Taipei's first experiment with a public bicycle program in 1998 was a lesson in how not to run a public bicycle program.
For an NT$50 deposit -- the price of a cheap lunch -- anyone could borrow a bike. The results were predictable.
"People threw them into rivers. Children rode them down stairwells and crashed them into walls. Other people just stole them," recalls Ho Li-chin (
Soon, less than one-fifth of the initial 526 bikes remained in working condition. The program was quickly put out of its misery.
"We embarked on the project with the principle that `man is basically good,'" Jack Chen, then Cycleland's vice chairman, told the Taipei Times in a 2000 interview. "It was a test."
So they tried again. In 2000, a more ambitious program was launched by the Taipei City Government and the non-profit foundation, then associated with but now independent from Giant, Taiwan's largest and best-known bicycle brand. Giant donated 1,000 bikes. Rental stations were set up at four city parks. This time precautions were taken: a deposit of NT$1,500 or an ID are required to rent a bike; there are hourly fees; and vandals are fined.
The results have been spectacular. Now, some 5,000 bikes can be rented at 18 locations in Taipei City and Taipei County. The rental lots are open seven days a week and many lie within walking distance of MRT stations and access points to Taipei's riverside bicycle tracks. It is possible to rent a bicycle, take it by MRT to Xindian, ride it all the way to Bali (
Taiwanese companies like Giant and Merida have long led the world in bicycle production, not only in quantity but also in quality and innovation. But only in the past decade have significant numbers of Taiwanese -- who usually zip around on scooters -- discovered the joys of bicycling.
Initiatives like Cycleland's and races organized by groups like the Taiwan Cyclist Federation have helped a small but growing cycling culture take root. City and county governments are laying down bicycle lanes, encouraging children to ride bicycles, and stepping up enforcement of safety rules. There is now an average of one cycling race each month, often along the island's scenic east coast.
Last summer, former premier Su Tseng-chang (
"Taiwan is perfect for cycling," said Ho, who now heads the Taiwan Cyclist Federation (
Ho, whose group has supplied 2,000 illustrated bicycling books for children to Taipei City schools, said Taiwanese began to take up bicycling after the introduction of the two-day weekend allowed for more leisure time. Better awareness of health issues has also helped, and the SARS crisis scared many Taiwanese into taking better care of their health.
On the government side, Taipei City has led the way. In the 1990s, it built its first bicycle lane on Dunhua North Road. By 2001, there were 40km of connected bicycle tracks along the giant "U" shape formed by the Keelung (
Cyclists credit current Chunghwa Telecom (
"Hopefully, this won't affect his attitude towards bicycles," joked former champion racer Chang Sheng-kai (
Last Sunday, Ah Hsin (
Ah Hsin said that, currently, the only obstructions he faces are the boat ride and the Zhongzheng Bridge (
Cyclists say Taipei City and County governments promptly removes detritus after floods, though a major inundation four years ago in Dazhi closed a section of the track for several months. There was so much debris that local residents planted gardens in the mud.
Recently, when riding around in Taipei, Ah Hsin has noticed police officers have started paying more attention to bicycle safety. Last September, the city announced it would begin fining bicyclists who run red lights and violate other traffic laws, a move cyclists say will improve conditions for them. Enforcement begins this September.
"Taipei just keeps getting better and better for cyclists," Ah Hsin said.
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