Taipei to enforce fines for bikes on sidewalks

What’s the etiquette for pedestrians who insist on walking towards you in designated bike lanes even though the pedestrian side has plenty of room? Came across huge numbers of them yesterday :persevere: but just assumed they were tourists, not that it matters.

If they are walking toward me, I blast toward them at full speed, then screech to a halt inches from their knees.

As I’ve mentioned before on this forum, I do not do this with small children, who are excused. Unless there are clear reasons why other folks need to be walking in the bike lane (example: a massive fallen tree or an illegally parked blue truck has blocked the other part of the sidewalk), they are fair game. :smiley:

Guy

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Whatever you do, don’t go full pace at them to scare them off the path. That could lead to something…not good.

Approach them and have them move out of your way. Take the passive aggressive approach.

Ranlee, the voice of reason!

Yes of course you are right. We should not frighten our clueless friends here. But I do hope to school them a bit, one person at a time…

Guy

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From the DOT;

“We often witness bicyclists riding on sidewalks illegally, where markings of “shared roadway” are nowhere to be seen; they even ring the bells on the handlebar, demanding pedestrians to yield. This is simply rude. When the City Government opened up certain sidewalks to bicycle travels, it had done so on the principles of “respect” and “sharing” and allowed bicyclists - who are clearly at a disadvantage on regular roadways - to travel on the more spacious roadways, so that they are free from the threat of both cars and motorcycles. In the same spirit that the law was enacted, bicyclists should be sympathetic with fellow pedestrians when they travel on shared roadways with other commuters; or they’d not be welcomed very soon on sidewalks, and won’t be able to enjoy the limited road spaces with pedestrians. Bicyclists must heed these advices always.”

Pedestrians still have right of way even on designated bike lanes, a whole 300NT to 600NT if you ignore it.

“In the event that “the driver of a slow-moving vehicle fails to yield to pedestrians on walkways indicated by signs or markings to allow slow-moving vehicles to drive, he or she shall be fined from NT$300 (US$9.71) to NT$600,” according to Article 74 of the “Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act.””

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How interesting. It’s always my preference to ride on the road anytime possible, so I usually only ride on designated paths if I’m somehow stuck on the wrong side of the road against the traffic. But thats good to know, but I’ll still give those who deliberately walk on bike paths a good greasing!

can bicycles ride on the road in taipei? i know the traffic can be a pain, but when i was in taichung i simply followed the motorbikes. i’d rather ride next to cars and motorbikes, rather than to random people walking around with no idea of a bike behind them, or crossing the sidewalk in a rush.

If you can put up with the traffic then yeah, I guess bikes are classified as motorbikes. There are still streets that I would avoid going on during peak times though.

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I guess it’s the fact that bike lanes are easier to walk on that folks walk on them. Just so crowded and cluttered in Taiwan.

What I assume is, giving them the benefit of the doubt, they don’t want to keep weaving around people that walk slower than them under the awnings and the areas right outside of them. So, they walk over to the bike lane.

However, in all honesty, pedestrians are just clueless.

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this

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Cyclists aren’t? Scooter riders aren’t? Car drivers arent? Bus drivers arent? Motorcyclists aren’t? Blue truck drivers arent?

I could go on… :slight_smile:

Clueless, when it comes to recognizing that it would be better not walk on bike lanes when there is enough other pavement to walk on, like around Da’an Park.

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I live around Banqiao, and much prefer cycling over running so until about a month ago I wasn’t even aware how many areas really are bike lanes. There’s a path in the biggest park here with a huge bicycle lane marking on it, and a pedestrian lane next to it. The aforementioned pedestrian lane also has benches, a fountain, a couple bathrooms along it, and a couple other amenities. If you already guessed that pedestrians completely clog up the bicycle lane, rendering it inaccessible, you would be correct.

I get it though. I’ve walked in them before, only when there’s no bikes around though. And even then I look out for them and give them space. I agree with “clueless” because it seems most people here couldn’t give two shits about cyclists and nobody bothers looking behind them.

Edit-- I wrote this when I was pretty sleepy. I’d like to clarify, I mentioned running because it’s far more on foot which one is for pedestrians and which one is for bicycles.

this is it pretty much, coupled with the fact that they are not proper bike lanes in the first place.

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Like I’ve said, I don’t think it’s on purpose. I myself end up walking in the bike lanes if I’m not thinking about not doing it. There’s something mesmerizing about the parallel lines. I don’t know. But even though I’m very much bike-oriented, the times I’m walking on a street with a bike path I have caught myself walking in the bike lanes.

Yes, but we aren’t talking about pedestrians here…

Define proper bike lane.

Except for the ones that make eye contact with you yet still don’t move, despite the path being empty otherwise :triumph:

That’s the type of attitude that will get shared sidewalks reverted back to pedestrian only. Should car drivers give you a “good greasing” when you’re cycling on the road?

Yes, I would deserve it if I deliberately cut them off or other annoying cycling traits.