Taipei riverside bike path news

Sorry I misunderstood you. If you want to do a big loop take the paths east from Raohe to Nanhu Bridge and then head south on Yanjiu Rd, connecting with the 109 to Shenkeng (should be fairly quiet during the day). From Shenkeng cross over the river to the 106B. Ride west a few km to the zoo and it’s all bike path back. You can even do a back entry into Maokong from Shenkeng if you are into some hill climbing.

The other thing to consider is that even if you take the riverpaths the whole way you can ride on side there and the other back (with just a few sections where it’s the same).

Brilliant - that’s the information I’m looking for. Thanks.

Mind you, that route is off the cycling map, and I don’t know the area at all - but what better way to figure it out? :slight_smile:

Brilliant - that’s the information I’m looking for. Thanks.

Mind you, that route is off the cycling map, and I don’t know the area at all - but what better way to figure it out? :slight_smile:[/quote]

Actually Yanjiu Rd is just at the edge. Basically just follow it and then follow the signs to Shenkeng. Google maps will show you the way clearly. And remember, from Shenkeng the river flows down to in front of the zoo.

Has anybody seen that new bridge with the big arch they’re building next to the riverside park at the end of Tongan St.? It’s basically at the very end of Shida Rd. right before the flood wall. It looks like a bridge that’s exclusively for bikes. The ramp leads right into the park, so it can’t be for cars. If that’s the case, it’s the fanciest bike-only bridge I’ve ever seen anywhere.

Sounds like the one they are building near Xiao Bitan. Incredibly fancy for a bike and pedestrian bridge. All signs say it will not be for cars though.

Supposedly in XiaoBitan they have a doggie park, too.

Yes. Two large grassy fenced in areas. I see people using them all the time, especially on weekends. Some criticism about them flooding but the New City is supposed to fix that.

(Note to mods: should this thread be in the cycling subforum rather than the main sports one? It took a while for me to find this in the Sports forum.)

I’m not sure how new this is, but the China Post has a bunch of information about facilities around the cycling paths:

[quote]To make cycling an even more enjoyable experience, Taipei now operates a total of 10 “supply stations” in the city’s riverside parks that offer free drinking water, a bicycle rental and loan service, and roadside assistance to riders.

Cyclists also can borrow air pumps and take advantage of the simple repairs service at the supply stations. The also can quench their thirst with hot, warm or iced drinking water drawn from the drinking foundations at the stations.

In the event a cyclist encounters a problem on a riverside park bicycle trail, he or she can call the emergency hotline at 0982-780-780. Service personnel at the supply stations will provide instructions on how to repair a bike if the problem is simple, or rush over to render roadside assistance if the problem is complicated.

Injured pedestrians, motorists whose cars have broken down inside the parks, people who have lost their way, and senior citizens who are too weak or too tired to return their rented bicycles also can dial the same number and ask for help.

Such assistance is, in principle, free. However, a cyclist will be charged for the parts, but not the labor, if parts replacement is required.

Daily consumption of water by cyclists at a station is estimated at a dozen liters on a holiday and less on a regular day, according to Yang Mu-hsing, manager of the bicycle rental service in Jingfu Riverside Park, who calls on cyclists to use drinking water sparingly and bring their own environmentally friendly bottles and glasses. No paper cups will be available, he said.

Supply stations in eight out of the 10 riverside parks are designated “all-day” stations, which open from 8 a.m. till 9 p.m., except for a noon to 2 p.m. lunch break, which is cancelled on national holidays. Bicycle rentals are available from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m.

The all-day stations are found in the Guandu Riverside Park (關渡水岸公園), the Yanping Riverside Park (延平河濱公園), the Meiti Riverside Park (美堤河濱公園), the Gongguan Riverside Plaza (公館水岸廣場上), the Daonan Riverside Park in Muzha (道南河濱公園), the Guanshan Riverside Park (觀山河濱公園), and the Huazhong Riverside Park (華中河濱公園).

The supply stations in the other two riverside parks are designated holiday supply stations. They are found in the Heshuang No. 21 Riverside Park (河雙21號河濱公園) on Zhoumei Street and the Rainbow Riverside Park (彩虹河濱公園) on the right bank of Keeliung river underneath the MacArthur No. 1 Bridge. These stations open only on weekends and national holidays, and their hours are from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m., while bicycle rentals are available from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m.[/quote]
chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca … xpands.htm

Damn fancy indeed, and just opened (though I rode it a month ago and got chased by a guard). they seem to be building a number of new access bridges-paths into the downtown core so people can more safely get to the riverside paths. Not as good as real urban lanes but still worthwhile.

That Shida bridge leads to the new (waste of space and cut trees) Hakka cultural park. Still for anyone in the Shida area it makes for a good access to the river.

Damn fancy indeed, and just opened (though I rode it a month ago and got chased by a guard). they seem to be building a number of new access bridges-paths into the downtown core so people can more safely get to the riverside paths. Not as good as real urban lanes but still worthwhile.

That Shi-Da bridge leads to the new (waste of space and cut trees) Hakka cultural park. Still for anyone in the Shi-Da area it makes for a good access to the river.[/quote]
I finally went to check out this bridge last night. It’s pretty amazing. Having ridden almost all the riverside bike paths, I’d say this is the fanciest way to enter the riverside park. The grade is gentle enough so you can ride the whole way up, and the lookout platform at the top offers a great view and a nice breezy place to hang out. :thumbsup: The entry point is at the corner of Shida and Dingzhou Rd.

Yep, I usually ride up it most times now for a break. Actually the Hakka park is not bad with a nice pond area. The road in front has a wide sidewalk marked with a bike lane so you can ride safely right up to Taipower MRT (the last 100m is a little crowded).

