The Taipei City Government said yesterday it would comply with the central government's new traffic rules that impose fines for motorists who exceed the speed limit by 10km per hour.
The city had originally planned to enact a different measure but changed its mind yesterday, saying its own plan was difficult to implement and it also didn't want to disrespect the authority of the central government.
City spokesperson Wu Yu-sheng (
"We don't think it makes much sense to set a speed limit and then at the same time allow drivers to go over that limit," Wu said.
The spokesman was referring to the provision that allows motorists to exceed the speed limit by as much as 9km per hour without fear of penalty.
Under the central government rules, a motorist caught driving 60km per hour in a 50km per hour zone would be issued a ticket.
The city had planned to put "points" on motorists' driving records when they are caught speeding more than 10km per hour over the limit.
Motorists would be fined between NT$1,200 and NT$2,400 when exceeding speed limits by 10km per hour. For exceeding the limit by more than 20km per hour, the fine would range between NT$1,200 and NT$2,400.
The central government's plan lacks a point system, and its fines are less severe.
For motorists caught driving between 10km and 19km over the limit the fine would be NT$1,200 to NT$1,700. For speeds in excess of 20km of the limit, the fine would be between NT$1,400 and NT$1,900.
According to Huang Chia-lu (
Huang said the higher limit had given motorists the impression that they could speed with abandon; they also thought the city wouldn't hand out any tickets while it decided whether to go with its own plan or the central government's plan.
"While we used to issue 70,000 to 80,000 speeding tickets every month, the number has jumped to 130,000," Huang said.
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