[quote=“JohnEG”][quote=“shawn_c”]
There should be cameras and automated systems EVERYWHERE to catch and fine all types of traffic violations; including speeding, running lights, turning when you’re not supposed to, stopping over the white line, stopping in the scooter box, parking at red-line curbs, riding/driving up the wrong side of the road, beeping your horn for no reason, cutting across several lanes of traffic, not signaling, etc.[/quote]
Absolutely! That’s what we need – more rules and zero tolerance.
Although I don’t think this really goes far enough. Ideally, you should also be watched 24/7 and your facial expressions should be monitored for inappropriate thoughts.
Also, it would probably help if you were arbitrarily snatched off the street and beaten up every now and then pour encourager les autres.
I’m sure you’d soon get used to it - in fact I expect you’d soon be clamoring for more.
And the beauty of it is, all of these social improvements can be paid for out of your taxes.[/quote]
Confucius propounds “Zhong Yong,” or the ideal of “The Middle Way,” meaning that everything in life be in balance - at neither extreme.
Since driving/riding is a privilege and not a right - those who operate potentially deadly vehicles in public spaces should definitely follow the rules which are in place to protect the general populace. Moreover, following traffic rules is not a restriction of one’s personal freedom; for the first tenet of individual freedom is that one’s freedom not inhibit upon the freedom of others.
I suppose if you got your leg amputated by a bad driver you’d be singing a different tune.
I’ve been caught three times by new Gatsos in the last month around Taoyuan HSR station, latest one last night. Limit was 50, speedo said 105. It could be expensive.
I can’t be the only person who has been hooning around on those perfect new roads with no traffic or coppers and excellent visibility in all directions this summer. Anyone who tells me it’s unsafe to go over 31mph there is an idiot. If you’ve been doing it too be careful, there are a load of new cameras there now!
Do you know, is there a website that tells you all the fixed camera locations in Taiwan?
Before anyone has a go at me, I’m talking about a two lane highway style road, running parallel to the HSR line. A wall at the left with the HSR line on legs, a central reservation at the right to section off the scooter lane, no cross roads or merging lanes, perfect visibility, nothing else on the road, straight as a die for 2km ahead of me. 105kph is about 63mph assuming my speedo is accurate. That’s just not in any way dangerous. I could understand them putting cameras to catch people speeding across intersections but the camera that got me is on a bloody 1km straight with no junctions! It’s a blatant money making exercise!
[quote=“jaame”]I’ve been caught three times by new Gatsos in the last month around Taoyuan HSR station, latest one last night. Limit was 50, speedo said 105. It could be expensive.
I can’t be the only person who has been hooning around on those perfect new roads with no traffic or coppers and excellent visibility in all directions this summer. Anyone who tells me it’s unsafe to go over 31mph there is an idiot. If you’ve been doing it too be careful, there are a load of new cameras there now!
Do you know, is there a website that tells you all the fixed camera locations in Taiwan?[/quote]
I think that once you’re caught at more than twice the posted speed limit, it’s an automatic 3 month ban on your vehicle’s plates…so, if your speedo is accurate and you were actually doing 105km/h in a 50 km/h posted speed limit zone, you’ll be getting the ticket (expensive fine) along with a letter saying you must hand in your plates when you pay the fine.
I agree that Taiwan’s road network is fully and completely mismanaged. Like many things, the ‘in Taiwan’ mentality means that whichever of the most incompetent fools that work in the Ministry that manages roads will ignore any smart and sensible road management examples from any other country…instead, they just try to reinvent stuff all the time (to make up for their incompetence) and implement these ridiculous speed limits and f*cked up road rankings…
I went up that road again today and it actually has a split speed limit for scooters and cars. It’s a road with two lanes for cars, limit 70kph, then a small raised reservation with trees and speed camera, then a single lane (full width) scooter/turning right lane, limit 50.
When the camera flashed me, I was in the car lane, possibly illegal in itself, doing 105 in a 70 limit, but the scooter lane where I should have been had a 50 limit and more annoyingly no speed camera.
