The Taipei City Government promised yesterday to improve the design of bicycle crossings on Renai Road and Dunhua South Road after they sparked concern over the safety of pedestrians on the narrowed pedestrian crossings.
The city’s Department of Transportation set up bicycle crossings at several of the intersections along Renai Road and Dunhua South Road last month by converting sections of pedestrian crossings into bicycle crossings.
The bicycle crossings were created in an effort to prevent cyclists from threatening the safety of pedestrians by riding on pedestrian crossings, the department said. The city government planned to set up bicycle crossings on more roads next year.
Since the creation of the bicycle crossings, however, the department has received several complaints from residents about the narrowed pedestrian crossings.
The width of the pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Renai Road and Dunhua South Road, for example, was reduced to just 1m to accommodate the bicycle crossing.
Hsieh Ming-hong (謝銘鴻), chief engineer of the department’s transportation engineering division, acknowledged that the width of pedestrian crossings had been narrowed in order to set up bicycle crossings.
Hsieh said the department had been considering removing parts of traffic islands along those streets to make space for bicycle crossings.
Hsieh said there were about 59km of bicycle crossings in Taipei, and that the city government planned to draw up more bicycle crossings in the near future.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications banned cyclists from riding on pedestrian crossings beginning in April. Cyclists who violate the regulation can be fined between NT$300 and NT$600.
Cyclists may only use pedestrian crossings if they dismount and push their bicycles.
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