Sidewalks are actually a good place for placing utilities (can protect pedestrians). At least when the sidewalk is wide enough to leave enough room for everyone. Problem is the concept of “enough”, or to translate it: chabuduo.
2 Likes
You forgot all the crap businesses and residents leave on the sidewalks and in the streets.
Tainan has decided to open up a bike lane to motorcycles. Actually people have been riding through here all the time already, despite the obvious signs and hundreds of tickets are issued in just a short amount of time when police crack down on it but it keeps on happening.
Google translated article:
Is it legal locally? This bicycle lane in Yongkang, Tainan is planned to be opened to motorcycle traffic
Tainan’s Yongkang East Bridge 1st Road bicycle and pedestrian lane has become a hotspot for illegal motorcyclists due to the long-term traffic habits of local road users. It has already triggered discussions between local pros and cons. The police have also banned as many as 511 tickets so far this year; recently, the city government After the joint investigation, it is planned to decide to convert the bicycle lane into a temporary access road before the Yongkang Railway is undergrounded, and a new slow lane will be opened to traffic. City Councilor Zhu Zhengxuan also reminded that the city government should have more systematic transportation planning while protecting the rights of bicycles and pedestrians.
The Yongkang Dongqiao 1st Road bicycle and pedestrian lane has been established for more than 20 years. In the early years, it was originally planned for students to ride bicycles to go to school. However, over the years, due to the development of pedestrian traffic habits and the low usage rate of the bicycle lane, “bicycles and pedestrians” The “special lane” is in name only. Although the police occasionally tighten enforcement measures, thousands of commuter motorcycles still use it every day.
Zhu Zhengxuan said that the bicycle lane will be converted into a temporary access road before the Yongkang Railway is undergrounded. During the consultation, relevant units were required to protect the rights and interests of pedestrians and bicycles before allowing slow traffic to operate, so that passers-by can use it legally and compliantly. At the same time, we also want to remind the city government that when setting up relevant special lanes in the future, they must conduct systematic traffic planning by connecting the front and rear sections, so as not to let the special lanes be in name only.
The Dongqiao 1st Road bicycle lane is about to be expanded, and new local traffic will be opened to traffic. Many netizens still have polarizing opinions. Some people said, “There is no way for bicycles to go, so why are motorcycles still fighting for this hard-won road?” “Space” and “It’s simply putting the cart before the horse”; however, some residents support that “this road is really convenient, saves time, and can separate motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians into separate lanes.” Many commuter motorcycle owners say, " The motorcycle can finally pass legally."
The Transportation Bureau stated that the Dongqiao 1st Road bicycle lane is currently a dedicated bicycle lane and sidewalk. Due to the demand for motorcycles and in response to public opinion, an inter-bureau meeting was recently held to discuss whether to open the bicycle lane to slow traffic. Relevant bureaus, offices, and localities will be invited in the near future. The district chief and civil representatives will handle the consultation and follow-up processing will be based on local opinions and consensus.
The Transportation Bureau pointed out that the current lane width and turning radius of the area do not meet the design specifications for motorcycle lanes. However, if motorcycles are to be opened to traffic, slow-moving motorcycles must be restricted and opened as a “temporary access road”; if the local area has reached a consensus on allowing slow-moving motorcycles, , comprehensive notices and speed limit reminders will be set up in the future.
3 Likes
I was recently in Taichung. Every time I passed by this place, there was an expensive car parked over the crosswalk and sidewalk.
That Volvo is cheap. I saw Porsche, Range Rover, Benz…
6 Likes
They must have installed that sign after he parked there 
4 Likes
Police being inconsistent about issuing fines for not yielding to pedestrians again. The law states vehicles have to yield to pedestrians. No mention of distance or direction. The NPA stated they would issue fines for not yielding to pedestrian meters within 3m front and back.
Now Taichung’s North district is getting traffic cameras that will issue fines for not yielding to pedestrians and the 2nd Precinct states that not yielding to pedestrians in the direction they are traveling will result in a fine…so great it can be just like before where everyone is basically trying to run over your heels.
Nice sidewalk and a corner in this 2nd picture. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people get fines because of people standing on the road who are waiting for a green light and cars passing by get fines.
Oh yeah and not to forget the 2nd precinct’s jurisdiction is where the major incident in which a whole family was hit by a bus and killed the mother and 1yr. old child so they must really care about pedestrians and sidewalks and all that.
Here’s a screenshot from 2023 to show how much they care about the sidewalk right next to their police station. It’s cleared up now…but it only cleared up after signs were put up asking people to move the scooters because of some work going to be done on the sidewalk ramps.
Okay let’s look at 2024 maybe it’s better. Well one side is but here’s around the corner. The white building in the back is the precinct.
