A slew of new measures and policies are to take effect today, including heavier penalties on vehicles that park near bus stops and bans on microbeads and partially hydrogenated oils.
Owners of motorbikes who park within 10m of a bus stop would be fined NT$900 to NT$1,200, up from the current NT$600 to NT$900, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said.
Owners of small vehicles would be fined NT$1,200, instead of between NT$900 and NT$1,200, it added.
In addition, the time limit for removing stalled vehicles on freeway or highway shoulders would be reduced from two hours to one hour, with violators subject to a fine of NT$600 to NT$1,200.
A regulation that requires about 2 percent of public parking lots to be reserved for pregnant women and families with children up to six years old is also to go into effect today.
Parking lots affiliated with public places, such as department stores, train stations, airports, hospitals and amusement parks, are to be covered by the regulation.
The family-friendly spaces should be at least 2.5m in width and 5.5m in length to provide safe and convenient access, and must be created by Dec. 15.
Drivers who meet the criteria may obtain parking permits from hospitals and public health centers, the ministry said.
Drivers who occupy the parking spaces illegally would be fined NT$600 to NT$1,200 after a grace period ends on June 29 next year.
Meanwhile, it will be easier for people from China, Hong Kong and Macau to obtain a driver’s license in Taiwan.
Instead of one year, people from these areas could apply for a driver’s license after staying in Taiwan legally for six months, or could exchange their Chinese driver’s license for a Taiwanese license.
Various health-related regulations are also to go into effect today.
Food products that contain senna are required to have a warning on the label and to list the plant on the ingredients list, while a complete ban on the use of partially hydrogenated oils in food products is to be enforced.
In addition, only food-grade vinegar products created through fermentation can be called “vinegar.” Products that use brewed vinegar as the main ingredient, but have additional flavoring agents, must be called “conditioned vinegar,” and those made with acetic or glacial acetic acid, or mixed with carbohydrates, flavoring agents, salt or other seasonings, must be labeled as “synthesized vinegar.”
A requirement that restaurants in hotels follow the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points food safety system is to be extended to restaurants in five-star hotels.
Moreover, edible oil, canned food and egg production are to be included under the Regulations on Food Safety Control System (食品安全管制系統準則), which are to be enforced in phases starting today.
Also beginning today, retailers are forbidden to sell any shampoo, soap, bodywash, body scrub or toothpaste that contain microbeads.
Retailers that contravene the regulation are to be fined NT$1,200 to NT$1,600, and the offending product is to be recalled and destroyed, or returned to the original manufacturer, the Environmental Protection Administration said.
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