-take off as soon as you see somebody else taking off, do not look at the green lights
-do not take off until someone else takes off, if you are in a car or a scooter. Spend this time sleeping or checking out the two cute chicks stopped beside you.
In traffic
do not attempt to avoid diesel bus fumes. Instead inhale and enjoy the freedom of the R.O.C.
-if taking the shilin-neihu tunnel see if you can beat that guy’s time you clocked at the San Marino Formula One on tw (no speed cameras yah hay)
-only the coolest drivers use the double backlight indication technique which comes with instant ‘full strength forcefield’ impregnabile to all but the biggest photon torpedoes.
Author Topic: Taiwan’s rules of the road
DJ Spanky
Member
Member # 2790
Rate Member
. 05-04-2002 19:11
I know Taiwan’s unwritten rules of the road have been recorded better elsewhere but the following represent my struggle to figure out how to survive out there. Correct me if I’ve drawn some hasty conclusions:
Taiwan road rules in order of priority:
Intimidate or be intimidated.
There is no right-of-way, only outta my way.
Show no mercy or courtesy, you only end up being scorned and pushed aside.
If you leave a safe gap, something will fill it – taxi, scooter, bike, wheelchair or pushcart.
Taxis, buses and trucks actually own the roads. They just let us borrow what’s left over.
To make a left turn, pull in front of on-coming traffic and force it to a complete stop, survey everyone with surprised indifference for a moment, then proceed with left turn.
To make a lane change, first change lanes, then look back to see who you’ve cut off.
Traffic rules are optional according to wealth and social status.
The government has given up trying to do anything about the traffic mess. It’s only trying to make a profit off it now.
Taiwan traffic will grind to a complete, permanent island-wide halt in about six years.
Posts: 8 | From: Chung Ho | Registered: Mar 2002 | IP: Logged
zentouque
Member
Member # 2970
Rate Member
. 05-04-2002 19:28
I agree, and one more thing.If you ride a scooter, watch out for the COPS. They’re out to get you. It makes no difference what anyone in any other vehicle does, if you ride a scooter you’re marked. They ask people at random to stop and issue tickets to them for whatever they can think of. But I guess we can’t ask these people to only stop those they suspect of driving under the influence or those who drive recklessly. Just more of the bull@#$% police state crap I’ve come to expect. And yes I know there are other “true” police states which are for more repressive but do the Taiwanese want to be a free democracy or not?
Originally posted by zentouque:
I agree, and one more thing.If you ride a scooter, watch out for the COPS. They’re out to get you. It makes no difference what anyone in any other vehicle does, if you ride a scooter you’re marked. They ask people at random to stop and issue tickets to them for whatever they can think of. …
Really zentouque, what exactly did you get a ticket for? Did the police just issue a malicous ticket or were you really breaking road rules? I have never be issued (or known of anyone) who got a ticket for a infraction they did not commit. I mean it is easy enough to find people breaking the rules! Also, the police have pulled me over and let me off quite a few time too. I don’t think I would have got off so lightly in other ‘democracies’ like the US. $100 fine and traffic school more like! Judging from the traffic stops in the city at night, cars seem to get stopped just the same.
I honestly don’t know why people get so worked up about the occasional traffic stop. It does operate as quite a deterrant for drunk driving and driving without a license. As long as the police don’t overstep their powers and only check matters relating to compliance with road laws, where is the harm? Asking to see your license & insurance is hardly like searching your home!
So zentouque, are things really that different in Kaohsuing. Has it really turned into a police state, where cops issue tickets to any group they fancy oppressing? And why do you think they picked motorcyclists, rather than dragging political opponents from their homes at night and beating them?
I would say that obvious foreigners get, if anything, better treatment in general than any other group in Taiwan when it comes to traffic laws. What other group is allowed to commit so many infractions, ranging from illegal traffic maneuvers and driving without a license and/or registration, etc., without punishment or consequence simply by pretending not to be able, or perhaps really not being able to speak Chinese?
Fit smaller rear view mirrors to your bike
Replace the factory fitted rear view mirrors on your bike will smaller ones (usually about 5cm round on 10cm stalks). This will make it impossible to see anything in the mirror other than a reflection of your t-shirt, but who cares what is going on behind? It is what is in front that matters. Also the modification will result in a 0.2km/h increase in the bikes top speed.
When does a red light mean ‘stop’?
It is easy to think that Taiwanese traffic lights mean the same thing as other places in the world - stop on red, go on green. In reality the logic is more complex, factors are:
Location. Outside of Taipei and other large cities, traffic lights are advisory only. Locals know which ones you need to stop at. Just copy what they do. Main routes through Ilan county are the prime examples of this. Time of Day. don’t bother to stop more than a few moments between 2am and 6am. Duration. If the lights don’t seem likely to change after 30 seconds, just proceed. What are you driving and how fast are you going.. If you are driving a bus in service at 70km/h then it is okay to run reds. Who is going to stop you? Safety in numbers If other people go, then you can go too. It would not be fair if they got there first. Left turn on red is okay if the police are not waiting round the corner. Yellow light means try to get across if you can, but don’t worry too much if you get stuck in the middle. Just smile and giggle at everyone and they won’t mind.
