'Velib' system comes to Taiwan, but only at the weekend

By Noah Buchan
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2008, Page 13

Cyclists take a breather and admire the scenery at Dadaocheng Wharf. PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES

Wang Te-wen (王德文) huddles over a map with two friends. Behind the trio stand bikes chosen only moments before from a Cycling Life-Style Foundation (自行車新文化基金會) kiosk. As the three friends plot a course from their current position, Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻程), south along the Sindian River (新店溪), a man wanders over and tells them the fee for their bike rentals: NT$150 each for half a day.

"A little expensive," said Wang after paying, "but we plan to leave the bikes at our destination, which costs extra." Leaving the bikes at a kiosk further down the river, he said, enables the group to return home by MRT.

Wang's group is a good example of how some local residents are making use of over 100km of bike paths that wind along the Sindian (新店), Keelung (基隆河) and Tamsui (淡水河) rivers. No longer just places to escape the city for a morning or afternoon of scenic biking, these arteries also lead day-trippers to destinations away from the rivers' paths. "Many people don't think about it, but biking along the river is a great mode of transportation to places away from the river," Wang said

The group's course along a tree-lined route will lead them past tennis courts, baseball fields, a bird sanctuary and ecological preserves. One of the cyclists brought a basketball to use on one of the many courts that dot the strip. Wang says the four-hour rental gives them enough time to shoot some hoops, take pictures, relax and reach their destination, the Taipei Water Park (台北自來水園區), where they will drop off their bikes and walk five minutes to Gongguan for lunch.

Using the paths as an entry point to Dihua Street (迪化街), the historic street that bustles with shoppers and hawkers buying and selling traditional goods, is becoming more common on the weekends, said Chen Cheng-yung (陳承勇), a kiosk operator. This increase is due in part to the drop-off service the company provides at nearby Dadaocheng, which is one of 17 citywide kiosks.

Cycling Life-Style Foundation only operates on weekends and holidays and only from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Weekdays, though, are also a good time to bike because the paths are not congested with cyclists. Even though it's still early on a Saturday morning, Chen only has a handful of bicycles left to rent.

Biking along the three rivers is suitable for beginners and families because the terrain is flat.

Some cyclists, like Rhonda Shih (施如萍), use the paths for training. She takes a break with her colleagues on a Sunday morning and munches on snacks bought at one of the many stalls that line the street in front of Guangdu Temple (關渡宮). Unlike the people Shih rides with, she owns the Meridian touring bike parked beside her.

"I used to be like them," she said, motioning over to her colleagues, who all have rented bikes. "But I'm getting in shape to do more mountainous terrain outside the city."

For more information on Cycling Life-Style Foundation, call (02) 2719-2025 or visit www.cycling-lifestyle.org.tw. An MRT map showing stations allowing bicycle access can be found at english.trtc.com.tw/index.asp under tourist information.