I have to say that perhaps it’s just practicality. Taiwan streets are narrow and parking spaces are a premium, so owning a car is simply impractical. Public transportation works in Taipei but even here, if you work in some awkward area like Sanchong, Linkou, Zhongli, etc. yet live in Taipei, its going to take you forever to commute there by public transport. The only logical choice would be a scooter. It works well to get around the narrow street where a larger vehicle would require you to make many detours to get around or even find parking…
[quote=“headhonchoII”]
Well yes and no. You cannot compare to the US which basically invented the automobile state along with Germany.
There have been many cars in Taiwan since the 1970s and 1980s. Owning a nice car is still a status thing here (just like the UK) but having a car is very normal even for the relatively low income masses. [/quote]
I think we can agree that a luxury car is a status symbol the world over, no? Having a car per family here, even poor families, is of course normal now (~25% ownership rate). My point is just that it was very rare only one generation ago.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]
I don’t have the statistics at hand but I’m guessing car ownership may have peaked by now.[/quote]
I kind of doubt it… though it may depend heavily on stagnating wages here. Actually the main gist of the study I linked is predicting car ownership via income growth. If you skim through the tables, you’ll see they predict a saturation rate of ~50% and around 45% ownership by 2030.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]
More bizarre is the continued heavy reliance and acceptance of motorised scooters, this is unique worldwide. The only place comparable is perhaps Vietnam, but Vietnam is about fifteen to twenty years behind Taiwan in terms of economic development and education levels.[/quote]
Indeed. Though, I’d be curious to see statistics comparing Korean and Japanese scooter ownership vs Taiwan. I have no doubt it has fallen in those countries post development, but they also get cold weather and snow. I can’t think of any other comparable countries that relied on scooters as heavily in the past, then dropped them once they developed economically. Here’s another paper from 2003 comparing motorcycle ownership in Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam. According to more current figures, scooter ownership is something like 41% in Taipei and over 80% in Kaohsiung! Insane.
True, but compare Japanese cities. More or less just as crowded, dense, and lacking parking space, yet there are fewer scooters there (mind you, they still have quite a few).
Well, honestly do you really want to ride scooters when it’s 10 degrees? Most I’ve seen wears heavy parkas because the wind chill of being on a scooter (and not exercising while you’re moving like bicycles) means 10 degrees feels like -10 degrees. Now compare that to Tokyo where temperature standing still could reach -10, and do that moving, and you’ll understand why there may be less scooters there.
I honestly hate scooters but everyone including foreigners get them, if there were something more practical then everyone would jump on it.
Or perhaps it’s because public transport is more mature in Japan compared to Taiwan… If I could take the MRT to Linkou or Zhongli and get there in 10-30 minutes I wouldn’t want a scooter.
Nowhere to park in Tokyo.
I got a really proper jacket (not those fake “pakas” eyeryone has here.
I got a proper rainsuit (not a 100 NT dress).
10 degrees? not a problem here.
Actually scooters are not ideal in Taiwans climate either. The pollution for one is a big problem. Then there is the heat and humidity and exposure to the strong sun.
A lot of people ride scooters because they are cheap and convenient to park. Many have both a car and a scooter bit take the scooter for everyday transport. Then on rainy days you will see a lot less of them and more car traffic, at least in Taichung.
this isn’t Taiwan, but it’s typical Taiwanese youth scooter behaviour (I may do this on occasion too). Eventually luck runs out unless we’re very careful. In this case, some would argue he deserved it.
Cities in Japan and HK have very good public transport systems.
MRT is a very new concept in Taiwan and it’s still a joke compared to other developed urban centers. Riding a scooter is the most economic, affordable means of transportation for most residents. You can’t really blame them for that. Between the ursurping wages and rising cost of living, riding a scooter may soon become a luxury too.
The Taipei MRT , bus and train network is excellent.
no it’s nut
no it’s nut[/quote]
yestis
no it’s nut[/quote]
yestis[/quote]
Agreed, it’s fantastic. Cheap, frequent, clean and gets you anywhere you need to go.
Unless you work in factories and have to go to north Danshui or Linkou/Zhongli… then you WILL need a scooter.
Quite the contrary, I live 5 city blocks away from work. I park my scooter right in front of my work place in the middle of taipei city. No taiwanese mass transit is going to beat that.
Logic fail, pulled that out of your hat
MRT doesn’t have to beat that
-you said it wasn’t excellent
but it was, wherever you went.
You could always buy a bicycle
-use your muscles to peddle,
lest they weaken and shrivel,
or your legs on a fat waddle.
Don’t engage in meaningless waffle!
I was given a bicycle, and I agree, its a great way to travel and if you pedal fast enough you could get there a little slower than the MRT… It takes me about 1 hour to bike from Tienmu to Danshui, and MRT would have taken maybe about 20 minutes less. You exercise your muscle, and contribute nothing to the city’s pollution.
but how to spread this mindset?
You mean force others to embrace this? Back in 2008 when the price of oil got really high bicycles became very popular in Taiwan. Just wait for price of oil/gasoline to get really high (and it will) and people will be using bicycles more and more.
i hope so. pollution/ road safety is the no.1 thing putting me off taiwan.
Anyone remember this old thread and what was said?