Requiring drivers to fully stop when pedestrians are on a crosswalk is “too strict,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday, adding that the issue would be discussed further next week.
The ministry on Friday last week announced new traffic safety measures to be implemented starting on Friday next week.
One of those measures would require drivers to fully stop at an intersection if a pedestrian is present on a crosswalk at the junction.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
Drivers are currently required to stop at least one vehicle’s length away from a pedestrian using a crosswalk, or about 3m from the front of the vehicle.
However, Wang said that after discussing the issue with Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and National Police Agency Director-General Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭), it was decided that the policy was too strict, and would “affect the smooth flow of traffic.”
The issue would be further discussed at a ministry-led meeting on Monday next week, he said, adding that one proposal would require drivers to fully stop when a pedestrian is crossing the side of the road in which the driver is turning.
When traffic is flowing fast, a vehicle suddenly stopping 3m away from the crosswalk is actually very dangerous, Wang added.
Asked whether the new rules would be implemented as planned next week, Wang said it would be discussed at next week’s meeting.
Amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) set to take effect on Friday next week include heightened penalties for failing to yield to pedestrians, with the maximum fine increased from NT$3,600 to NT$6,000.
Vehicles that do not yield can be fined the maximum amount immediately, while scooters can be fined up to NT$1,200.
The new measures stipulate that people with six consecutive traffic contraventions — including failing to yield to pedestrians, refusing to stop at police checkpoints, or failing to properly secure cargo on vehicles leading to items falling and obstructing the roadway — would be required to attend traffic safety lectures.
Additional reporting by Cheng Wei-chi
MUSICAL INTERLUDE: During the altercations, KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin at one point pulled out a flute and started to play the national anthem A massive brawl erupted between governing and opposition lawmakers in the main chamber of the legislature in Taipei yesterday over legislative reforms. President-elect William Lai (賴清德) is to be inaugurated on Monday, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in the legislature and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been working with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to promote their mutual ideas. The opposition parties said the legislative reforms would enable better oversight of the Executive Yuan, including a proposal to criminalize officials who are deemed to make false statements in the legislature. “The DPP does not want this to be
Singapore yesterday swore in Lawrence Wong (黃循財) as the city-state’s new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television after Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) stepped down following two decades in office. Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, was inaugurated at the Istana government office shortly after 8pm to become the second person outside the Lee family to lead the nation. “I ... do solemnly swear that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as prime minister according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will. So help me God,” the
A group of 30 foreign academics yesterday released a statement condemning legislative reforms proposed by opposition lawmakers, saying they are unconstitutional and undermine the objective of good governance. The statement publicized at a news conference in Taipei is cosigned by international academics, journalists and politicians, including former American Institute in Taiwan directors William Stanton and Stephen Young, and Formosan Association for Public Relations president Bob Yang (楊英育). The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have put forward a set of legislative reforms that would introduce “contempt of legislature” charges, require the president to answer lawmakers’ questions and expand the
PURSUING PEACE: As the new president took office, he reiterated Taiwan’s sovereignty while saying that the nation must cooperate with other democracies President William Lai (賴清德) in his inaugural speech yesterday called on Beijing to acknowledge Taiwan’s government and engage in dialogue with Taipei, saying that both sides are responsible for promoting peace in the Taiwan Strait. “I hope that China will face the reality of the Republic of China’s existence” and “in good faith ... engage in cooperation with the legal government chosen by Taiwan’s people,” Lai said in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. Lai reaffirmed that his government would adhere to former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy toward China and work to maintain the “status quo.” Lai advocated for dialogue