Did anyone notice that as of Jan 1, there are two highways that will allow bikes bigger than 250cc? It was in the Taipei Times on Monday. I forget which roads, but this will be probationary for six months. So play nice.
I hope they make the bikes obey the same rules as the cars.
[quote=“Richardm”]Did anyone notice that as of Jan 1, there are two highways that will allow bikes bigger than 250cc? It was in the Taipei Times on Monday. I forget which roads, but this will be probationary for six months. So play nice.
I hope they make the bikes obey the same rules as the cars.[/quote]I read (in the China Post) that big bikes were now barred from two expressways which they had presumably previously been allowed on.
I don’t know if the China Post got it wrong, the Taipei Times got it wrong, or these are two separate rules changes.
But at least we can be certain that some rule involving big bikes somewhere probably got changed.
Wow, that’s great news. Thanks for making my day. I take a raised highway as is…to work everyday. It’s illegal, but I’ve tried riding underneath it and found that with all the little side streets that cars come flying out of and red lights that people run…it’s much safer to ride on top.
Can someone find out which roads?
Terminology: Highways - Expressways - Freeways
they all mean different things here, and I ride my scooter on the highway along with everyone else.
[quote]Bikes allowed on highways
Since Jan. 1, licensed riders of 250cc motorcycles are allowed to hit high speed roads for the first time in Taiwan. The Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC) opened two high speed roads – the Province Road 68 in Hsinchu County and the Province Road 72 in Miaoli County with the upper limit of 80 kph – to motorcycle for a six-month probation period. According to the Directorate General of Highways under the MOTC, Taiwan started to import motorcycles with engines above the size of 250cc as Taiwan entered the WTO in 2001. Yet riders of motorcycles with engines above the size of 250cc are still barred from the nation’s high speed roads and highways. Officials said that they will assess the traffic security during the six-month probation period and consider whether to allow riders of 250cc motorcycles to take to the highways.
[/quote]
[quote=“Richardm”]The Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC) opened two high speed roads – the Province Road 68 in Hsinchu (Xinzhu) County and the Province Road 72 in Miaoli County with the upper limit of 80 kph – to motorcycle for a six-month probation period.[/quote]Generally, provincial roads/highways with the shield-shape blue number are open to all vehicles anyway. But on my maps, the lines of the 68 and the 72 are pink as opposed to the normal green. I think this means that they are overhead expressways.
Do you think those big motorcycles can handle 80kmh? We wouldn’t want them shaking themselves to pieces or some other mishap as a result of the high speeds.
It’s a a bit off-topic, but I agree with Truant’s terminology. Taipei Times said ‘Highway’ but meant freeway.
Highway = 省道 = green roads with blue shields on the maps (bikes allowed)
Expressway = 快速道路 (bikes generally not allowed, but somtimes for some parts)
Freeway = 高速公路 (no bikes, but now trialling big bikes on some sections).
Brian
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]It’s a a bit off-topic, but I agree with Truant’s terminology. Taipei Times said ‘Highway’ but meant freeway.
Highway = 省道 = green roads with blue shields on the maps (bikes allowed)
Expressway = 快速道路 (bikes generally not allowed, but somtimes for some parts)
Freeway = 高速公路 (no bikes, but now trialling big bikes on some sections).
Brian[/quote]You’re right; provincial highways are green, not red. I’ve edited my post. But anyway, if you look at the map you’ll see the two roads concerned are expressways, not freeways. Expressways are pink with blue shields. (Freeways are red with yellow flower-shaped numbers).
This is really stupid. I’ve ridden big bikes for many years and everybody knows that without the proper training, riding at speeds in excess of 80kph will force wind between the teeth and cause the tongue to be forced back into the airway, causing suffocation, while the eyeballs will be flattened and squashed back into the eye-sockets.
This is madness.
I just hope the day never comes when I’m sitting on the freeway in a traffic jam in my gangster black BMW and the scooters are all snaking their way between all the cars.
72 and 68 are open to “big bikes” it’s true, but not exciting news… they took the effort to spend about NT$10 out of my forced NT$23,500 annual contribution to the government’s hong-bao fund on sending me a stupid flyer explaining the rules of the new expressway riding… not only are the expressways meaningless to me since I’d never be interested in riding short distances East-West from HsinZhu/MiaoLi cities inland… but the "rules " they’ve come up with really have set the bar for just how ignorant, incompetant and just plain pig stupid the taiwan government really is…
here are the “rules” for highway/expressway riding on planet-Taiwan…
1.)No overtaking vehicles in the same lane as you.
2.)No changing lanes to overtake.
3.)Lights on at all times
4.)No passengers, ever.
5.)80km/h speed limit
6.)Maintain following distance
7.)No riding in the hard shoulder.
Other requirements/recommendations:
- Tires must have adequate tread
- check your mirrors
- check your bike before every ride
- don’t wear piss-pot helmets
The “rules” are either basic common sense that go without saying such as 3. and 6. and the recommendations… or else complete and utter bigotted, ignorant, stupidity that serves no purpose whatsoever like 4. and 5…
I for one, like everyone else I know, intend to ignore them until the legislators who decide these rules get back from planet whacko and stop sniffing the paint thinners from their NT$5 zillion new office redecoration they voted themselves… communist bastards the lot of them…
[quote=“plasmatron”]
5.)80km/h speed limit
utter bigotted, ignorant, stupidity that serves no purpose whatsoever[/quote]
Yes, well, aren’t trucks and buses subject to a lower speed limit than passenger cars? Does that ever get enforced?
A good laff would be to put some clothes and a helmet on your blow-up doll and take her for a blast, see what the cops reaction is. 
The only irritating one I can see there is the “no pillion” one. The rest seem fine.
80kph is the speed limit on expressways, isn’t it? Surely you’re not suggesting a separate higher speed limit only for bikes?
Although I’m interested in finding out how you’re supposed to overtake without changing lanes. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.
What’s the reason for allowing just bog bikes on?
Why not all bikes/scooters?
Brian
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]What’s the reason for allowing just bog bikes on?
Why not all bikes/scooters?
Brian[/quote]
They don’t want these on the expressways.
I told the tai-tai my idea of the perfect Taiwan vehucle is a blue truck with a home made camper on the back.
She rolled her eyes and walked off mumbling.
I like it.
because…
[quote=“Richardm”]I just hope the day never comes when I’m sitting on the freeway in a traffic jam in my gangster black BMW and the scooters are all snaking their way between all the cars.[/quote]Can you imagine the chaos if every fishwife in Taiwan was on the freeway on her 50cc scooter? 
:help:
[quote=“sandman”][quote=“Bu Lai En”]What’s the reason for allowing just bog bikes on?
Why not all bikes/scooters?
Brian[/quote]
They don’t want these on the expressways.
[/quote]
Replace the monkey with a grandma with three kids and no helmets driving on the wrong side of the freeway. (Like Hsiadogah said.)
[quote=“sandman”]80kph is the speed limit on expressways, isn’t it? Surely you’re not suggesting a separate higher speed limit only for bikes?
[/quote]
Oh it
Haven’t they considered the real danger of falling asleep on a big bike at 50mph?
Another victory for the anti-bike brigade. You can ride up there, but only in the most unsafe manner possible.
But hey, who are we to criticise? We’ve only had motorbikes on the roads for 70 years. Obviously the Taiwanese, who’ve had bikes for, oh two years, know better than us.
Well done Taiwan ! Bravo !
And remember kids: When not on the motorway, stick to the kerbside lane for maximum getting knocked over by taxis/buses/madmen.
You know it makes (non)sense! 