from the man in a bowler and kilt?
ha, i flash my spandex covered bottom in your unmistakable direction, you ill-attired nancy.
[quote=“fee”]I agree. Are there any rules for bicyclists? Are they supposed to ride on the road or on the sidewalks?
Is it OK for them to run red lights, as BFM mentioned? Can they ride the wrong way down the street?
As a pedestrian, am I supposed to get out their way when they ring their bells or make that screeching sound with their brakes?
Are the sidewalks meant for people walking or riding bikes–or both?[/quote]
You raise some important issues here. There is conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. There are problems with the way some cyclists use the roads and footpaths. However, your anger is misdirected. The root of the problem lies in the fact there are too many cars and motorcycles and not enough safe spaces for bicycles or pedestrians.
Unwilling to sacrifice space on the roads for bike lanes local governments in Taiwan have come up with the idea of shared footpaths or bike lanes on footpaths. I don’t like these. According to the law cyclists should give way to pedestrians on these, but that doesn’t necessarily happen.
Another thing that makes me cringe is cyclists who ride on the wrong side of the road directly into the oncoming traffic. This is extremely dangerous!
Sure they can charge cyclists, but they should charge other road users based on what resources they use and impacts they have too. Bicycles take up very little space on the road and don’t produce any pollution. Many people like to say this, that cyclists don’t pay registration fees, etc. but the reality is the cost of bike paths and bike racks is a drop in the ocean compared to building roads, car parks, bridges, expressways, etc.
It doesn’t really matter what the rules for cyclists are. No one in Taiwan will obey them and the police won’t enforce them.