The Institute of Transportation (IOT) has completed a manual to help facilitate planning and design for bicycle routes nationwide.
Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯), the institute's transportation division director, said the manual draws a list of recommendations on basic infrastructure and standards that local governments can use when they design bicycle routes, including width and height for bicycle lanes, traffic and landmark signs to guide cyclists and types of pavement that can be used to build bicycle lanes.
The IOT is a government institution responsible for conducting transportation research and offering policy advice to the bureaus under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
“One of the new ideas proposed is to have supply stations along bicycle routes for cyclists,” Lin said. “We have divided these supply stations into different levels,” depending on the service they offer.
Level 1 and Level 2 supply stations will offer very basic services, including rudimentary medical supplies, tools for repairing bicycles, water faucets or sinks, water fountains, seats and shower facilities.
Level 3 to Level 5 facilities will include high-end services such as bicycle shops, bicycle rental services, a tourist information center and accommodation.
Lin said that some of the police stations along these routes have already begun to function as supply stations.
The institute has proposed turning some of Taiwan Railway Administration's first-tier railway stations around Hualien and Taitung, such as Rueisui (瑞穗), Hualien, Yuli (玉里), Kuanshan (關山) and Taitung, into supply stations.
He said local governments could design traffic signs to fit their need, but they must incorporate crucial information for the cyclists, including directions.
The ministry is scheduled to complete the design of five bicycle routes along the east coast by the end of this year, Lin said. They include the Old Caoling Tunnel route in Taipei County, the coastal route in Ilan County, the Liyutan (鯉魚潭) route in Hualien County, the Kuanshan route and the Shimen (石門) coastal route in Taitung County.
The 76.15km Liyutan route connects Hualien's Sincheng (新城), Shoufeng (壽豐), Liyutan and Chian (吉安) townships, and is the longest of the five routes.
Maps on the five bicycle routes will be posted on the institute's Web site before the end of this year.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei