More than 1,500 motorcycle owners from across the nation yesterday took to the streets of Taipei on their bikes yesterday, demanding that the government establish a clear timetable for opening more highways for bikers.
The demonstrators rode their motorcycles to Taipei City Hall and the Legislative Yuan, while chanting "Return our road rights" and "Bikers aren't criminals" in front of the two buildings, led by the spokesman for more than 68 motorcycle dealerships across the country, Chen Feng-yun (
The demonstration was the 12th major public event organized by motorcycle dealerships since the country's first motorcycle protest -- also led by Chen -- in 2003.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Motorcycles with an engine capacity of more than 150cc did not become legal until Taiwan joined the WTO four years ago, but the right to drive them on various highways has been granted grudgingly.
More than 20,000 people -- most of whom are male -- own large motorcycles in Taiwan, according to a recent article in the Chinese-language magazine New Taiwan Weekly.
Highways 68 and 72 in Hsinchu County were the nations' first -- and remain its only -- two highways open to motorbikes with an engine capacity of more than 251cc. The speed limit on both roads is 90kph.
Chen accused the government of not keeping a promise to open up more highways to bikers after making the two expressways in Hsinchu accessible to them in January.
He said motorcycle dealers had noticed a rapid improvement in bikers' awareness of traffic rules and manners during the 28 traffic safety conferences held by dealerships over the past 18 months.
He added that, given the low rate of traffic violations and accidents involving bikers between January and last month, the government should allow bikers to ride on more highways starting next year.
If the government cannot allow bikers on all of the nations' highways immediately, Chen said, it should at least make 12 highways across Taiwan available to motorcyclists as soon as possible.
He added that if the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) did not respond with an explicit timetable, motorcyclists may claim road rights and take to the highways anyway.
One motorcycle enthusiast, a 30-year-old man surnamed Liu, told reporters that although the registration tax for large motorcycles was high, he still bought a bike for NT$420,000 about a year ago, because he had read about the government's plan to open highways to bikers.
He said he now feels as if he was deceived.
Taipei City Department of Transportation Commissioner Hsu Yung-fa (
He said the department will review its policy on large motorcycles, but added that opening up Taipei's Civic Boulevard, Jhou-mei Expressway and Riverside Expressway -- as requested by the demonstrators -- affected "security issues."
"Currently there is no room for negotiation," Hsu said.
Taipei City Council Deputy Speaker Li Hsin (
Meanwhile, Liu Shih-ming (
Liu said the Institute of Transportation is researching large motorcycles and their effect on the transportation system. The institute is supposed to complete the research in November, and report will be released in December.
"The appeals of the bikers will certainly be taken into consideration," Liu said.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he