Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands.
They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed.
The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner lanes when the conditions allow.
Photo: CNA
Formosa Motorcycle Rights Association director Lo Yi (羅宜) said lawmakers should repeal various restrictions on motorcyclists stipulated in Article 99 of the Road and Traffic Safety Rules (道路交通安全規則), and should reform driver training to prevent unsafe driving practices that endanger motorcyclists.
“The outer lanes of many roads are used by truck drivers to temporarily park to load and unload goods, so inner lanes should be accessible to motorcyclists,” he said.
Regarding the use of heavy vehicles on national highways, Lo said that the ministry has not produced data showing that the accident rate of large motorcycles on highways is higher than that of passenger vehicles.
The ministry often pits motorcyclists against drivers of passenger vehicles, but many riders of large motorcycles are also drivers who use vehicles to commute to work, he said.
The association chose to surround the ministry with passenger vehicles to show that the rights of both groups overlap, he said.
The ministry said that due to differences in road design and traffic flow characteristics at intersections, local authorities would still be allowed to evaluate and plan lane access for motorcycles and two-stage left-turn control measures based on local conditions.
“It is not reasonable to completely abolish the restrictions on motorcycles and the rules on two-stage left turns,” it said.
Regarding motorcycle access to national highways, the ministry said it had reviewed indicators of safety, orderly riding and rider behavior, and found that behavior had deteriorated over the evaluation period, especially in regard to awareness of safe distances between vehicles.
“There are shortcomings and the public is still not in favor of allowing motorcycles on highways. Therefore, we will wait for improvements and public support before considering opening up highways to large motorcycles,” it said.
Regarding driver training, officials are considering introducing short-term licenses for drivers and riders with repeat and serious traffic violations, it said.
Those whose driving licenses are more than one year old, and whose driving licenses have been suspended for less than one year, would be required to take road safety training and pay fines in accordance with regulations if they wish to continue operating vehicles, it said.
Pending no other serious violations, licenses would be reissued to those individuals in growing intervals — periods of one, two, three and then six years, it added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and