A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday urged the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to set a ceiling on the number of traffic contraventions members of the public can report per day.
At a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said that in New Taipei City, two people each reported 8,000 traffic infringements in a year.
Another Taipei resident reported 7,779 traffic contraventions in a year, she said.
Some of the reports did not have definite proof and at best offered unclear photographs, Yeh said.
While people are not required to verify the information or provide formal written reports when reporting traffic infringements, police officers must review all of them, she said, adding that due to the huge number of reports police departments are receiving, every Taipei police officer must review 6,000 such reports on average.
One officer even developed macular degeneration after spending long periods handling such reports and had to leave his section, Yeh said.
Much of the evidence collected for the reports involves car drivers being stalked, which is an invasion of their privacy, she said, adding that even police officers cannot collect evidence for traffic contraventions in that manner.
Most of the reported cases are about illegal parking, running a red light or crossing double white lines, Yeh said.
Considering those infringements do not cause immediate danger to the public, but affect police officer’s work, the ministry should set a ceiling on the number of traffic contraventions a person can report per day, she said.
For example, it could limit reports to one per day per person, Yeh said.
Department of Railways and Highways Director-General Chen Wen-juei (陳文瑞) said that the government had designed the reporting system hoping that reports from the public would help the police.
In the past few years, traffic reports from the public have increased in number, he said, adding that if the reported infringements are mild, police officers do not have to handle them.
The ministry would discuss with the National Police Agency how to best handle the high number of traffic reports, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security