This is SOP for buses in Kaohsiung too. Makes perfect sense to me. Buses back home in the US stop at railway tracks.
Drivers who are following buses are usually prepared to stop suddenly because they have no idea what’s in front of it. As far as they’re concerned, there very may be a pedestrian crossing the street up ahead.
Major accident in Taichung’s Dakeng area. A gravel truck carrying fertilizer seemed to be going too fast around a bend and tipped over and crushed another car. At the scene the driver (43yrs. old) was OHCA, her son (19 years old) had bone fractures and was unconscious. The damage to the car is crazy…
Mother at the hospital for emergency treatment.
A university student on a scooter driving behind them felt that the gravel truck was going fast so he kept his distance.
Edit: Saw a post on Facebook. Tickets for not wearing a helmet when riding a scooter are at an 8 year high.
Google translated:
According to statistics from the Police Department, 230,267 cases of “not wearing a helmet” were banned in 2023, setting an eight-year high.
Wearing a helmet is not to deal with the police, but to protect yourself. According to data from the Ministry of Transportation, 1,886 riders died last year, of which about 150 were not wearing helmets; the fatality rate for those without helmets was 8.6 times higher than for those who wore them.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications does not think about measures to curb unhealthy trends, but has even included in the “not punishing minor crimes” project. Doesn’t it mean that chaos is allowed to spread? Besides, wearing a helmet or not will not affect your livelihood at all, nor does it have anything to do with road planning!
Not wearing a helmet may seem like a minor crime against oneself, but the medical resources and social costs it consumes are actually considerable. I hope the Ministry of Transport will think twice.
Smart kid. A good lesson for all.
Guy
Huh, that does seem right: anecdotally, my no-helmet tickets seem to be increasing - although it’s almost always child passengers without a helmet. But just this week I saw this guy:
Driving along the sidewalk, no helmet - oh, and one hand in his pocket. SO COOL! 
Fun Fact: since November 2023 I have had six tickets issued to that motorcycle for parking in a no-stopping zone! Let’s see if he parks as well as he drives:
Yup!
Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance will be holding a press conference this morning in response to the proposed changes to the reporting and points system.
Google translated:
[Oppose large-scale indulgence of violations and infringement of the lives of vulnerable passers-by] Interview notice
Time: 3/11 (Monday) 9:20 am
Location: Entrance to Qunxian Building, Legislative YuanLast Thursday, the Executive Yuan passed the revised draft of the “Road Traffic Management Punishment Ordinance” and prepared to send it to the Legislative Yuan. Among the controversial points are that many violations that endanger road safety will not be reported. In addition, the Ministry of Transportation has also canceled many illegal demerit items that seriously affect road safety, including illegal parking on “sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, intersections, fire hydrants, school exits” and even “disabled parking spaces” as well as “side-by-side and fast lane” Temporary suspension, etc., are also included in the items that are not open to reporting. This may open a back door for violators and even sacrifice the rights and interests of the disabled.
In this regard, the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance will hold a press conference tomorrow and invite various groups, including pedestrians, disabled people, police and professional driving groups, to jointly call on the Legislative Yuan to carefully evaluate this draft amendment.
During the press conference, the Alliance will also explain the next series of resistance plans.
Host: Luo Yi, director of the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion AllianceSpeakers:
- Chairman of the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance｜Chen Kaining
- Chairman of Taiwan Traffic Safety Association｜Chen Hongyi
- Chairman of Taiwan Safe Driving Supervision Alliance | Lin Meina
- Vice Chairman of the Next Generation Student Pedestrian Rights of Way Alliance | Wu Kaizheng
- Spokesperson of Taipei Taxi Drivers Union｜Lee Will
- Chairman of the National Federation of Automobile Transport Industry Drivers Union of the Republic of China｜Zheng Lijia
- Executive Supervisor of Taiwan Police Rights Promotion Association｜Guo Lixuan
- Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan Association for the Promotion of Rights of Persons with Disabilities｜Liu Yuji
- Representative of the Policy Group of the Obasan Alliance for Small People’s Participation in Politics
- Secretary General of Taiwan Green Party｜Wang Yanhan
- Chairman of the Times Power Party｜Wang Wanyu
- Secretary-General of the Taiwan People’s Party｜Zhou Yuxiu
Press contact:
Director of the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance Liu Chengqian 0975800740
Interesting that the Taipei taxi driver’s union is among those speaking. Are they going to speak for or against Vision Zero?
Also interesting that the Green Party and TPP are the only two parties speaking. It seems they are the only political parties interested in pedestrian rights. It would make sense that the current traffic climate is the result of disinterest to fix things by both the KMT and the DPP.
They’ll drop dramatically once the public are no longer allowed to report this “minor issue”, problem solved!
Google translated article:
Flash mobs to be held on March 17 in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Yunlin at 10a.m.
A rally will be held on March 23rd in front of the Legislative Yuan to implore members of of various parties to block the proposal.
Reports of minor traffic crimes are not open. Road rights groups are dissatisfied with the situation and will organiz a flash mob of thousands of people across Taiwan on the 17th.