Ok JeffG, I will come clean. I have never been issued a ticket, but one time I was riding my scooter while my girlfriend was riding hers and we got stopped. He wanted to issue us both a ticket, I’m not sure what for. To be honest, I’m not sure if it is legal to turn right on a red, I know it is legal in my province in Canada. I didn’t catch all the particulars because my Chinese is only so-so, and my girlfriend did the talking. But he let us go, probably because to issue 2 tickets would be too much hassle. Now, I admit I shouldn’t spout off so easily. I’m laughing at myself right now because you caught me in a stupid knee jerk reaction. It’s just that in my province back home, the only time the COPs do spot road checks is during the holidays to deter drinking and driving. Otherwise, only if you get caught breaking the law. But I have seen so many times, people getting pulled over or simply waiting at a red light and the COPs ask them to pull over to the curb and pull out the licence etc. Back home, if you get stopped during a holiday spot check, they simply ask if you’ve been drinking. If you say no and they believe you, on your way. I know this isn’t Canada, and the Taiwanese have a right to run the country as they please. Perhaps I was a little harsh in my judgement. I guess I’m still getting used to the way things are done here, even after a year.
No Zentoque. You were right. The cops do have it in for scooter drivers. They stop themway mroe than they stop cars. It’s just so easy to hide around the corner from a red light and catch the people turning right. Then you can issue your ticket and you’ll have your quota jut like that. Who has ever seen the cops stop CAR for doing a left or U-turn in front of oncoming traffic or turning right from the third lane etc etc?
I just found out it is illegal to turn right on a red. So I was lucky the COP didn’t write me up. I guess he had writers cramp or he wanted to go for lunch. But I still stand by my assertion that scooter riders are stopped more often. In my year in Kaohsiung, I have NEVER seen a police officer talking to the driver of a car, taxi, lil’ blue truck, bus or motorcycle/pick-up truck hybrid loaded with 40ft long bamboo poles.
quote:Originally posted by Bu Lai En:
... The cops do have it in for scooter drivers. They stop themway mroe than they stop cars. It's just so easy to hide around the corner from a red light and catch the people turning right. Then you can issue your ticket and you'll have your quota jut like that. Who has ever seen the cops stop CAR for doing a left or U-turn in front of oncoming traffic or turning right from the third lane etc etc?
I think cops everywhere find it easier to issue tickets for simple violations, rather than ‘dangerous driving’, which tends to be more subjective unless it involves speeding.
Yes, it is illegal to turn right on red in Taiwan. As I know it is a North American practice (and not even legal throughout the USA). It is not allowed in Europe as I know. Not sure about anywhere else. The lurking cops will stop cars who turn on red just the same as scooters (just watch for a bit), its just scooter drivers who do it more often. The cars often cannot, simply because there are waiting scooters in front of them.
Reader of this post will know however that there is always a way in Taiwan. The correct procedure for turn on red must surely be:
[*]Slow down and look for cops[*]If none are present, proceed[*]If you are a Westerner with an international license, don't bother, you are not likely to get a ticket
[/list]As I know from my my area of Taipei the cops have a few favorite corners for this activity. Other places you can just sail round [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I can’t speak for Kaohsuing, but near my house last night the cops had set up a checkpoint and were checking every car license. They were waving the scooters through.
I think the practice of checking motorcycle IDs at red lights is pretty common, as are the spot checks for drinking (cars and bikes). Both pretty harmless activities in my opinion, the police seem pretty polite and just get on with the job.
Some of the large river bridges often have check points late at night. There are also a lot of check points for cars (not bikes) on Yang Ming Shan on Saturday nights. I have not idea why.
I must say I don’t see much evidence of a conspiricy, in Taipei at least.
There are also a lot of check points for cars (not bikes) on Yang Ming Shan on Saturday nights. I have not idea why.
I must say I don’t see much evidence of a conspiricy, in Taipei at least.
malkie i live at the foot of yang ming shan and the reason their are so many check points is that the kids “you guessed it” would have races up yang ming shan. notice the fast sports cars in taipei lately.
quote: The correct procedure for turn on red must surely be:
Slow down and look for cops
If none are present, proceed
If you are a Westerner with an international license, don’t bother, you are not likely to get a ticket
There’s one more step:
If you turn right and see a cop ahead, immediately pull over, take out your cellphone and ‘answer a call’ or ride up onto the footpath (sidewalk) and go into the 7-11 (get off your bike beofre you go in). Then you can explain to the cop what you were doing. I’ve done this several times and it seems to work.
For the ‘drunk-driving’ check points. You can usually see them for several blocks ahead, so just turn right down a lane and circle around them.
Watch out for the tunnel on Linsen S Rd tat goes under CKS Hall. There’s always cops there at night, but I forgot last week. I was drunk, halfway through the tunnel and I remembered. The cop pulled me over “you meiyou he jiu” (been drinking?), “meiyou”, and he waved me on. So trusting
Taipei cops ‘love’ pulling foreigners over for drink driving. I know lots of people who were done. The fine can be 30000 or more. It’d be cheaper taking a taxi…
quote:Originally posted by haobana:
Taipei cops 'love' pulling foreigners over for drink driving. I know lots of people who were done.
My personal opinion is that drunks are a menace on the roads, whether Chinese or Westerners, and if the police can do anything about it all the better. You just need to look at the Saturday night news to see the havoc wreaked here by drunk driving.
Taking even a selfish position: That you might harm yourself by driving when drunk, I can’t see why anyone would need to do it given the availablity of taxis and other transport in Taiwan’s cities.
No fine is too high for drunken driving. Vehicle confiscation should also be mandatory, as well as maybe compulsory orderly service at a hospital accident/emergency unit on a Saturday night.
I live in Kaohsiung and I’ve noticed that especially on Sundays the traffic police sets up road blocks on Mintzu Rd. Just as you approach the tunnel on your way to downtown and again just before you crossover Chihsien Rd. They are kitted out with pc’s, the works.
Does anyone else have info on regular road blocks in Kaohsiung city?