Try speedcamerapoi.com it has a list of about 448 cameras in TW right now… looks like only one close to the HSR (高鐵桃園站 use this in the search page). If you notice any missing, feel free to add.
[edit]
Tell a lie, it says 448 cameras but in fact over 800 for Taiwan
[quote=“Captain Stag”][quote=“jaame”]I’ve been caught three times by new Gatsos in the last month around Taoyuan HSR station, latest one last night. Limit was 50, speedo said 105. It could be expensive.
I can’t be the only person who has been hooning around on those perfect new roads with no traffic or coppers and excellent visibility in all directions this summer. Anyone who tells me it’s unsafe to go over 31mph there is an idiot. If you’ve been doing it too be careful, there are a load of new cameras there now!
Do you know, is there a website that tells you all the fixed camera locations in Taiwan?[/quote]
I think that once you’re caught at more than twice the posted speed limit, it’s an automatic 3 month ban on your vehicle’s plates…so, if your speedo is accurate and you were actually doing 105km/h in a 50 km/h posted speed limit zone, you’ll be getting the ticket (expensive fine) along with a letter saying you must hand in your plates when you pay the fine.
I agree that Taiwan’s road network is fully and completely mismanaged. Like many things, the ‘in Taiwan’ mentality means that whichever of the most incompetent fools that work in the Ministry that manages roads will ignore any smart and sensible road management examples from any other country…instead, they just try to reinvent stuff all the time (to make up for their incompetence) and implement these ridiculous speed limits and f*cked up road rankings…[/quote]
I thought it was 60km over for the maximum penalty. Regardless of if it’s in a 50 or a 100 zone.
I had a look on that website, it’s great but there are some that I know of missing. I tried to add them but was unable to do so, how can you get coordinates off a google map?
Go to the speedcamerapoi.com/addcamera.php page. If you don’t know the co-ordinates, type the street address or close to it (both English or Chinese should work ie: 高鐵桃園站) and it should add a marker, you can then drag it around the map until you get it slap bang in the right place. Then click submit at the bottom of the screen. If there is already another camera within 20M it will not allow you to add.
I know the add camera page needs some work… needs instructions… which is on my list of things todo.
Right now the downloadable files are not updated dynamically, i’m working on that… so i have to do it manually every now & then. Plus the garmin files are empty…
Got the ticket, it said I was doing 86, my bike said 105 so I’m pretty happy, only $1200. Also it didn’t mention anything about me riding in the car lane on a white plate bike.
The wife and I got 7 speeding tickets last month from the same camera near the airport on 110. One of them was 101km/h, the limit is 50. That’s more than double, in a car, and the fine was about $2000. No ban.
My father in law says I always get caught on my bike because I ride in the middle of the road, he says I should ride in the scooter lane. I told him I’d rather pay a bit of tax now and again and stay alive! The scooter lane is unsafe if you want to ride faster than 30km/h.
Yeah they’re revenue generators pure and simple. They don’t put them at dangerous places, but at spots where the conditions are so safe that you’re easily tempted to go over the limit. My favourite is the No.3 Freeway between Muzaha and Xizhi. The limit’s 90, you come out of the tunnel, the road opens out nice and wide and straight, and goes down a slope. It’s almost impossible not to go over the limit, and there’s the camera.
I just received two tickets in the mail. Same place, same infraction… Doing a U-turn at a red light just outside the building where I work. It’s a very quiet T intersection. I live north of my office but there’s no way to head north from the parking lot so I have to go south and turn around. 2700 each for a total of 5400.
They never used to have a camera there before. I’ve been doing that U-turn for years!
[quote=“RobinTaiwan”]I just received two tickets in the mail. Same place, same infraction… Doing a U-turn at a red light just outside the building where I work. It’s a very quiet T intersection. I live north of my office but there’s no way to head north from the parking lot so I have to go south and turn around. 2700 each for a total of 5400.
They never used to have a camera there before. I’ve been doing that U-turn for years![/quote]
someone ratted on you…it’s possible!
I’ll just have to find a different way to get home after work.