The Ministry of the Interior has published a preview of the proposed enforcement rules for the Regulations on Pedestrian Traffic Safety Facilities (行人交通安全設施條例施行細則), which state that drivers who speed in areas designated as pedestrian priority zones can be fined up to NT$36,000.
The enforcement rules were drafted after the Legislative Yuan passed the regulations in April. The ministry on Thursday uploaded a preview of the enforcement rules on its Web site. They are open for public comment until Thursday next week.
The rules are scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan Bureau of Transportation
The draft rules state that local governments should designate areas with high pedestrian density as pedestrian-friendly zones, including those around government agencies, schools, medical institutions, child and youth welfare organizations, after-school care service institutions, education and care service facilities, elderly-care facilities, public transport hubs, and markets and shopping areas.
Local governments must give 30 days’ notice and hold an information session before designating an area a pedestrian-friendly zone, the draft rules state.
Pedestrian priority zones, on the other hand, are those in which pedestrians have right of way. Motorists driving past pedestrian priority zones must slow down and must not threaten pedestrians’ safety or impede their access to the zone.
Drivers in pedestrian priority zones must completely stop their vehicle so that pedestrians can cross the street, but pedestrians must not block drivers’ access to the zones without legitimate reason, they state.
Local governments would be required to implement measures to ensure safety in pedestrian priority zones, such as having special signs and markings at intersections, installing speed bumps, using different colors or pavements to mark the beginning and end of the zone, and putting up signs to remind drivers to slow down, watch out for pedestrians and that they are banned from honking at pedestrians.
The speed limit would 30kph in pedestrian-friendly zones and 20kph in pedestrian priority zones.
Those driving 40kph or faster would be considered to be seriously speeding, ministry officials said.
Motorists exceeding the speed limit, but who have not reached 40kph would be fined NT$1,200 to NT$2,400 under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), while those exceeding 40kph would be fined NT$6,000 to NT$36,000 and ordered to stop driving on the spot, the officials said.
Local governments would also be required to budget for installing sidewalks on roads that are 12m wide or more. Sidewalks would be optional if roads are less than 12m wide or have covered or uncovered walkways.
The rules would require local governments to locate roads without sidewalks, or those that are not wide enough or have obstacles. They would also have to identify locations where accidents frequently occur and areas with a high density of pedestrians.
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