Traffic rules need to change
New rules concerning traffic penalty points and fines have caused resentment among some members of the public because of the rules’ lack of consideration for Taiwan’s physical and cultural conditions and the characteristics of its roads. These ice-cold penalty rules, fixated on the law without reasonable leeway, are quite disappointing.
Take, for example, the most common traffic infringement in Taiwan, namely temporary parking or waiting at red lines. There are so many reasons why drivers need to stop at the roadside, such as for elderly, weak, sick or disabled people, pregnant women and young children to get in and out of cars, and for moving large and heavy goods, and loading and unloading items. Tour buses need to stop somewhere, as do utility vehicles such as those used for plumbing, electrical work, postal delivery and garbage disposal. Parking at red lines is clearly a big problem that needs to be solved. When police officers arrive on the scene, they take people’s reasonable needs into account as well as the letter of the law.
However, there are some people who often take photos of illegally parked vehicles so they can get a reward for reporting them, and when this happens, a vehicle owner is fined directly with no concern for the lack of any alternative. It came as no surprise, therefore, when a large number of professional drivers, such as taxi and delivery drivers, protested by surrounding the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Oct. 31.
It was good to hear the Minister of Transport and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) took note of public opinion and ordered that wherever red-line zones are established, 10 percent of the roadside should be marked with yellow lines allowing temporary parking. This move should make life less inconvenient for the public, which is laudable, but it would be better if the authorities could at the same time announce a reduction in the amount of penalty points doled out for such traffic infringements.
This could be coupled with announcing the following measures to be implemented all over Taiwan: In the middle of every stretch of red-lined road there should be a temporary-parking area where all sorts of vehicles can park for up to one hour. Paired with high-tech law enforcement, this would make it convenient for passenger cars, trucks, vans, tour buses, garbage trucks and other utility vehicles to park temporarily.
Such an instruction would signal to the public and government agencies all over Taiwan that wherever they are, there will be a standardized parking place in the central part of red-line road sections for loading and unloading. This would reduce the amount of loading and unloading at crossroads and greatly reduce the occurrence of red-line infringements.
The efficient flow of people and goods is a definite indicator of a country’s progress. Civil servants responsible for traffic planning should spend more time out of their offices to get real-world experience of the traffic problems faced by people driving all kinds of vehicles. They could then come up with traffic rules, plans and solutions that suit the real-world conditions and ensure the safety and free flow of people and goods.
Hsu Yu-min
Taipei
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