The Executive Yuan recently passed a draft amendment to the “Road Traffic Management Punishment Ordinance”, which will open the door to “minor crimes” with fines of less than 1,200 yuan, but not open to reporting and recording, causing dissatisfaction among right-of-way groups. The Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance announced today that the next battlefield is on the streets. It is expected to launch a series of flash mobs in eight or nine counties and cities across Taiwan on March 17, with an estimated number of more than 1,000 people participating; on the 23rd, the alliance will march in front of the Legislative Yuan. He put forward five major demands, including improving road projects and withdrawing bills, and called on legislators to stop “repairing evil”.
In order to get rid of the notoriety of pedestrian hell, on June 30 last year, a new system of violation points was launched on the road, and the violation points and reporting items were expanded, including illegal parking within 10 meters of intersections, bus stops or side by side. Penalties and points will be issued, and 12 points will be deducted within one year. The driver’s license will be suspended for 2 months, and the driver’s license will be revoked if he violates the regulations twice within 2 years, causing professional driving groups to believe that it is too harsh and affects their livelihood.
In a recent exclusive interview with an online media, Transportation Minister Wang Guocai proposed that “minor offenses will not be recorded” as a solution; the Executive Yuan will pass on the 7th that ten fines, such as parking in front of a fire hydrant and double parking, will not be opened for minor offenses under 1,200. The draft amendments to reports and points will be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review, causing dissatisfaction among rights-of-way groups and criticizing Daoan for going back on its ways.
Representatives from the Pedestrian Zero Death Promotion Alliance, Taiwan Safe Driving Supervision Alliance, Taiwan Police Work Rights Promotion Association, Taiwan Traffic Safety Association and other advocates for pedestrian right-of-way reform, as well as the Taiwan Police Work Rights Promotion Association, jointly held a meeting in front of the Qunxian Building of the Legislative Yuan this morning. Press conference; professional driving groups, including the Taipei Taxi Drivers Professional Union and the National Automobile Transport Industry Drivers Federation of the Republic of China, were also invited to speak at the event.
Chen Kaining, chairman of the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance, pointed out in his speech that the Executive Yuan has recently passed this draft amendment, which will cancel 10 traffic violations that are not allowed to be reported or recorded; among them, the second one is talking on a hand-held phone, and the fourth one is a large car reversing without anyone. Guidelines and failure to pay attention to pedestrians are all violations that endanger road safety to a considerable extent. It is incomprehensible that the Executive Yuan would pass this project without reporting.
In addition, items 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are completely open to illegal parking on “sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, intersections, bus stops, fire hydrants, school exits”, “side-by-side, expressway parking”, etc. No longer open to reporting and recording points, it not only infringes on the rights of vulnerable passers-by, is unfair to law-abiding drivers, and allows violations in disguise; any accidents in these places will result in serious casualties, and the policy is backtracking. This is in line with the 2030 fatalities and injuries number set by the ruling party during last year’s parade. The halving commitment can be said to run counter to the trend.
In addition, illegal parking in the “parking spaces for people with disabilities” in item 10 is even included in the list of not open. It is incomprehensible to open the back door for violators and sacrifice the rights of people with disabilities.
Chen Kaining said that last year, there were more than 3,000 traffic deaths and injuries, and the number of injuries exceeded 530,000, a new high. The Ministry of Transportation did not review and improve, and still continued to violate regulations. It can be seen from the data that the number of suspensions did not increase at all last year, but fell by more than 10,000, and the number of suspensions also decreased by 500.
She pointed out that since the protest in November last year, she has been constantly calling the Ministry of Transportation to propose a schedule improvement plan for road engineering facilities, planning measures to open the roadside for loading and unloading passengers and goods, and expanding private participation before opening up illegal roads.
Chen Kaining said that since moderate dialogue is ineffective, the alliance will have no choice but to take to the streets again. Street flash mobs are expected to be launched at 10 a.m. on March 17 in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Yunlin.
In addition, a rally and parade will be held in front of the Legislative Yuan on March 23, imploring the legislators of the three major parties to block the unreasonable bill. The alliance’s five major demands include: improvement of road projects, planning of supporting measures, reform of driving training and education, and transportation Enforcement should be strengthened and the draft amendments to the law should be returned.
Wu Kaizheng, deputy director of the Next Generation Student Pedestrian Rights Alliance, said that in 2022, Taiwan was called a pedestrian hell by foreign media. At that time, the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of Interior all told the people across the country to reform and protect pedestrians. However, last week, the Executive Yuan passed a draft amendment to the Road Traffic Ordinance, which prohibits people from reporting violations with a fine of less than 1,200 yuan, and does not record points. This is like opening a back door for the “violation devil” across the country. He also questioned: Every year, there are people on the road How many people have been killed or injured as a result of what the government calls “petty crimes”?
Lin Meina, chairman of the Taiwan Safe Driving Supervision Alliance, said that traffic safety is of paramount importance and cannot be discounted. However, the Ministry of Transportation has said that there will be no punishment or demerits for minor offenses. The current driving standards will be determined once you try them for life. Only demerits can eliminate inappropriate driving standards. , “Wang Guocai, are you drunk?”
