Letter: Combat-cycling in Taipei

I read with some dismay about Taipei's plans to fine bicyclists who fail to adhere to traffic laws.

The report cited an increasing number of bicycle-related injuries annually as the motivation for this crackdown on cyclists, with last year's number of such accidents totalling 885. What concerns me is that it appears cyclists are being singled out as the sole cause of such accidents and thus solely deserving of reprimand.

I recently acquired an excellent bicycle from Giant of Taiwan, and have been riding extensively around Taipei while working on music projects here. In all my experiences cycling in countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, Austria and Italy, I have never experienced cycling like here in Taipei. From my observations, the greatest risk to cyclists are taxi drivers -- who seem to believe they are the masters of the roadway -- and city buses seemingly anxious to stay on schedule.

I have been repeatedly cut off by both and no measure of safe distancing seems to prevent this danger.

I have also noticed a glaring absence of planning and infrastructure for bicycles in Taipei. I do recognize and applaud the work Taipei has done for creating bicycle paths along the rivers and I have biked from Taipei to Danshui on many occasions. But within Taipei itself, there are no bicycle lanes that I have seen and cyclists are simply left to do battle with the traffic at large.

Leaving cyclists to fend for themselves on Taipei's aggressive roadways will undoubtedly result in the cyclist losing that competition again and again; hence the soaring accident rate. Perhaps it would be more suitable to consider how to better accommodate cyclists in Taipei.

I commend Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin's (郝龍斌) recognition of bicycling as an environmentally friendly mode of transport and his recommendation that fines be issued only for the most extreme traffic violations.

However, if Hau truly wishes to support and promote cycling in Taipei -- which in turn contributes to improving the air quality in one of Taiwan's smoggiest cities -- I hope he will do more than simply restrict fines to the most errant of bicyclists. I encourage him to thoroughly review Taipei's roadways from a bicycling perspective, consult with cities in foreign countries and bring real improvement to this city's traffic system.

I also invite him to get on his bicycle and give me a call. I'll be happy to ride with him through the "wild west" of Taipei's busier streets in an effort to give him some first-hand experience of what combat-cycling in Taipei is like.

Matthew Lien

Taipei