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Bikes banned from pedestrian crossings

Starting next month, cyclists will be fined between NT$300 and NT$600 if they are caught cycling on pedestrian crossings, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯), deputy director-general of the Department of Railways and Highways, told the Taipei Times that almost 30 traffic regulations were being amended to enforce the new policy. He said sections of pedestrian crossings would be converted into dedicated bicycle crossings.

He said that, by law, pedestrian crossings are for the exclusive use of pedestrians.

"The current regulations do not clearly define the status of a bicycle so you see a lot of the cyclists riding on the pedestrian crossings, which is actually against the law," he said.

Cyclists may only use pedestrian crossings if they dismount and push their bicycles, he said.

TRADE OFF

The new policy also requires cyclists to obey road signals as motorists would. As a trade off, cyclists will be permitted to park their bicycles in spaces assigned for motorcycles with engine capacities no greater than 550cc.

Meanwhile, the ministry plans to encourage cities and counties nationwide to standardize motorcycle or bicycle parking spaces so that they are one-fifth the size of a car parking space.

The proposal came after the ministry sought an interpretation of the Law for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (促進民間參與公共建設法) from the Public Construction Commission.

Lee Chao-hsien (李昭賢), a section chief of the Department of Railways and Highways, said the law provides tax rebates for contractors who construct car parks, but makes no mention of motorcycle parking spaces.

Lee said the number of registered motorcycles had already exceeded 13 million, twice the amount of registered cars.

While the ministry does not have official statistics on bicycles, it estimates the number of cyclists will continue to grow.

"In the future, the demand for parking spaces for bicycles or motorcycles will not necessarily be less than that for car parking spaces," he said.
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