Sort of agree, but I question the punitive approach and see it as a band-aid. it’s better than nothing and probably what’s necessary. However, the whole place was designed for people on motorbikes and walking in the street. How does Taiwan deal with the reality of modern life, driving, parking, walking…?
This had me shaking my head when I first came here. Left-turners can just tailgate and turn even if someone is coming straight at them in the opposite lane.
Most definitely not allowed in Germany. But 30 years later, nothing has changed. Also, left-turning scooters will always turn left first when a traffic light turns green, before the oncoming traffic has a chance to block the way. Well, I did this too in my scootering days, but that should not be allowed, right?
from behind in a straight line
That’s the most common one that really scares me. happened to my wife, luckily minimal injury. Were you walking, cycling, or riding?
After I heard this news, I started noticing more often if/when pedestrian phases have a flashing green light throughout the entire green period.
Not sure what causes it, but sometimes the lights at an intersection completely get fucked or something and they stop showing the timers. When this happens, the pedestrian light will start flashing. Sometimes the period takes more than 60sec, with the pedestrian light flashing the whole time.
“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the Twilight Zone!”
What Taiwanese see when they drive:
me dodging scooter and cars:
Walking
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I saw a guy on a scooter watching a TV drama. He even had one of those mini umbrellas over his phone, so no chance of him catching a glimpse past the phone.
Smart, he can blame the producer or hot actor for his accident. So brilliant!
Another driver on drugs. Driver drives right into two pedestrians.
For the trash truck worker killed by the drunk driver …her boyfriend was the trash truck driver and saw her body right after the crash. He introduced the job to her. The drunk driver claims it wasn’t him driving. Members of the public have already identified the guy.
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I wonder how Arizona is dealing with it
Jesus, don’t know how you go on after that. Should have thrown the guy in the back of the truck and disposed of him.
Guy in electric wheelchair/mobility scooter shares his experience of being illegally denied entry to the bus. Now the bus company has been fined NT$90,000 after the transportation dept. heard about what happened. The bus driver used the PA system to berate him and incite the other passengers as he made them get off. Some passengers decided to berate the man in the wheelchair.
The very same guy that was denied service has gone to their company to participate in training sessions to help educate/train the workers on securing wheelchairs/mobility scooters before.
[Link to original Facebook post]
CoPilot translation of his post:
Sorry, as a wheelchair user I set the worst example for society
This driver insisted I could not get on the bus, even though their station manager called him. He still refused, so I kindly reminded him that his company had previously been fined NT$90,000 for this, and suggested he contact his supervisor to confirm that I really am allowed to board. At first he refused to call his supervisor, saying if he got fined NT$90,000 he would just resign. After I called the supervisor, and the supervisor called him, he still insisted he would not let me ride. He asked why I was making things difficult with this electric wheelchair, and told me to use the paratransit bus instead. I felt that was very rude. I asked him back: why drive a public bus if you don’t want to? Why not drive a taxi? He exploded in anger, saying quitting was the biggest option, that he would just drive away, and what could I do about it. I stood in front of the bus and thought: fine, let him run me over.
—— Later I stepped aside so the bus could leave, but the driver deliberately refused to drive off. Instead, he incited the passengers inside the bus (there is audio recording on board; New Taipei City councilors can ask the Transportation Bureau to investigate). The driver called the police, grabbed my clothes, and prevented me from boarding the next bus. Passengers were forced to get off, and several took turns hurling the nastiest insults at me, cursing my ancestors—I have recordings of all of it. Eventually I boarded the next bus that came, but even then passengers kept urging the driver to shut the doors quickly so that “this bastard” couldn’t get on. (The next bus came 10 minutes later, and we all left. The original driver, having called the police, was not allowed to leave the scene.) I did manage to get on the next bus safely. Tonight I will take my medication for depression, so please don’t worry. I wish that none of your family members ever need a wheelchair, but even if they do, may they be brave enough to go out without feeling restricted.
