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Big vehicles banned from 13 routes

Two major road accidents involving tour buses in recent months have spurred changes in safety rules involving large passenger vehicles.

The Directorate General of Highways (DGH) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday named 101 routes where large passenger vehicles should be operated with caution and 13 where they will be banned altogether.

"We owe it to the victims of the accidents to reform," Minister Tsai Duei (蔡堆) said yesterday.

Tsai was referring to tragic events over the past few months.

Six members of a Chinese tour group died in a tour bus accident in Nantou in October.

On Dec. 3, 22 people died when a tour bus plunged off a steep, hilly road in Meiling, Tainan County, making it the worst traffic incident in Taiwan in 20 years.

Tsai said more reforms of the tour bus industry were to come from the ministry and the DGH, including measures such as thrice-yearly inspections for vehicles older than 10 years and a ban on retreaded tires.

Available online

The safety record of tour bus drivers and vehicles will also be made available to the public online starting next year at the Web site thb.gov.tw just in time for the busy Lunar New Year holiday season.

Tsai also expressed the hope that accidents involving tour buses would decrease next year as a result of the measures.

Directorate General of Highways head James Chen (陳晉源) has said that deficient driving skills had resulted in the Meiling accident.

The ministry will work with the Council of Labor Affairs and other agencies to draft a regulation limiting the number of hours that bus drivers are permitted to work consecutively.

The 13 routes announced by the MOTC where large passenger vehicles are prohibited from operating:

1 Taipei County, Sanchih Township (三芝): All of County Route 101甲, also known as Balaka Highway (巴拉卡公路).

2 Taoyuan County, Fuhsing Township (復興): Provincial Highway 7 between Lofu (羅浮) and Mingchih (明池).

3 Taoyuan County, Luchu Township (蘆竹): All of Township Route 2.

4 Hsinchu County, Wufeng (五峰) and Chutung (竹東鎮) townships: County Route 122 from Shangping (上坪) to Tuchang (土場).

5 Taichung County, Hoping Township (和平): Provincial Highway 8 from Kukuan (谷關) to the Tehchi Reservoir (德基水庫) and Provincial Highway 8甲 from Chingshan (青山) to the Tehchi Reservoir.

6 Nantou County, Jenai Township (仁愛): Provincial Highway 14甲 from Chingching Farm (清境農場) to Hohuan Mountain (合歡山).

7 Nantou County, Hsinyi Township (信義): Provincial Highway 21 from Tungpu (東埔) to Tatachia (塔塔加).

8 Chiayi County, Chungpu Township (中埔): County Route 172 from Szuchung River (四重溪) to Tungtzuchiao (凍子腳).

9 Tainan County, Paiho Township (白河): County Route 175 from Kuantzuling (關子嶺) to Sanchung River (三重溪).

10 Hualien County, Hsiulin Township (秀林): Provincial Highway 14甲 from Hohuan Mountain to Tayuling (大禹嶺).

11 Hualien County, Yuli Township (玉里): Provincial Highway 18 from Shanlan (山嵐) to Nanan (南安).

12 Hualien County, Fuli Township (富里): Provincial Highway 23 from Yungfeng Village (永豐) to the Hualien-Taitung county border.

13 Penghu County, Makung City (馬公市): County Route 203 (Chungcheng Road).

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