Guo Lixuan, executive supervisor of the Taiwan Police Rights Promotion Association, said that this time is related to changes in law enforcement policies. From the perspective of grassroots law enforcement officers, if ministerial-level policy leaders bow their heads when under pressure, it is tantamount to telling everyone: grassroots law enforcement officers are more Being able to be bullied at will also encourages offenders to resist, making it even more dangerous at the grassroots level.
In addition, the number of cases of minor crimes committed by the public may directly increase to grassroots performance requirements without supporting measures to solve them, adding fuel to the problem of insufficient police force. He called on the Ministry of Transportation to communicate pragmatically with civil society and put forward scientific data discussions, and the police union was willing to provide the opinions of grassroots law enforcement officers and communicate rationally with each other.
Chen Hongyi, chairman of the Taiwan Traffic Safety Association, said that all road safety design and law enforcement work should immediately return to the relevant administrative departments. The Ministry of Transportation should propose a comprehensive and feasible plan, formulate a timetable to review and improve the current traffic environment, redefine various traffic vehicle types in accordance with the law, and allocate The lane configuration should be reasonable and the parking space should be in compliance with the planning at a certain proportion; the Ministry of Interior should supplement necessary traffic mobile police personnel or deploy qualified traffic instructors to ensure road mobile patrols, report road deficiencies immediately, and propose corrections to eliminate hot spots of violations.
Liu Yuji, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Association for the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said that the current policies proposed by the Ministry of Transportation are more likely to encourage the occupation of disabled parking spaces. The government should not reverse the policy to protect the rights of the disabled, otherwise it will just push the disabled to their homes.
Li Wei, spokesperson of the Taipei Taxi Drivers Professional Union, emphasized that driving groups also support the goal of zero traffic fatalities. Based on this, what should be changed in driving and what should pedestrians pay attention to are the directions that all road users should think about. The government and legislators also They should take the greatest responsibility for improving the safety of the road environment.
Levi said that it is necessary to name the soon-to-be-president Lai Ching-te and to find cabinet ministers who can practically solve traffic problems. “Don’t find people who are indifferent to the fireworks of the world.” The central and local governments should shoulder their respective responsibilities and focus on roads. For road and sign improvement, stop playing football with each other, roads and sign improvement; legislators should closely monitor and supervise the central government’s budget formulation and implementation for road and sign improvement; in addition, the Executive Yuan should appoint a political affairs committee member to serve as an inter-ministerial consultation group , and set up a task force to improve roads and signals to truly improve current traffic problems.
Zheng Lijia, chairman of the National Federation of Automobile Transport Drivers’ Union of the Republic of China, said that local governments should set up more taxi hailing stations, avoidance corners and temporary parking places, and improve traffic signs as soon as possible. In addition, it also brings great trouble to drivers in the logistics industry and tour bus drivers, and accessible parking spaces should be comprehensively reviewed.
He believes that indiscriminate reporting causes social antagonism, and only the public can report serious violations; professional drivers are also pedestrians, and he hopes to jointly create a future with zero pedestrian deaths.
Liu Chengqian, director of the Zero Pedestrian Death Promotion Alliance, said in an interview after the meeting that the pop-up street adopts a flexible form and focuses on pedestrians. Each county and city has different changes depending on the situation. For example, where there are no sidewalks or where pedestrians are forced to walk onto the driveway, the pop-up street mobs are flexible and focus on pedestrians. More people are paying attention to the issue of vulnerable passers-by, and the exact location remains to be discussed.
Update for the mother in this accident in Taichung yesterday. She is in intensive care unit. She is currently in an unstable condition. Coma Index of 3. So it’s looking really bad right now…
Good initiative, and I hope this brings some results.
Just a reminder to my fellow foreigners: we can’t take part in public demonstrations!
So stay aside and give your support!
This is not true. Lots of foreigners participated in the BLM protest in Taipei. I saw it as a scam so didn’t go.
Legally speaking though we can’t actually take part in it. Thankfully it’s not enforced but we can get in trouble if someone where to report you individually
Here’s an article for you:
Key sentence from that news article:
My understanding of this is that folks with open work permits like APRC and JFRC holders are allowed to participate in protests as they don’t have a specific purpose for their residence.
Well, I won’t put mine on the line to check it 
Yeah very old article why don’t you post the blm one… they got permits for that and people on visitor visas could join in and did so
That doesn’t make it wrong.
So an extra step is required, which means foreigners cannot participate in demonstrations by default. Thanks for confirming my point.
Is this a joke? (Not you, @lunlan , but their rationale you’re quoting). They’re “relaxing punishment” because deaths have gone down by a statistical blip. When you have over 3,000 deaths (roughly the death toll of 9/11 in a country far smaller than the US), a decrease of 40 fatalities is a drop in the bucket. Also, wouldn’t that be incentive to continue the punishment instead of discontinue it and let it go back up? These government hacks never make sense. They need someone as smart as Audrey Tang to run transportation here. The people currently in charge are either incompetent or corrupt.
Both, plus more.
Here is the correct way to cross while to walking your dog in a stroller 
