Is traffic the worst part of Taiwan's lingering third worldism?

What a catch!

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Yeah I saw that today as well. Apparently has also never had a driver’s license this entire time. Car also registered in her mother’s name. She was on social media quite a lot flaunting her money and possession’s as well.

Curious to see what kind of punishment or dare I say, slap on the wrist, she will receive.

Here’s a news segment with the info from yesterday and today about it if anyone is interested.

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Or a witch hunt…

It will probably fade away from people’s (and police/politicians’) memories in a few weeks until we get another accident again as has happened in quite a few cases already in incidents much worse than this one unfortunately.

Yes, seems also had previous drunk driving offense. Personally, I think drunk driving with no license should be jail time. This time I hope her mother’s car is impounded for at least 6 months. I always hate that so many drunk drivers use other people’s cars.

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Actually now that I think about it with the amendments to the law with the name and shaming of repeated drunk drivers a witch hunt might be a bit more likely than before.

I clicked through the link in the article that says she was doxxed and revealed to earn 10 million a month. I’m sorry the poor ex chef turned road worker became a casualty of this self proclaimed “willful” and “queenly” woman who afterwards sat scrolling her phone in the police station she had been driving so recklessly in front of. Seems jail time is the only thing that will make her stop and think when any fines are peanuts to her.

But I couldn’t help but think: 10 million a month? How is she earning that much and why am I not? The article possibly mentions something about a possible pyramid scheme, and drugs, although that may just be caught using, not dealing. I guess she was born into money?

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The problem in Taiwan is how jail time is commutable into a fine, which turns into pocket change for the rich but impossible to meet for the poor. :slightly_frowning_face:

Guy

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There are a few reasons why car ownership in Japan is not as widespread as in Taiwan. They adopt a very, very clever system of car ownership restriction: You can buy a car only if you own or rent a properly registered parking space suitable for the type of vehicle you want to buy. If you don’t have a registration certificate issued by the police, the car dealer won’t even bother talking to you. In Singapore they use the lottery system to allocate purchase licences, in Hong Kong they use an insanely high first registration tax to issue the licence plates (even more than the 100% sale price, which already includes the import tax). Here in Taiwan, besides the import tax on foreign made cars, there is literally no restriction. Add to the fact that driving licence exams here are a joke, in Japan they are very, very thorough and it is very expensive (especially in the urban prefectures like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto et similia) So if someone drives in Japan, they have been properly trained and they really need it, since they have spent so much effort, money and time that they are in a “proper” mindset. Tolls are also so expensive, drove once from Tokyo to Hyogo Prefecture (don’t ask, I was young and reckless, a 11-12 hours drive) and the toll for one way was well above 100 USD. Petrol is not cheap either. so it is really a combination of factors which leads to the poor traffic situation here imo. It is similar to Italy tbh. It is a bit better in the North, but as you go to the South, driving becomes a survival affair, like here. Taiwan should really push even further measures to discourage car usage and ownership. Like required to have a proper registered parking spaces for cars (scooters would be impracticable), toughen up the licence requirements (and reordering the motorbike licencing system, personal rant, the division for white, yellow and red plate bikes is moronic), make gas and tolls more expensive, together with more expensive car fees and parking fees in urban areas. All the extra income should be allocated to public transit development.

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I’d vote for that platform. Unfortunately, I would imagine only about 10% of the electorate would join me.

Guy

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Oftentimes I get a ride to the office by my fiance’e’s older brother (we live in the same big family house, and the offices are quite close to each other). The guy is a doll, I love him, but jeez. He is always bloody playing on the phone, not wearing seatbelt, talking on the phone, literally not giving a shite to the road itself. I am always uncomfortable when he drives. He is reckless, speeds all the time, drives like in a race. I have no idea how he hasn’t had an accident so far. So everytime I see a car crash, unfortunately I am not surprised at all. I am amazed by actually so few of them happen!

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I’ll let you know my riding when and if I’ll run for office :joy:

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It’s a mind meld. Everyone is doing the same so they are able to anticipate what will happen.

When everyone drives with the same mentality you get a situation where what some would consider a near miss and adjust their driving here they continue on their way without even a blink of the eye.

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It’s not enough to just simply make driving expensive. The other aspects of transportation need to be made easier.

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Bit by bit, this is indeed happening, with the roll out of youbike in more communities.

In contrast, the penny pinching people running Taipei City now have hacked down the off-peak frequency of MRT service and even some buses. :neutral_face:

Guy

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Train frequency is also down. But that might have more to do with recent strikes (which, ultimately, has to do again with penny pinching by government officials). What are the TRA folks asking for, I wonder?

Yes, TRA has also trimmed service.

The recent strikes (or proposed strikes) are related to the upcoming corporatization of the company. That itself is its own topic of discussion . . .

Guy

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making driving more expensive is just the starting point, as I said in the post, the extra revenue has to be invested in public transit. More MRT/LRT lines also in cities currently not served. More trains (whilst the HSR around the island project is a dream, it might not be that useful for rural parts of the eastern coast, reliable commuter and express trains would do) and proceed with a further electrification of the main train lines. More and more ecological busses, walkability and cyclability (is it a word? Sorry for my foreigner funny English at times) projects. It has to be an organic project, otherwise it becomes like Italy. Now driving is bloody expensive in my home country, petrol is more than 2EUR a litre, insurance policies are to the roof in cities, roads are in a state of disrepair, tolls getting extortionary, parking is very expensive in cities, however there is no alternative in cities or villages outside of Milan and maybe Turin. Getting public transit in Rome is an act of masochism and faith and a horrible experience. The goal is making the opportunity cost of driving and the connected externalities as high as possible to be basically stupid not to choose public transport.

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Hou You Yih decided he was going to one up Ko Wen Je on the race to the bottom. Some of the buses I take are now up to 75 minutes.

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With scheduling like that, I foresee stone-cold Burger King fare, miserably stuck in your hands. :neutral_face:

Guy

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