Isn’t the concept pro pedestrian?
I was in Hsinchu last year and I wasn’t impressed by it’s pedestrian friendliness. Plenty of scary stroads without sidewalks.
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It’s not just the stroads that are scary in Hsinchu. The alloads are even scarier.
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It’s mostly not the roads that are scary, it’s the driving behavior. Only thing that really works is stiff fines. Said this before, every intersection needs visible cameras (even if they are fakes ones), so that every person on the road knows that misbehavior is possible recorded. Hefty fines for those running red lights and not yielding to pedstrians on crossings. Repeat offenders lose their driving license for half a year or more. Also make the driving license test tougher to pass. Hammer it into their heads that dangerous driving has consequences.
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I don’t agree with this. Even the best drivers and pedestrians can make mistakes. I just prefer to not share the space with massive steel moving machines.
Sure, but people are people, often lazy. Taipei used to have way more pedestrian bridges and tunnels. Very safe and separated from vehicles. Who was not using those safe passageways? The pedestrians who rather put themselves in risky situations than walk some stairs. If people don’t care about consequences for misbehavior you cannot achieve a safe environment no matter how hard you try.
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English article up on Taipei Times for the new regulations:
Changes:
The ministry agreed to draw more yellow lines where five-minute temporary stopping is permitted, following complaints from taxis and truck drivers that they are forced to break rules when picking up passengers or unloading cargo for lack of legal stopping zones, Liu said.
Lastly, it has agreed that a video at least three minutes long would be needed to prove that an illegally stopped vehicle was affecting traffic in order to issue a penalty, Liu added.
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“the ministry has agreed to ease enforcement”
Brilliant. For too long we’ve suffered under the strict enforcement of traffic rules delivered by these overzealous, overachieving police officers just desperate to demonstrate their authority when all us innocent, persecuted car and motorcycle drivers want to do is drive around and contribute to six unnecessary deaths every day. Finally this regime of nightmarish enforcement is over!
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Small correction, it’s at an average of slightly above 8 deaths a day.
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Yes, we have a little over eight deaths on average in Taiwan every day. When compared with other developed countries (Japan, UK, HK etc) we would expect perhaps two deaths each day based on our population size.
Which suggests a further 6+ deaths every day due to our terrible driving standards. /o\
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Remember kids: Exactly 50% of the drivers on the road are worst than the average driver.
And that’s a fact!
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What average?
The average skilled driver. I edited the post to clarify it.
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How good is an average-skilled driver in Taiwan, that’s the question.
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And people with disabilities who literally couldn’t get up and down them. And people who said “it’s really fucking hot outside, why should I climb two stories of stairs, walk a long distance in the sun, and then walk back down two stories of stairs while drivers sit in their air conditioned cars flying right by?”
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And we’re still waiting for anything regarding tinted windows regulations. With many pushing back against the idea because Taiwan is hot, meanwhile everyone else is out on scooters and walking.
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Sure. It’s not a solution for everyone. But, how many people who could have, didn’t take advantage of those tunnels and bridges? My point is, people are lazy as F, both drivers and pedestrians, and are likely to disregard traffic laws and regulations when there’s a good chance of getting away with it. Cities cannot overaccommodate one side without causing big problems on the other side. Need to find the best possible compromise and then fine those who don’t play by the rules. If the existing laws were respected more, there would be less need to change the hardware.
Hsinchu (Zhubei) can’t even afford (or is too cheap) to put pedestrian lights together with traffic lights for cars in a new fancy residential district.
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That is sad. Zhubei should have the money.
There is no reason for a city with public transportation as solid as Taipei’s to be so car and scooter friendly. Densely populated cities can and should be focused on being walker and biker friendly first. Instead of making pedestrians walk up and down stairs, the cars should be forced into tunnels and over bridges to allow for ease of movement for pedestrians. There is a lot of talk about how design of cities is typically done by able-bodied men who drive. In a city like Taipei, there are a lot more people who don’t drive, people pushing strollers, hauling luggage, wheeling deliveries, using mobility aids, walking with small children and elderly, etc. than there are people driving. The design of the city should reflect those people’s right to be able to move safely, not the wishes of the bratty entitled people who spent a lot of money on their moving chunk of steel.
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Overpasses and underpasses are outdated modes of pedestrian traffic infrastructure due to a variety of reasons including accessibility issues and visual impact. Most advanced countries are getting rid of them.
The MOTC has also cited these reasons for getting rid of them and replacing them with crosswalks, much to the ire of drivers.
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