Also next to their station I think the scooters on the right near the parking lot are also illegally parked on the sidewalk as well (no parking lines drawn there). Oh and the police car parked on the left there…yeah that’s actually a sidewalk. They previously even put up a sign there telling people not to park there because that 1.5m or so as it is technically a public sidewalk.
4 Likes
About Taichung’s pedestrian environment
Google translation of article:
Taichung builds itself into a pedestrian-friendly city and takes a multi-pronged approach to promote people-oriented transportation
The Taichung City Government attaches great importance to the city’s human-oriented transportation environment and is committed to making Taichung a “pedestrian-friendly city.” Mayor Lu Xiuyan presided over a municipal meeting today (15th) and said that the city government has improved the sidewalk length by more than 150 kilometers since 108, and improved the walking paths to 123 schools, about 33 kilometers, through widening sidewalks, adding pedestrian shelter islands, and expanding Pedestrian waiting area, comprehensive improvement of street lighting and adjustment of lane configuration to improve pedestrian safety and quality of life.
Lu Xiuyan said that pedestrian safety is one of the most important policy goals. The temporal and spatial background of Taiwan’s early transportation development was the period of economic development. At that time, transportation design was car-oriented, and pedestrians gave way to vehicles. This was to allow vehicles to pass quickly and improve traffic efficiency. . But now the traffic volume has increased, leading to chaos. In the past five years, Taichung has built or renovated more than 150 kilometers of sidewalks. In addition, it has improved the paths for students to go to school and the subterranean floors of transformer boxes, and added lighting equipment. I would like to thank the colleagues of the Construction Bureau for sparing no effort in optimizing engineering facilities, improving street lighting and barrier-free facilities, etc. , improve the quality of pedestrian environment.
Chen Datian, the city’s construction director, delivered a project report “Creating a people-centered, happy and livable city” at the municipal meeting, and pointed out that in the past, sidewalk facilities such as tree planting, transformer box configuration and barrier-free facilities failed to fully consider the needs of pedestrians, and Illegal parking of vendors and motorcycles makes passage difficult. In order to improve these conditions, the city government will widen and level sidewalks, and make telephone poles and distribution boxes underground. Taichung City has also initiated the underground distribution box project to overcome the challenges of pipeline installation and coordination and reduce space obstacles. For areas with dense traffic, corner guardrails will be added to reduce the risk caused by inner wheel discrepancies. It is expected to be completed at an accelerated pace next year. It is also emphasized that the design needs to be combined with urban aesthetics to optimize city appearance and traffic quality.
Chen Datian pointed out that in order to improve the walking paths around campuses, with sufficient road space, the city government has completed the installation of solid three-dimensional sidewalks in 123 schools in the past five years, with a total length of 33 kilometers, ranking first in the country, and has won widespread recognition. Citizen support. For areas where it is impossible to adjust lanes and sidewalks on a large scale, the city government has also set up approximately 18.1 kilometers of marked sidewalks in 167 locations, and prioritized improvements around primary and secondary school campuses and business districts with a large flow of people. In addition, the Building and Construction Bureau actively promotes the concept of humanistic transportation and held 36 campus publicity and 10 community publicity activities. It is committed to cultivating citizens’ awareness of traffic safety from an early age and ingraining the concept of humanistic friendliness into society.
Chen Datian said that the city government is also actively seeking a number of subsidies from the central government, including the “Forward-looking Infrastructure-Improving Road Quality Plan”, the “Sustainable Improvement of Pedestrian Safety Plan”, the “Campus Surroundings and Driving Safety Road Improvement Plan” and The “Balanced Urban and Rural Road Improvement Plan” comprehensively improves the city’s human-oriented transportation environment through multiple channels. Among them, Taichung City’s “Sustainable Improvement of Pedestrian Safety Plan” was approved by the Ministry of Interior for the first wave of 24 cases, with a total amount of NT$546 million. It has the largest number of approved cases in the country, and ranks first in the country in terms of funding. It has repeatedly won awards from the central government. It was recognized by the Golden Road Award and ranked first among the six cities for three consecutive years in the “Quality of Life and Modernization” evaluation of overall county and city competitiveness by Vision Magazine, and was named “The City with the Best Quality of Life”
2 Likes
Thoughts and prayers…
4 Likes
So they are expending the budget on praising adverts.
Next time they build a mall, industry park, etc they should do roads around it. Literally around it, and that’s it. They deserve the same treatment as schools, no less.
Pedestrians need trees
In that part it seems like he is referring to the messy placement of trees causing massive blind spots in areas where pedestrians need to cross and the poor decision to place trees on very narrow sidewalks, effectively making the sidewalk unusable. Also the problem of trees uprooting sidewalks.
In Kaoshiung people can be seen running to their scooters. Is it a bomb? Did China attack? A psycho going crazy? No, it’s just a police officer coming and everyone is illegally parked on the sidewalk.
4 Likes
More news relating to Taichung busses.
TLDR: Leaked document from Taichung police says that they should not publish bus related news too much to avoid negative public perceptions and sparking discussions. Police chief responds it was an internal suggestion that was not feasible so the measure was not going to be put in place.
Google translated news articles:
Avoid negative news about public transportation? Taichung police documents leaked, causing controversy, Lu Xiuyan said harsh words “should not be concealed”
Bus accidents occur frequently in Taichung City, and the police department has launched a bus enforcement campaign. Unexpectedly, a police department document leaked recently, reminding internal officials not to constantly publish news about bus violations or accidents to avoid negative public perceptions and spark discussion. Taichung Mayor Lu Xiuyan responded to a question today (18th) and said that when you encounter problems, you should not hide them and make serious reforms to improve traffic. She disagrees with the police department’s approach and must adjust it. Police Chief Li Wenwen said that this is an internal suggestion, but it is not feasible, so everyone can rest assured. (Reported by Kou Shijing)
At the regular meeting of the Taichung City Council, non-partisan Councilor Chen Tingxiu pointed out that bus accidents are frequent in Taichung City, and the police department has launched a large-scale bus enforcement. Unexpectedly, a police department document leaked recently, reminding the internal staff not to constantly publish news about bus violations or accidents to avoid causing negative publicity. The impression triggered discussions. In troubled times, heavy laws are used to enforce the law to ensure the safety of the people. The more thorough the law enforcement, the more exposed it is, so why be afraid. Councilor Liu Shizhou also asked the city government to explain its attitude. Democratic Progressive Party member Cai Yaojie said that if there is an epidemic or a fugitive escapes, the government will issue news to remind the public. When a major traffic accident occurs, it is covered up, causing people to be in danger without knowing it. Whoever ordered the cover-up should be investigated.
Mayor Lu Xiuyan said that problems should not be glossed over and only through serious reforms can traffic be improved. She did not agree with the police department’s approach and it must be adjusted.
Police Chief Li Wenwen said that we will continue to strengthen the enforcement of bus violations and release information in a timely manner. We will never conceal or cover up relevant news. The chief emphasized that this was a suggestion in the weekly report of the police public relations office, but the police department believed that it was not feasible and should not be done. No decision was made that day, and there was no cover-up as rumored. It is impossible to cover up bus violations and accidents.
4 Likes
I agree with the police chief. Following the policy isn’t feasible when police in Taichung don’t do any work.
4 Likes
Probably the scooters are the police officers personal ones where they park for work lol
4 Likes
5yr. old girl hit while crossing the street by a truck turning right.
News link has video.
Google translated:
A truck in New Taipei City was passing through a section of Yong’an North Road in Sanchong District on the evening of the 9th of this month. It was suspected that it did not yield to pedestrians first and directly hit a 5-year-old girl walking on the crosswalk, causing multiple bruises on the girl’s hands and feet. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured after being sent to the hospital. hinder. The truck driver was not drunk and the police issued a ticket in accordance with road traffic regulations.
It is understood that a woman surnamed Zhang (46 years old) drove a truck straight along a section of Yong’an North Road, Sanchong District, New Taipei City, at about 10:30 pm on the 9th of this month. On the way, she passed a section of Yong’an North Road and was about to turn right into Sanchong. On Section 4 of Helu Road, a mother and her daughter were crossing. The driver is suspected of not giving way to a pedestrian crossing and hit a 5-year-old girl on the spot, causing multiple bruises on her limbs. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured after being sent to the hospital.
The police stated that the female driver in the accident was not drunk. The detailed cause of the accident and the attribution of responsibility are still under investigation by the police. In addition, the truck driver’s behavior of failing to yield to pedestrians when passing through a pedestrian crossing is in accordance with the provisions of Article 44, Paragraph 1, Paragraph 4 of the Road Traffic Management Penalty Regulations. Car drivers who drive their cars through road sections marked with school and hospital signs and do not slow down shall A fine of not less than 600 yuan but not more than 1,800 yuan is imposed.
I don’t think so. I think it’s just regular people parking there. I’ve seen Uber Eats and FoodPanda scooters parked there before too. If it’s for police they could probably easily get a sign to designate it for use by the station employees only.
Even if it was what are the chances they actually get off their scooter and push it up into the parking spot? Near zero…in all my years in Taiwan I think I’ve only seen a couple of times people have gotten off their scooter to push it up the curb onto the sidewalk into a sidewalk parking space.
I would guess maybe some of their personal scooters are parked in the back, but I have no idea. Either way it’s a bit embarrassing to have so much illegal parking right next to the Precinct and still claim to care about pedestrians.
The building in this picture here is the 2nd Precinct.
Only if someone brings it up, which apparently the journalists and voters don’t
1 Like
1 Like
Another real piece of work…drunk driver just plowing straight into a person standing outside by their house…the person hit died.
Happened in northern Miaoli, over in Zaoqiao.
5 Likes