A regulation imposing fines on drivers who allow their vehicles to idle for more than three minutes could be adjusted next month in response to complaints that the rule has made summer driving a nightmare, an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said.
Hu Ming-hui (胡明輝), a section chief at the EPA’s Department of Air Quality and Noise Control, said the EPA is considering relaxing the policy to allow drivers to keep their engines running and vehicles air-conditioned when they are not driving.
“We are aware of public opinion and are prepared to make some changes,” Hu said, explaining that a “heat-related exemption” could be introduced next month at the earliest.
The exemption will possibly identify scenarios under which roadside inspections will be suspended, such as on days when a maximum temperature of more than 30oC is forecast, he said.
The concession came in the wake of the sweltering weather conditions that have hit the nation over the past week, with daily highs reaching 34oC to 37oC across the nation.
Under current regulations, the fines imposed for vehicles idling curbside for more than three minutes are NT$1,500 for motorcycles, NT$3,000 for cars and NT$5,000 for large vehicles.
The EPA estimated that if drivers could cut down their idling time by 30 minutes per day, about 640 liters of gasoline, 54.8kg of carbon monoxide and 1.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide would be saved per vehicle each year.
Meanwhile, according to the Central Weather Bureau yesterday, the hot weather that has blanketed the country recently is likely to continue throughout the week, with highs ranging from 33oC to 35oC nationwide.
However, the heat might be more bearable than that experienced over the past week, the bureau said, because the high pressure system over the Pacific that pushed the mercury to near record heights last week has since weakened.
Moisture from the south could bring showers in southern Taiwan, cooling temperatures, it added.
The temperature in Taipei last week reached 38.3oC on Tuesday. That was the highest temperature recorded this year, surpassing the high of 37.6oC seen on the previous day and was within 0.3 degrees of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all