I’ve been mailed 2 photo-fines of myself driving in the wrong lane on my scooter here in Taipei in the past 5 days. The police have become photographers, using expensive telescopic lense cameras. Pussies. Can’t get down on the street and pull over the taxis and busses that are creating the real problems. Has anyone else got one? And if you have, is it worth it to go down to the motor vehicle office and hash it out with them? Any chance they’ll throw them out?
I’ve got a photo of a cop with a telephoto lens snapping people from the Nanjing MRT stop. He’s not wearing a bra.
No
No
Follow the rules next time.
One? Ha! I’ve got dozens! It’s a badge of honour, m’boy. Wear it with pride and know that you’re doing your part when it comes to funding Taiwan’s finest. 
They’ve been doing this for years. They’ve got quotas, they’ve had budget cut backs, and are expected to make up the difference by catching traffic crimmnals in the act.
Now I know what the yellow chinese characters mean on the left lane of Nanjing Road (and countless other roads around Taipei). They mean, “Don’t drive here on a scooter,” and are enforced by cops with zoom lenses.
I feel like traffic tickets in Taiwan are outrageously high. It will set you back NT$5300 for turning right at a red light. I don’t know what it costs in America now, but it seems like the traffic tickets in Taiwan would really be difficult for a family to afford. I see people breaking the laws all the time, so I don’t suppose the tickets are working.
I have been photographed twice: one for going over the line at the traffic lights and another for turning right on red.
And guess what? Now I follow the traffic rules.
Welcome to the club, horizontalcrack. After this you’ll spend some time looking up at overpasses figuring out where these “snappers” hang out and it will all become part of everyday life. Baptism-by-fire; no fun at all! Save yourself the hassle; pay the fine and be done with it.
Good luck,
CK
[quote=“twocs”]I feel like traffic tickets in Taiwan are outrageously high. It will set you back NT$5300 for turning right at a red light. I don’t know what it costs in America now, but it seems like the traffic tickets in Taiwan would really be difficult for a family to afford. I see people breaking the laws all the time, so I don’t suppose the tickets are working.[/quote]In the UK, It’s
Horizontalcrack.
If you want to go down the office and have it out with them, it’s best to speak no Chinese what so ever, carry a video camera with you and should anyone enquire just what the hell you’re doing, give 'em a quick jab in the ribs. I’ve heard this works fine…
[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”][quote=“twocs”]I feel like traffic tickets in Taiwan are outrageously high. It will set you back NT$5300 for turning right at a red light. I don’t know what it costs in America now, but it seems like the traffic tickets in Taiwan would really be difficult for a family to afford. I see people breaking the laws all the time, so I don’t suppose the tickets are working.[/quote]In the UK, It’s
twocs, you sure that your figure of 5300NT is right, the fine for speeding in town in a car is only 1800NT, somehow cant believe that the fine for doing a right turn on red lights is almost 3 times more.
There is a set table and scale for fines, it is not up to the whim of the cops.
It’s about time they started enforcing these already existing rules.
It’s annoying when scooter traffic holds up lanes that are supposed to be “scooter prohibited”, even though the lanes where scooters are permitted are not particularly crowded. And, a few times while making legal left turns, I’ve almost taken down scooters coming from behind who were riding the wrong direction in the oncoming traffic lane. I’ve since made it a part of my left turn routine to check for scooters riding illegally (and dangerously) the wrong way in the oncoming traffic lane. :s
As for arguing this case, if you were riding in a “scooter prohibited” lane, I think it’s fair that you can get a one-time freebie by using the “I don’t read Chinese” excuse. But, they should keep a record of you using your one freebie, and next time you are caught, it’s fair and square. If you were riding the wrong way in oncoming traffic, just pay it and be done with it. You broke the rules and were unlucky, and got caught.
[quote=“Ben”]
It’s annoying when scooter traffic holds up lanes that are supposed to be “scooter prohibited”, even though the lanes where scooters are permitted are not particularly crowded. [/quote]
Down here in Tai/chung the scooter lane will be full of double-parked cars, so not much choice but to go mix with the four-wheeled traffic. And, there are so many cars and blue trucks using ‘motorcycle emulation mode’ that the scooter pilot will decide there’s not much point in staying confined to the scooter lane when other vehicles don’t respect it.
Of course, down here one-way signs don’t work either, and no-one has a clue what the painted markings on the roads mean. Perhaps there was a budget surplus one year and city hall decided to spend it on painting pretty lines all over the streets. Even the cops here ride their scooters against traffic. :help:
Note, in my original post, I said that scooters ride in the “scooters prohibited” lane even when the lanes where scooters are allowed aren’t particularly crowded. Is there a legitimate reason when this is the case?
My comments were made with Taipei in mind as well, my fault for not stating that to begin with. Many of the “scooter prohibited” lanes appear on only the leftmost lane of 3 lane roads, so in this case, if there are double parked cars, there is still one open lane besides the “scooters prohibited” lane.
In Taipei, there aren’t many dedicated scooter lanes as I’ve seen in Taiching. There’s usually the lanes that are open to everyone, then the lanes where scooters are prohibited.
[quote=“Ben”]
In Taipei, there aren’t many dedicated scooter lanes as I’ve seen in Taiching. There’s usually the lanes that are open to everyone, then the lanes where scooters are prohibited.[/quote]
Down here it seems that where there is a dedicated scooter lane, the other lanes are prohibited to scooters. But the scooter lane is very often full of double-parked cars and trucks.
Sorry, OT, will shut up and let you discuss Taipei now 
5,300NT for turning right on a red light?..Whoa!
I got pulled over last night leaving Carnagies for the same thing.
I got off with a warning and a friendly wave…
Whew!
[quote=“Ben”]Note, in my original post, I said that scooters ride in the “scooters prohibited” lane even when the lanes where scooters are allowed aren’t particularly crowded. Is there a legitimate reason when this is the case?
[/quote]
When you got loads of fuck wit taxi drvers kerb crawling else cars pulling in and out with no regard for other road users and turning right without signalling
I was just going to post identical to the above. The outside lane is just too dangerous what with taxis and buses pulling in suddenly. I never use it. The next outside one is usually OK, but if that too is full (for example with cars making a right at an intersection), I go for the car only lanes.
Re being snapped recently: there’s a two week crackdown, so be careful.
Brian
I tried adhering to the rules yesterday evening along Zhongxiao E. Rd, just for the hell of it, hell being the appropriate word. Almost wore out my horn, got hoarse from shouting obscenities at stupid fucktards and drove my blood pressure into the stratosphere. Also got clipped by cars twice.
And to the stupid, stupid girl whose jacket I ripped with my wing mirror? Step into the road from between two parked vans during rush hour and you’ll get hit by a vehicle, dumbass. Think yourself lucky I had room to swerve or I’d have mashed you into the pavement.