selfishly disturbing people’s sleep for their own thrills.
A main road that ran beneath an expressway in a city I was stationed in was a favorite for local street racers. To crack down on the racing, we set up checkpoints, which cut down on the speedsters on motorcycles using the outer lanes.
However, the car racers required more sophisticated tactics. By using mobile speed cameras and teaming up with local environmental protection authorities and the motor vehicles office, we took care of the car racers in no time.
Officers dressed in dark clothes to keep a low profile were stationed to listen for the noise of street racers approaching. As soon as they heard them heading their way, they would radio officers stationed a few intersections down who were in control of the traffic signals. In a “racing section” — in which green lights would be given to the drivers — were the officers with the cameras, who would gather evidence for speeding tickets.
Farther down, the officers would trigger an amber and then red light with enough warning to force the cars to stop at which time police cars would emerge from alleys to hem them in. Sometimes the racers would run a red light, which would be recorded and prompt another ticket.
The environmental authorities would fine them for excessive noise and the motor vehicles office would issue fines in accordance with Article 16 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), which says that “in the event of any of the following, car owners shall be fined from NT$900 to NT$1,800. A vehicle’s lights (besides headlights), windshields, horns, rear mirrors, pipes, mufflers or other equipment are missing or not be fixed when damaged; or adding, removing, or altering of the original designs in a manner that endanger the safety of the vehicle.”
Moreover, Article 13 of Noise Control Act (噪音管制法) says: “Citizens may report noise impairing public tranquility from in-use motor vehicles to the competent authority; those vehicles which have been reported and notified by the competent authority shall undergo testing at a designated location by a designated deadline.”
This noise control article encourages people to file reports.
We also asked on-duty police officers to report noisy vehicles and street racing to the environmental bureau, which would send a note to the owner to have their vehicle tested.
For people who modify their vehicles, it is troublesome, time-wasting and expensive to have after-market mufflers replaced.
If people work with the police, environmental authorities and vehicle offices to crack down on street racers, the noise and danger on the roads can be lowered.
Su Tien-tsung is a civil servant.
Translated by Rita Wang
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS