Yea the key word is sometimes.
It needs to happen EVERY SINGLE TIME. Run a stop sign, red light, etc. get a ticket every time. Eventually everyone’s going to stop unless they’re freaking Bill Gates/Elon Musk. Even they will have the sense to not do this from loss of face (rich people in Taiwan REALLY cares about face).
Can be done with cameras, special traffic warden trained to look out for such thing and tagging vehicles, etc.
The problem is “sometimes” is not enough.
Yeah, that’s not going to happen. There aren’t enough police/traffic wardens in Taiwan. I see a cop maybe once every two weeks?
When I do see them, they are either downtown or on the MRT, or in an otherwise busy area. Forget about cops patrolling in my neighborhood, which is where I spend 90% of my time, and where I usually almost get hit by red light runners.
They can do it with cameras and sensors.
I guess one problem is there aren’t enough cops and if cops started ticketing every single thing they see the people will complain.
This does happen in places, a juction I know of has police on it every single rush hour. Different police each time, perhaps they have a rota. Anyway I see people pulled every single time there I pass through it.
There will be an uprising. The Taiwanese don’t respond well to being policed into following what they see as unnecessary laws that cause inconvenience. It “takes away their freedom”.
This idiot supports my theory about not stopping anywhere behind idiots.
Actually on Saturday riding up from Hualien to Wuling at around 2000m altitude a van coming down the mountain nearly hit me. The road at that place was maybe 3.5-4m wide - so just not enough for two cars to pass, but easily enough for me going on the right and the car going on the right to pass. However the driver must have been sleeping or watching wherever.
I first thought - damn he is driving in the middle of the road - instead of right side - when will he pull over. Only to pull to my side very shortly before passing. I had to ride into the ditch (luckily not 1m deep at that spot but just like 30cm) to avoid being taken frontal on. I was on the outside of the turn.
The van slowed down 2 seconds while i shouted a loud F*You then speeded off. Likely knowing I was trying to get my phone to take a picture and file a complaint at police. Was too slow pulling my phone and couldn’t remember the license plate.
I must say the more touristic a place is - the worse the drivers and the less looking at the road. Also if you ride up and every third car going down smells like overheated brakes - you know those people never learned to downshift or use braking mode (every automatic car has either or) and just go super slow because they notice their breaks overheathing yet have not a damn clue that motor brake is what is needed in mountains. It’s what happens when you put people from a scooter into a car without any further education.
Get one of those helmet cameras.
In GTA San Andreas you often hear people say “what kind of license you got, a fishing license”?
I feel like everyone would be saying that here.
well I tried going lightwight. Had maybe 1.5kg of total baggage excluding food/water for those 4 days trip (indluding minitool, co2 capsule, spare tube). In cities car drivers just seem to know that if they doze off they will cause accidents. I also never had problems on mountain roads where it’s locals driving - but highway 8/14 which is tourists mainly really has much more careless (not reckless because most go slow but many seem to just watch the nature instead of the road) driving.
Anywhere behind or around really.
its it’s not the answer you want, but maybe the answer you need. Be more 3 dimensional. I have evolved my brain to literally look up while driving. think sphere, not just circumference 360 style. I try and tell myself that this has actually stimulated my brain which helps me improve myself at work too. Actually it’s true.
sadly though, the government actually promotes dangerous driving legally, so we shouldnt expect much change if the government promotes it. gotta force the change, it wont happen naturally in our lifetime.
tee hee. they wont respond well to such laws that affect money. taiwan has loads of laws policing peoples “freedoms”. they rarely lift a finger if it doesnt affect their wallets. there are exceptions of course, and we are lucky to have governments that are easy as all hell do get to change their mind. but the freedom fighters are geriatric and going away. the up and coming are still fairly obedient if their belly is full. just wait til their elders are dead, they sold off the family assets and they need to fend for themselves. then taiwan will get wild again.
2050~2060? ish…
If not, maybe we can translate it unofficially, for the greater good (?)
Silly rabbit, books are for kids!
Who has time to read books anyways? I’m busy driving at high speeds while looking at my phone!
Guy
