A recent survey by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications found that close to 80 percent of respondents favor heavier punishments for drivers of large motorcycles if they violate traffic rules when riding on national freeways.
The ministry administered the survey last month to determine whether the public was open to the possibility of allowing riders of motorcycles 500cc or above to drive on national freeways. The two-day survey collected a total of 1,109 valid samples, with margin of error of plus or minus 2.94 percent.
Results of the survey showed that 79.8 percent of the respondents said the government should stipulate heavier fines for riders of large motorcycles if they are found riding side-by-side with other vehicles in the same lane, illegally overtaking other vehicles or using the shoulders on the freeways. Only about 16 percent said they opposed stricter fines for large motorcycles and 4.3 percent answered that they did not know and had no comment on the issue.
Asked about the ministry’s proposed plan for a trial operation of the new policy on the -Shuishalian Freeway (Freeway No. 6) — which stretches from Wufong District (霧峰) in Greater Taichung to Puli Township (埔里) in Nantou County — and on Freeway No. 8 — which links Annan District (安南) to Sinhua District (新化) in the Greater Tainan — 47.8 percent of respondents opposed the proposal, while 45.7 percent supported it.
The ministry said it had started stipulating complementary measures after the legislature passed the regulation earlier this month, adding that it would communicate with local governments to see if the trial operations could be executed on different sections of road at different times of the day.
Drivers of large motorcycles who illegally overtake other -motor vehicles or use the shoulders on the freeway could be fined NT$6,000, the ministry said.
At present, drivers of cars face a fine of NT$3,000 if they commit the same violation.
The ministry allowed people riding motorcycles 550cc or above to use highways in 2007. However, it noted that more than 900 violations were reported within just a year after the policy took effect, with 70 percent of the violations related to speeding.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Administration announced it would launch a massive crackdown on large motorcycles that cause too much noise on the nation’s highways.
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