A survey from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) showed yesterday that 70 percent of the respondents said they do not wear helmets when riding a bicycle.
However, the survey also showed that about 70 percent of the respondents said the government should create laws requiring bicycle riders to wear helmets.
The ministry began conducting the survey last November to better understand the use of bicycles nationwide. It was the ministry’s first national survey on bike use.
PHOTO: CNA
The survey was completed on Monday with 9,236 respondents aged 12 and over. The results were analyzed at a confidence level of 95 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.
The survey found that 51 percent of the respondents have ridden bicycles within the past six months. Among them, about 27 percent said they ride bicycles every day. Based on that percentage, the ministry estimated that the nation has a biking population of about 10.3 million.
Approximately 60 percent said they ride bicycles for pleasure or recreation purposes. Only 12.5 percent reported they commute by bicycle.
Among those commuting by bike, 42 percent reported they started doing so two years ago. The ministry said this may reflect cycling’s recent popularity in Taiwan.
In other news, the ministry yesterday finalized its plan to facilitate home-bound traffic over the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. The National Freeway Bureau decided that toll-free hours for both northbound and southbound freeway lanes will be between 12am and 7am this weekend, as well as from April 3 to April 5.
Some travelers are expected to return home a week early to avoid traffic. Both the Taiwan Railway Administration and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp have increased train services between April 2 and April 6.
Domestic airlines have also raised the number of flights departing for Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration has also prepared for increased flights and ships and even asked for the assistance of military ships and freighters in case flights are halted or delayed by thick fog.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address