http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/09/01/2003376704
Yeah, right… Just like they so diligently enforce all the other traffic laws. My Chinese teacher told me about this one a few weeks ago and also said it would be illegal for bicycles to ride on the sidewalks after September 1. I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair. If they ain’t stopping the scooters, do you honestly think they’ll stop the cyclists?
Why does Taipei even bother to create new laws?
:loco:
[quote=“500CBFan”]http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/09/01/2003376704
Yeah, right… Just like they so diligently enforce all the other traffic laws. My Chinese teacher told me about this one a few weeks ago and also said it would be illegal for bicycles to ride on the sidewalks after September 1. I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair. If they ain’t stopping the scooters, do you honestly think they’ll stop the cyclists?
Why does Taipei even bother to create new laws?
:loco:[/quote]
The idea is that the cyclists can be forced onto the roads where they can be killed because this method puts an end to the problem of how to deal with the crazies. Everyone knows that retarded, mentally handicapped and old people ride bicycles because they can’t fathom the roads so this way there will be money made from fines and money saved from pensions and payouts to the infirm. Of course this must be true or else they would also create a law requiring cyclists to conform with the rules of the road which they haven’t have they? As a short time ago they refused to accept a bicycle as a “vehicle” which is why they won’t be building any cycleways for them on all public roads.
Personally I would like to see the scooters removed from the cycle paths before I remove my bicycle from the footpaths when possible, that way I will consider the banishment of bikes from footpaths more acceptable. But hang onamo, this is getting complicated. So bicycles are banished from footpaths I assume because they reckon that they are dangerous to pedestrians, so are they going to banish pedestrians from the cycle path, which means that the riverside trails will be exclusively traveled by bicycle? I think they are either getting their heads in a twist or they are only trying to make more revenue from fines…Hmmmm, I wonder which it could be?
Seriously though do any of Taiwan’s legislators actually live on the island or are they all called up once a week from their yachts floating around in the South pacific and asked what new ideas they have come up with this week?
I know they have to start somewhere, but they first need to produce some common sense before they start dictating dodgy illogical standards to the sheeple.
You won’t get any sympathy out of me for cyclists. Many of them are a pain in the ass on the city streets, and most are a menace on the sidewalk. That’s right, it’s called a side-walk, not a side-cycle. Ring your little bell all you want, the more you ring it, the slower I’m going to walk.
I welcome the police fining cyclists. I just hope they actually do it. Lots. If cyclists aren’t going to obey traffic rules, it’s their own fault if they get hurt.
At least it shows that someone recognizes that there IS a problem with bicycle riders. Nine out of ten bicyclists don’t stop at a red light as a rule, and many of them, I am very sure, think that that is perfectly OK.
Problem, as always, is enforcing the law. Which policeman is willing to chase bicyclists and deal with those not carrying an ID (98% probably) and taking them to the police station.
[quote=“Mer”]You won’t get any sympathy out of me for cyclists. Many of them are a pain in the ass on the city streets, and most are a menace on the sidewalk. That’s right, it’s called a side-walk, not a side-cycle. Ring your little bell all you want, the more you ring it, the slower I’m going to walk.
I welcome the police fining cyclists. I just hope they actually do it. Lots. If cyclists aren’t going to obey traffic rules, it’s their own fault if they get hurt.[/quote]
I want 'em to fine the people on scooters, too! I’m so sick of having some lame ass on a scooter behind me, revving it up in the hopes that I’ll get out of the way. The main reason I carry a BIG umbrella is not to block the sun, but to carry it sticking out sideways in order to keep a safe distance between me, cyclists, scooters, and the cars in the crosswalks who are trying to hit me.
I would be very happy if this new regulation could actually do some good, but after living here for over two years, I have little hope. The only law seems to be, “If there’s a cop, obey the laws. If there isn’t, do whatever you want.” I doubt it’s gonna change soon.
[quote=“500CBFan”]The only law seems to be, “If there’s a cop, obey the laws. If there isn’t, do whatever you want.” I doubt it’s gonna change soon.[/quote]If only they did then… I’ve been told to get out of the way by “policemen” to let traffic on the pavement go past. People are not less likely to follow the law when the “police” are there because they know they still won’t anything. I have seen the “police” break the law more often than enforce it.
‘:roflmao:’ I actually laughed out loud when I read this!
[quote]I want 'em to fine the people on scooters, too! I’m so sick of having some lame ass on a scooter behind me, revving it up in the hopes that I’ll get out of the way. The main reason I carry a BIG umbrella is not to block the sun, but to carry it sticking out sideways in order to keep a safe distance between me, cyclists, scooters, and the cars in the crosswalks who are trying to hit me.
[/quote]
It’s not illegal to ride a scooter on the sidewalk, as long as one foot is in contact with the ground.
Sidewalks? Taiwan has sidewalks. Wow. Who’d a thunk it?
[quote=“500CBFan”][quote=“Mer”]You won’t get any sympathy out of me for cyclists. Many of them are a pain in the ass on the city streets, and most are a menace on the sidewalk. That’s right, it’s called a side-walk, not a side-cycle. Ring your little bell all you want, the more you ring it, the slower I’m going to walk.
I welcome the police fining cyclists. I just hope they actually do it. Lots. If cyclists aren’t going to obey traffic rules, it’s their own fault if they get hurt.[/quote]
I want 'em to fine the people on scooters, too! I’m so sick of having some lame ass on a scooter behind me, revving it up in the hopes that I’ll get out of the way. The main reason I carry a BIG umbrella is not to block the sun, but to carry it sticking out sideways in order to keep a safe distance between me, cyclists, scooters, and the cars in the crosswalks who are trying to hit me.
I would be very happy if this new regulation could actually do some good, but after living here for over two years, I have little hope. The only law seems to be, “If there’s a cop, obey the laws. If there isn’t, do whatever you want.” I doubt it’s gonna change soon.[/quote]
Great post, Mer. Well said. I’d only add that besides the bell, I get the ol’ screeching handbrakes as a signal to “get out of the way” of the important bicycle rider.
500CBFan, I also agree that scooters should not be allowed on the sidewalks, unless they are being pushed to a parking place. But I’ve actually been bothered by bicyclists more than scooter riders on the sidewalks of Taipei.
So, I do hope that the police will be handing out plenty of fines in the days to come–to both the people who ride bicycles and scooters on sidewalks.
Where I live, you can’t ride bikes on the few sidewalks we have. You can’t even walk on them - too many scooters and cars badly parked across them, to say nothing about the stores that take up space.
While bikes on sidewalks are annoying, they’re not that dangerous. If you get hit by one, it’s not going to do too much damage. Cars, scooters, trucks etc are a much greater hazard and I say the police should be enforcing road rules for them with moving violation tickets, license cancellations and vehicle impounding before they start on the cyclists.
And impound any scooter that parks on the sidewalk if there’s scooter parking within 500m.
[quote=“cfimages”]
And confiscate and crush any scooter that parks on the sidewalk if there’s scooter parking within 500m.[/quote]
There, fixxored. 
I’m actually looking forward to the walk from the MRT station to school this morning, just to see if there will be any difference. Maybe if someone can show the government how much they’d enrich their coffers with all the fines currently not being imposed, then they’d be more serious about it.
And Mer, I find myself constantly muttering in Chinese, “Zhe li shi ren xing dao, bu shi jiao ta che dao!” One of my many mutters, my other favorite being, “Xian xia che, hou shang che!” I’m occasionally bothered enough to mutter quite loudly.
Sorry you guys feel compelled to mutter. As for me, I’ll continue riding my bike down the sidewalk, slaloming between pedestrians, with my wife seated on the rack with her umbrella open wide. 
Which gives you a good idea of how this new law will work – the above new law was touted extensively when it was introduced a year or two back. I must say, its been incredibly successful.
[quote=“500CBFan”]I’m actually looking forward to the walk from the MRT station to school this morning, just to see if there will be any difference. Maybe if someone can show the government how much they’d enrich their coffers with all the fines currently not being imposed, then they’d be more serious about it.
And Mer, I find myself constantly muttering in Chinese, “Zhe li shi ren xing dao, bu shi jiao ta che dao!” One of my many mutters, my other favorite being, “Xian xia che, hou shang che!” I’m occasionally bothered enough to mutter quite loudly.[/quote]
Don’t mutter, be a nutter. Yesterday I stopped a guy and his gal riding a scooter on the dike walking paths in Muzha. Told him he’s driving on a walking path. He said he knew that. So I laughed maniacally and asked if he had mental problems. That shut him up. Then I smacked his scooter front very hard a couple times, told him to be careful, and let him go. Grrr. Growl. Ruff. Ruff.
yea that lasted about what 3 days? Streets today business as usual, no helmets wrong way on one way streets, umbrellas and cellphone in one hand weaving all over the place, red lights ignored. This description BTW is the intersection in front of the police station.
Another law goes down in flames
Useless law enforcement indeed. parking fines and traffic offences are some of the most lucrative city taxes anywhere, any fool knows that. Well, maybe not the fools running this damn town.
and as far as Paogao and others’ support for Glorious Mayor Ma making things better here traffic-wise (another thread), better than what? A polished turd is still a turd. The police and their road rule enforcement stupidity is far more costly than a corrupt (sorry, not proven) Ma’s little sticky fingers, BTW.
They should really do something to get those idiot cyclists off the roads, I was headed straight towards one yesterday who thought that she was riding in England or Japan perhaps, so I sped up on purpose and then only just braked in front of her screaming for her to ride on the correct side of the damn road. She just looked at me blankly and carried on her way, exactly the same as everyone else will do. Who takes Taiwanese people to one side when they are young and instructs them on how to do whatever they please whenever they please and to ignore anyone that gives a damn by blanking? Or are all of those blankers just brainless dimwitts who aren’t worth their skin? If so, I think I might just start up a leather bag factory.