When I mention that I will ride my scooter from Taoyuan to Danshui, an hour away, many locals can’t believe it and say it’s “so far!”, so take the ‘too troublesome’ with a grain of salt.
Yes, you can convert from visa-exempt to a residence visa, then get your ARC. During the process you must obtain a visitor visa first–this extra step takes a few days and more money. The process is detailed in this thread: Converting from 30 Day Visa-Exempt Entry to Resident Visa