A biking craze that was sparked five years ago is being revived because of the recent rise in electricity and fuel prices, with bicycle commuters saying that you can save money and lose weight by biking to work.
With electricity prices set to rise on May 15, weekend and holiday bikers are using the Internet to urge commuters to bike to work.
Some netizens scoffed at the idea, saying that the government was unfriendly to bikers and that saving NT$60 per day on fuel while spending more on lunch was not a good tradeoff. However, netizens who have already begun to commute to work by bike said they enjoyed the health benefits.
One anonymous staff member at an e-commerce firm said his company encouraged its employees to bike to work, adding that it had set up shower stalls equipped with free toiletries and hair dryers.
He said 10 of his coworkers had begun to bike to work.
Huo Chun-jung (霍春融), another bike commuter who has commuted from New Taipei City’s (新北市) Sindian (新店) to Neihu (內湖) in Taipei City for the past five years, said he has not only saved NT$10,000 in gas money, he had also lost 40kg.
When the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ announced earlier this month that it would raise gas prices, a commuter surnamed Ting (丁) said he promised himself that he would bike to work everyday from Taipei’s Nankang District (南港) to the City Hall MRT station.
“I saved more than NT$210 in bus fares in a week,” Ting said.
“Most important is that while biking and busing both take 30 minutes, I’m exercising for 30 minutes instead of sitting on a bus,” Ting said.
A cyclist known by his Internet moniker “bossteam” said the one-way distance of his bike commute from the southern end of Taipei City’s Songhsan District (松山) to Tucheng District (土城) was about 16.5km, adding that the best thing about biking was that he had lost weight, while his glycemia, cholesterol and liver function index had all gone down to healthy levels.
Taiwan Cyclist Federation director Tien Yi-sheng (田沂生) said that safety was still the most important concern for bicycle commuters.
“We still need more systems that are biker-friendly in Taiwan,” Tien said, adding that in Denmark and the Netherlands 30 percent of the workforce commutes by bicycle.
Tien said his federation had established safety guidelines for bicycle commuters, including advice on picking suitable bikes, basic safety equipment such as helmets, gloves, tools and rain gear, as well as information on basic bike repair techniques, such as patching tires, the best routes to work and the time needed to reach certain destinations.
The group advised bike commuters to place safety first by not biking in rainy weather or when feeling unwell, not listening to music while biking, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings and using front and rear lights at night.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
RSS