/ The driver kept insisting my wheelchair could not be secured. I told him I had photos showing exactly how my front and rear wheels, and the handles, are fixed when riding their buses. He refused to look, saying he would rather resign than carry me. Then he went back to the bus and used the onboard PA system to incite passengers to curse me, saying my disabled brain also had problems. (Actually, every time someone insults me like that, I find it funny—people love exams so much, yet they say my brain has problems.)
News article about the fine:
CoPilot translation:
Electric wheelchair user refused bus boarding, Tamsui Bus fined NT$90,000
Hu Ting-shuo, a patient with spinal muscular atrophy and recipient of the Presidential Education Award, currently works as a corporate lecturer and relies on an electric wheelchair for mobility. Yesterday, while on a business trip to Sanzhi District in New Taipei City, he attempted to board Tamsui Bus route 862 at the Qianshuiwan stop around 4 p.m. to return to the Tamsui MRT Station. Before he could get on, the driver refused him, claiming the wheelchair “could not be secured.” Hu later boarded another bus to leave.
The New Taipei City Department of Transportation responded that the bus company had failed to adequately train its drivers, and announced it would fine the company NT$90,000, while also requesting the operator to arrange a compensation plan.
Tamsui Bus later reported the incident to the Transportation Department. Surveillance footage showed that as soon as the bus door opened, the driver told Hu, “That’s an electric wheelchair, it can’t come on board—it can’t be fixed in place.” The incident lasted about 10 minutes, during which Hu was unable to board. Some of the more than 10 passengers on board grew impatient and complained to Hu, calling him “making trouble” and saying “everyone is waiting for you.”
With the assistance of New Taipei City Councilor Cheng Yu-en, Hu explained to the media today that the driver insisted on not letting him board. Hu asked the driver to call his supervisor, but the driver refused, so Hu himself called the Tamsui station manager. The manager told the driver Hu could board, but the driver shouted back at his supervisor: “If you want to fine me NT$90,000, then fine me. I quit! I’m the boss here.” The driver then tried to drive away, but Hu stood in front of the bus for about 10 seconds before stepping aside. The driver then began forcing all passengers off the bus, saying “this person is so nasty, won’t let me drive,” and insulting Hu as “disabled.” Several elderly passengers cursed at Hu using vulgar language. The incident lasted about 10 minutes, after which Hu boarded route 860 at the same stop and went home.
Hu said he had told the driver that he had previously ridden buses where his wheelchair was properly secured, and even had photos to show. He had also participated in training sessions at the bus company, demonstrating how to secure electric wheelchairs. As of this afternoon, however, “the bus company has only called me, asking me to delete the post I wrote about the incident.” A law student, Hu emphasized that he was not seeking to punish the driver personally, but wanted to remind society that “life is already hard in a wheelchair. Even so, we must be able to go out bravely without feeling restricted.”
The Transportation Department stated that the bus company’s inadequate driver training led to inconsistent understanding among drivers. The company has been ordered to strengthen training, and will be fined NT$90,000. The department has also contacted the bus company’s general manager to express concern to Mr. Hu and arrange compensation. Since Hu’s electric wheelchair had already been used in the company’s training exercises and was not flagged as incompatible, and since he was able to board the next bus that day, the department concluded that this type of electric wheelchair should indeed be recognized as suitable for boarding the company’s buses.
Update to a previous incident involving an unlicensed scooter rider. The rider hit and killed a pedestrian walking along the side of the road. The rider has been sentenced to 3 and half years.
Another terrible driver hits a pedestrian island. Almost flips themselves over.
In SanXia New Taipei a scooter rider failed to yield to a pedestrian, hitting her and breaking seven ribs.
EDIT: Another driver hit a pedestrian island.
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Taiwan driving standards. So apparently Taiwan won’t swap Australian drivers licences any more, nor California or New York licences… but you can swap a Solomon islands or PNG licence.
In a country that values reciprocity over driving and licensing standards, can anything improve?
What about the municipality? What did it got for providing such a nice infrastructure and for allowing such an orderly placement of a wide variety of private properties on public space?
The friendliness of Taiwanese people is only outdone by their compassion
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They don’t value reciprocity, look at motorcycle licenses and citizenship. They’re just using the easiest tool they have to try and get their privileges back. Improving driving standards simply isn’t an option.
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