OK, there’s no vroom really, but this is more related to traffic than to sports, which is why I’ve put it in the vroom vroom section.
Please someone, help clear this up for me. Are the following legal or illegal? Remember. this is regarding bicycles, not motorbikes.
Thanks,
Stu
[quote=“irishstu”]Are the following legal or illegal?[/quote]…and what difference does it make when there’s no enforcement?
Yeah. I know, I know. I just want to know, cos knowing my luck, I’ll be the one that gets it enforced on him.
Like the one time in Taiwan I actually forgot to wear my seatbelt for 5 whole minutes and got a ticket.
Ah yeah, but if you wear flipflops and a stained wife beater you’ll probably get away with it. Go for broke, dress like a bum and break all the rules at once. Best chance of getting away with it.
<-- tongue embedded in cheek
[quote=“irishstu”]1. Riding without a helmet
4. Riding in the dark without lights[/quote] I don’t know if these are illegal or not, but why would you take the chance? I break the law and ride without a helmet back home, but here? No thanks.
Again, thanks for the feedback. I usually wear a helmet. too. Ironically I’m more likely to wear one in slow traffic than flying down the side of a rocky mountain.
Anyway, I just want to know either way. Let’s call it curiosity.
I heard it in the news that they’ll start enforcing bicycle regulations in Taipei city sometime later this year. The rules are pretty much the same as motorbikes’, e.g., no riding on sidewalk, two-point turn, can’t go against traffic flow. Not sure about helmet requirement though.
I was curious about this and had a look at the relevant laws. Believe it or not, the law does say that you have to have lights at night and are not allowed to carry a passenger. Laws long forgotten by the police.
Rather than asking about the law, I think you should ride in such a fashion as will give you the best chance of survival - i.e. lights - yes, helmet - yes, passenger - no. And please do keep off the sidewalk, for the sake of the poor pedestrians. In other words, ride like a Mormon!
Thanks a lot Juba.
I intend to ride like I normally would, ie lights at night, correct side of the road, not on the footpath, and usually wear a helmet.
One of the things that most surprised me was the lights at night thing. I saw a couple of foreigners the other day on their bicycles. I knew they were foreigners from 50 m behind them, in the dark, because they had lights. Sure enough, when we passed them, they were indeed foreigners. I have not seen a single local use lights here, and I’ve been here for almost two years now.
Everyone is being kind and thoughtful and all, but please answer the poor guy’s question (if you know). I’d also like to know.
What exactly are the rules governing bicycle riding? What is the source of those rules? Can they be accessed online?
(Please don’t post again about how they aren’t enforced)
I thought I did (in part, at least). Ah well, must try harder.
Well, I should admit that I have also looked at the bicycle traffic regulations for mainland China and I might be confusing the Taiwan and mainland laws. And they are not enforced on the mainland, either (am I allowed to mention that?)
I don’t think helmets are required by law for bicycles. As for bicycles on the sidewalk - in Japan they have to go on the sidewalk. Let’s hope they don’t make that the rule here.
The traffic laws are there for reference in any bookshop. Go to the law section and you will find little plastic-covered books containing the main laws, including those governing transport. I have never seen them in English.
Mormons, probably.
On the rare occasions when they do, as often as not they have a red light at the front and white at the back, or some other silly combination.
[quote=“Juba”]I was curious about this and had a look at the relevant laws. Believe it or not, the law does say that you have to have lights at night and are not allowed to carry a passenger. Laws long forgotten by the police.
Rather than asking about the law, I think you should ride in such a fashion as will give you the best chance of survival - i.e. lights - yes, helmet - yes, passenger - no. And please do keep off the sidewalk, for the sake of the poor pedestrians. In other words, ride like a Mormon!
[/quote]
Ha! I remember that in a fried rice restaurant. “How are you? Do you believe in God?”
