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 (基隆河), Danshui (淡水河) and Xindian (新店溪) rivers. The city's MRT system has several stops where cyclists can enter with their bikes, and now, depending on who you ask, Taipei City and Taipei County contain as much as 250km of bicycle lanes and tracks. There are even bicycle-only lanes inside the city, notably a long track down Renai Road to Taipei 101.
Cyclists credit current Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信) Chairman Hochen Tan (賀陳旦), himself an avid cyclist, for initiating the projects when he headed Taipei City's transportation department under then-mayor and current President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). The programs continued under former mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), and current Mayor Hau Long-bin (郝龍斌) is reported to enjoy bicycling -- though he recently wiped out and suffered nasty scrapes to his face.
"Hopefully, this won't affect his attitude towards bicycles," joked former champion racer Chang Sheng-kai (張勝凱). In Chang's shop on Chongqing South Road, there's a replica of the bike he designed for US President George W. Bush, painted with stars and stripes. Like the larger Giant and Merida shops near Da-an Park on Jianguo South Road, CKS sees a constant stream of customers on weekends.
Last Sunday, Ah Hsin (阿信) was visiting to fine-tune his ride. Every weekend and some weekdays too, he cycles along the river from Xindian to Bali, starting on the Jingmei Stream Bikeway (景美溪河濱腳踏車道), continuing on the Xindian Stream Bikeway (新店溪河濱腳踏車道), then the Danshui River Bikeway (淡水河河濱腳踏車道) to the Dadaocheng (大稻程) wharf, where he crosses on a boat to the Taipei County Bikeway (台北縣河濱腳踏車道).
Ah Hsin said that, currently, the only obstructions he faces are the boat ride and the Zhongzheng Bridge (中正大橋), where he has to walk his bike over a skybridge or through an underpass. At night, lights at the basketball and tennis courts next to the track illuminate his path. He never has to worry about running into a car or scooter; the path is unobstructed, unless there's a typhoon.
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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