Taiwan driving in the past
I am an American living in Nanning, China. I recently paid a visit to a family living in Taiwan. Upon my arrival in Taiwan I was shocked, stunned and in disbelief that Taiwanese were still using gasoline motorcycles.
I mentioned to my friends that in Nanning and other Chinese cities the gasoline motorcycle has been banned in favor of the electric motorcycle. They proceeded to list three lame reasons why Taiwan still needs the polluting gasoline motorcycle.
Lame excuse No. 1: For long trips. Well, in Nanning we also take long trips and whenever we do, we either borrow a family member’s car or we rent a car.
Lame excuse No. 2: We are a typhoon island and the typhoons clear the air for us. Well, I have been in Taiwan for nearly three months now and have not yet encountered a typhoon, but I have encountered a lot of carbon dioxide.
Lame excuse No. 3: Gasoline motorcycles are faster. There are 30,000 electric motorcycles in Taiwan and I believe that those 30,000 owners would disagree.
It is the responsibility of the Taiwanese government to provide a clean and healthy environment for the people. The pollution in Taiwan is terrible, take a tip from the government of Nanning and ban the polluting gasoline motorcycles, with the exception of those in the countryside.
In the US, the government offers incentives to people switching from gasoline to electric, mainly in the form of tax rebates.
Here in Taiwan the government could offer a financial rebate to all people who switch from gasoline motorcycles to electric — the government has to do something. [Editor’s note: The government does offer subsidies to manufacturers of electric scooters, as well as to consumers purchasing electric scooters.]
I for one will tell all my family members and friends to stay away from polluted Taiwan until the government cleans up its act. It is up to the Taiwanese government to take its people into the 21st century, right now you are still in the 20th century.
Robert Davis
Nanning, China
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