Took a ride down to Bitan over the weekend and found that the new bike bridge connecting Xindian and Ankeng is now open. It’s about midway between Xioulang bridge and Bitan. A white bridge with a huge arch. Can’t miss it.

Another update: a couple of bike bridges are being built on the right bank of Danshui river right before you get to Shezi island. I noticed that the new ramps all have a very gentle grade. The new signs along the ramps now say “Test your brakes” instead of the old “Do not ride. Walk your bike.” :sunglasses:

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That new Bitan-Sunshine Park bridge is psychedelic at night as you enter a series of brightly and colorfully lit arches.

Last night rode through Sanchong, expecting to do the loop but found the riverside paths now closed as the parkland alongside is improved. Threw my plans out the works and a 3 hour ride turned into 5 (with a 1.30am return) but that is going to be a nice ride in the future. Great views across the river with the mountains rising up.

Nice to see other people still out cycling at 1am.

I have gone on several 50 mile spins on the river trails. I think making it a 100 mile ride would not be that difficult, all you need is the time.

This is really cool news. An entire loop around the city is about to open. The part that is really surprising is the connection between Nangang and the Zoo. Had no idea this was being built.

The whole loop with be just under 60km with a good climb up from Nangang or the Zoo.

[quote]Bike path network around Taipei completed
12/23/2011 (Liberty Times)

The entire 58.8-kilometer network of bicycle paths around Taipei City will be completed this Saturday with the final paving of the link from Fudekeng Eco-Park in Nangang to Thumb Mountain in the Wenshan District, where the Taipei Zoo is located. The city’s Hydraulic Engineering Office has arranged performances and a lucky draw at the Dajia Riverside Park that day.

In addition, the entire network will be shown off by two cycling teams: The first batch of 100 cyclists will ride along the loop path to meet up with Taipei City Mayor Hau Long-bin at the Lin An-tai Sluice, where they will all ride back to the Dajia Riverside Park. The second group of 1,000 cyclists will meet up with the first 100 cyclists at four points along the route and create an even larger contingent as they make their way back to the Dajia Riverside Park.

Hydraulic Engineering Office Director Eric Huang says that the cyclists will depart from Dajia Riverside Park and then follow the left bank of the Keelung River to Nangang. Upon reaching the Keelung River No. 1 Sluice, the path then connects to one that follows Yanjiu Road toward the Fudekeng Eco-Park area, the Taipei Zoo, the bank of the Jingmei River, and then downstream to the Guting, Zhongzheng, and Huazhong Riverside Parks before reaching the Huajiang Yingya Park.

The path then turns northward and heads to the Dadaocheng Pier, followed by a lengthy stretch to the entrance of Shezi Island. From there, the path leads to the left bank of the Keelung River that will take cyclists back to Dajia Park. The entire route will take cyclists between three and four hours to complete, says Huang.

He Xun-hua, the chief engineer of the River Administration Section, explained that the 15-kilometer stretch from Fudekeng Eco-Park to Nangang and then onwards to Muzha winds through the mountains. The path peaks at an altitude of 180 meters, with a 4.5-kilometer stretch grading at 4% starting at China University of Science and Technology, constituting a mildly difficult ride.[/quote]

taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.as … &ctNode=11

[quote=“Mucha Man”]This is really cool news. An entire loop around the city is about to open. The part that is really surprising is the connection between Nangang and the Zoo. Had no idea this was being built.

The whole loop with be just under 60km with a good climb up from Nangang or the Zoo.[/quote]
Brilliant. Looking forward to trying it sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Wow! The TaIpei Bicycle Beltway. Not even Amsterdam has something like that, esp. with the majority of the dedicated bike path being riverside.

Let’s have a semi-annual Forumosa Happy Velo-Day, on bikes, and do the entire loop. I suggest early April and late November, with a primary weekend and an immediately following backup weekend in case of rain. We could have a Happy Hour upon completion at one of the riverside joints by the Bitan pedestrian bridge… outdoors to waft away the multi-dimensional aroma of the peloton. Start/finish would then be adjacent to bike-friendly Xindian MRT.

[quote=“Mucha Man”] The part that is really surprising is the connection between Nangang and the Zoo. Had no idea this was being built.
[/quote]
I doubt it was ever “built” and suspect it just involved painting lines on the existing roads to create a bike lane. You’d still be sharing the road with other vehicles.

[quote=“Incubus”][quote=“Muzha Man”] The part that is really surprising is the connection between Nangang and the Zoo. Had no idea this was being built.
[/quote]
I doubt it was ever “built” and suspect it just involved painting lines on the existing roads to create a bike lane. You’d still be sharing the road with other vehicles.[/quote]

I doubt that. There is no part of the Taipei bike path that is like that. Just check out Google Maps. The first part off the Keelung River goes down a slough that clearly has space for paths. Then it runs through Academia Sinica, and through the Chinese University. A few km later it runs through Fudekeng Park which has tons of space for paths (actually I believe they are already in) and there is a clear path from there to the main riverside areas by the zoo.

At most there are a few km where they might have the lanes running on very quiet mountain roads. Nothing wrong with that.

But of course I will see in a few days, once I am over the flu.

[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Incubus”][quote=“Muzha Man”] The part that is really surprising is the connection between Nangang and the Zoo. Had no idea this was being built.
[/quote]
I doubt it was ever “built” and suspect it just involved painting lines on the existing roads to create a bike lane. You’d still be sharing the road with other vehicles.[/quote]
I doubt that. There is no part of the Taipei bike path that is like that. [/quote]
Have we forgotten the Dunhua bike lane fiasco? What a waste of good paint.