I was stopped one night by the police and I was already overstaying my visitor visa by a few months. I was drunk, driving on the wrong side in a back street and didn’t notice he was turning on the road instead of going straight ahead. There was a foreigner in the back seat who asked, “They want to know if you know your passport number.” I said, “No.” He said, “Ok. See ya.” That was it. Hmmmm.
Seriously though, I don’t suggest anyone does what I did. I got hurt a few times. Lesson learned. A helmut must always be worn. Everyone drives scooters and cars drunk where I lived though. There’d be road blocks with the police car lights flashing. All you do is take a detour to avoid them.
[quote=“Juba”]
Mormons, probably.[/quote]
Nope!
They were… emmm… “normal” foreigners. 
previous posters correct in saying that lights at night and helmets are legally required… the fairly strong lobby that the bicycle industry ( and of course components industry) has in the legislative yuan saw to that years ago…
as for obeying the rules of the road on a bicycle, legally I’m not sure… I’d guess there aren’t any laws, I mean riding a bicycle like an idiot is the all important training ground where the youth of Taiwan are inducted at an early age into the long held Taiwanese tradition of riding a scooter like an idiot, before they later graduate to driving a car like an idiot… it’s a traditional thang… 
How do you know this? Any references or just common knowledge?
^^^ Same lawmaking process that made it illegal to put a new engine in your car, modify your motorcyle with non-standard parts, import one from Japan, build a house with non-standard sized windows…
It’s called lobbying for special interests, happens everywhere.
[quote=“hsiadogah”]^^^ Same lawmaking process that made it illegal to put a new engine in your car, modify your motorcyle with non-standard parts, import one from Japan, build a house with non-standard sized windows…
It’s called lobbying for special interests, happens everywhere.[/quote]
OK, I buy all that, but all of the lobbying and back-room deals result in nothing consistent unless it is codified into law (and maybe not even then). Where exactly are the laws concerning this found?
:taz: :taz: :taz:
OK, I feel better now … think I need to go for a ride.
Because there are no laws, perhaps. Several years ago I had a 15 year old kid slam into the back of my Audi. I was parked at a 7/11 and he came flying down the hill in the rain at 3:30am. Of course no lights, helmet, or even shoes. Due to his due diligence of dodging the raindrops and by holding his umbrella down below his nose he wasn’t able to see my car until he had smacked into it. 
He tries to venture off but being a bit groggy I made him sit down until inside the 7/11 the cops came. All they could do was call his parents, who decided that it was my fault. 
I asked the cops about the laws regarding lights and such and they said there aren’t any. 
But that was several years ago in Chiayi.
道路交通安全規則 (民國 93 年 02 月 27 日 修正)
第 一 章 總則
第 6 條 慢車種類及名稱如左：
一 人力行駛車輛：指腳踏車 (含經型式審驗合格以人力為主動力為輔之電動輔助自行車，簡稱電動輔助自行車) 、三輪貨車、手拉貨車、板車等。
二 獸力行駛車輛：指牛車、馬車等。
第 119 條 (慢車之裝置)
慢車不得擅自變更裝置，並應保持煞車、鈴號、燈光及反光裝置等安全設備之良好與完整。
慢車擅自加裝補助引擎行駛者，依汽車之拼裝車輛處理。
第 120 條 (禁止駕駛或推拉車輛之情形)
慢車駕駛人有左列情事之一者，不得駕駛或推拉車輛：
一 患有妨害作業之疾病者。
二 智能或體力不能對所駕車輛為正常之控制者。
三 精神失常者。
四 因飲酒或服用藥物不能對所駕車輛為正常之控制者。
第 122 條 (慢車裝載)
慢車之裝載，應依左列規定：
一 兩輪腳踏車不得附載坐人，載物高度不得超過駕駛人肩部，重量不得超過二○公斤，長度不得伸出前岔，並不得伸出車後一公尺，寬度不得超過車把手。
(I’m too tired to translate this right now, but the relevant point is that bicycles are supposed to have working lights and reflectors as well as a bell or horn.)
Wow! A bell or horn. That’s interesting. My bike is officially illegal. How… ironic. 