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Police not ready for motorbike traffic on Taipei expressways
TRAINING REQUIRED:
Taipei City Councilor Hou Kuan-chiung said police need to train staff to deal with large-engine bikes soon on the expressways
By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 27, 2007, Page 2
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"A total of 155 large-engine motorcycles in the department are more than 10 years old and will be eliminated next year. We'll have to enforce the laws with limited resources."
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Wang Chou-chiun, Taipei City police commissioner
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As motorcycles with 550cc engines or larger are set to hit expressways starting on Thursday, a Taipei City councilor called on the city's police to train staff to respond to any traffic violations by motorcyclists.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Hou Kuan-chiung («J«a¸s) yesterday expressed concern that allowing more than 3,000 motorcycles access to the expressways could prove a challenge for traffic police, as the police department's resources are already limited.
"All nine expressways in the city will be open to those bikers and that regulation will definitely put a greater burden on traffic police. Are the police ready to handle those large-engine motorcycles?" Hou asked yesterday during a question-and-answer session at Taipei City Council.
In response, Taipei City Police Department Commissioner Wang Chou-chiun (¤ý¨ô¶v) acknowledged traffic police might be hard-pressed to deal with the additional vehicles and possible traffic violations.
"A total of 155 large-engine motorcycles in the department are more than 10 years old and will be eliminated next year. We'll have to enforce the laws with limited resources," Wang said.
According to department tallies, the city's police force has 163 large-engine motorcycles and 493 policemen licensed to drive them.
Wang said the city council had scrapped the department's budget to purchase new large-engine motorcycles, thereby forcing motorcycle police to ride scooters with 50cc engines.
With so few large-engine motorcycles, Wang said the department would ask police to carry digital cameras to record license plates of traffic violators if bikers do not pull over when asked.
Under the new regulations, motorcycles with 550cc engines or larger will be allowed to operate on the nation's expressways, although local authorities can ban motorcycles on certain stretches if there are valid traffic safety concerns.
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