On some big roads, there are walking/cycling path dividing the street. When you get to an intersection, is it legal to cut straight across when the light turns green for the traffic going the same way?
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I would say yes because it’s still an intersection, and pedestrians may cross in intersections even if there are no painted crosswalks.
It this case, you don’t need to worry about turning vehicles, because left turns are prohibited.
Actually this street has 2 dividers, separating 3 different section. The section in the middle has traffic going in both direction. So sometimes I see cars from the outside lanes weaving into the middle lanes.
That’s allowed, but they need to yield to you if you’re crossing it.
Although I don’t believe it’s allowed in this specific intersection because of the no left turn sign.
The following is my assumption and I am by no means certain. I do not think it is allowed. That middle walkway is not a road. It is a foot-walk and pedestrians should walk there. I do not believe that pedestrians are allowed to walk across there either. To get to the other side, they would have to use the zebra-crossing and then cross at the traffic light, then cross back using the zebra.
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I think he means there are three road sections divided by two divider islands. Each island has a pedestrian walkway.
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Are you sure cycling is permitted on that pedestrian pathway? It looks a bit narrow.
By default, bicycles are not permitted on sidewalks unless there are signs indicating so.
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They have you bike rental stations at beginning/end of some of the section. So I would assume it is legal to bike on them.
YouBike rental stations are always placed on sidewalks but it doesn’t mean you can ride on them. You need to walk them into the road after you rent them, and then ride on the road.
If bikes are allowed you should see the sign below, otherwise they aren’t allowed.
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I’m not sure either, but I would have thought it’s not allowed or there would be markings.
Some of those probably-not-crossings in that area are pretty wide too. Given the driving here, I’m not sure I’d want to risk it anyway.
I thought those areas are mostly intended as just little parks for people to go have a stroll or eat their lunch or whatever.
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Whether it’s legal or not, it’s not a good idea. The island (walking/cycling path) separates the fast and slow lanes. So vehicles will use that open area to move from one to the other. You don’t want to be biking across it when a car is speeding up from the slow lane to the fast lane.
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Where is the safest place to bike then? Sidewalk has lot of people and blind spots. Street has too many parked cars, taxi, buses.
Secluded mountain roads. No need to travel too far out of the city before you’ll find a quiet road that you can have all to yourself. You’ll need a light bike and strong legs though.
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You are generally supposed to bike on the street and follow the same laws as scooters. It’s not going to be safe, as using the road is never safe. Scooters have to deal with parked cars, taxis and buses too. Biking isn’t any different.
If you’re biking for leisure, then find a bike trail somewhere.
Depends on the road, traffic, etc. If I’m biking in the city proper, I usually slow down a lot, and often go up and down between roads and sidewalks and cycling paths on sidewalks. At some intersections I’ll get off the bike and walk it across with the pedestrians.
Legality and safety don’t have much of a connection here. I prioritize the latter.
I have no idea what’s supposed to happen in the picture you’ve got above, but on roads like that I just ride on the main road - well, where the scooters are - and mostly ignore the middle path. I’d probably take the YouBike on that path until the first main intersection and then move over to the main road, quite likely walking it on the pedestrian signal. No way would I dare riding along the red arrow you’ve got, unless the road is super-quiet (unlikely in daylight hours) and I had tons of visibility (unlikely late at night).
As has been said before, the Taipei area is great for recreational cycling - riverside paths, mountain roads. For commuting, not so much.
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Ya, this is part of my daily commute. I could ride the smaller roads/alley ways for part of the ride. Not sure if that would be safer though.
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Funny enough, my office is near there and I often see pedestrians and bikes cross directly through the median. Personally, I’d just wait for the green on the crossing.
As a cyclist whether you’re out there for leisure or just commuting via YouBike, you’re gray area between pedestrian and scooter. I wouldn’t advise cycling on the road on a Youbike, it can get pretty hectic and you’re most likely not wearing a helmet, so it’s very likely game over if something were to actually happen.
The bike paths are there on a majority of the sidewalks, not very ideal, however, they’re there, use them. If there’s no median between the path and the pedestrian walkway, just take it slow.
As @HongKonger mentioned, if you’re out there for leisure, head to the nearest bike path where you can pick up a bit more speed and get a work out going.
Been cycling for over 10 years here in Taipei and I can tell you, it’s really not safe anywhere. Shit happens. Just ride defensively.
If I had to give you options, I would say parts of the riverside paths from 5-9AM and the mountain roads surrounding Taipei from 5-8AM.
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Unfortunately this is part of my commute to work. I did find that the other side of the street that I usually ride on is much more bike friendly. It has a dedicated bike lane for a majority of the way.
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