Amid complaints from motor scooter riders, the Taipei city police started a crackdown yesterday on motorcyclists parking outside of specially designated parking areas on walkways along Tunhua N. Road.
After a two-week probation period, police started their campaign by scooping up motorbikes parked illegally on pavements along Tunhua N. Road between Minchuan E. Road and Pateh Road yesterday. A total of 176 motorcycles -- and five cars -- were taken away.
City officials said the crackdown had been launched with the convenience of pedestrians in mind.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"We want pedestrians to feel safe when they walk down arcades and along walkways around the city, which is why we designed these new parking spaces on Tunhua N. Road," said Chen Maw-shien (
The new parking bays have access ramps running directly to and from the road, which means motorists do not have to travel down footpaths to get to them. "Thus, there is no risk of pedestrians being hit," said Chen Shyue-tair (
As part of the urban development department's plan to beautify Tunhua N. Road by renovating "street furniture" such as lamps and trash cans, 1,000 motorbike parking spaces on walkways and another 500 on back alleys and lanes running perpendicular to the road were created, city officials said.
But Huang Chung-nan (
According to Huang, only 75 percent of estimated demand on Tunhua N. Road has been met in the plan to establish the new parking spaces.
Ma urged city officials to calculate exactly how many parking lots could be created on pavements under the plan to renovate old and damaged walkways. He also asked the transportation department to present a projected timetable and scale for the exclusion of motorbikes from arcades around the city by the end of this month.
But motorcyclists say the shortage of approved parking bays is precisely what has been driving them to park on pavements and arcades, and the city government has a duty to provide more parking spaces before enforcing its new policies.
"Exclusion from arcades? Where are we supposed to park?" asked motorcyclist Cheng Li-ming (
Mavis Chen (
Chen also said the city's decision to forbid motorbike parking on arcade areas should be contingent on the sizes of arcades involved.
But another motorcyclist, Lin Chin-fu (林進福), said he supported the city's new parking scheme. "It's easier to park as I can drive my bike directly onto the parking lots on the pavements," he said. "Besides, don't you think the walkways look cleaner and much more organized?"
But if motorcyclists think they have it tough now, the city police are just warming up. According to officials, next on their list is a crackdown on illegal and unsafe motorcycle driving practices, such as riding on pavements.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source