Amid complaints from scooter riders, Taipei City police started a crackdown yesterday on motorcyclists parking illegally on walkways along Renai Road.
After a two-week probation period, police started their campaign by towing motorbikes parked on pavements and arcades along Renai Road, between Taipei City Hall and Tunhua North Road.
A total of 60 motorbikes were taken away and a motorcyclist was fined NT$850 on the spot, staff at the city's traffic police corps said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The move was part of the city government's policy to exclude motorbikes from arcades around the city, though parking bays on walkways have been designated.
"The purpose is to give pedestrians a more convenient environment," said Huang Chung-nan (
Huang said the policy had been implemented on two roadways in Taipei since the end of last December, including Chunghsiao East Road, between Yenchi Street and Fuhsing South Road; and Tunhua North Road, between Minchuan East Road and Pateh Road.
As early as 1997, former Mayor Chen Shui-bian (
Although city officials said the crackdown had been launched with the convenience of pedestrians in mind, motorcyclists had mixed views on the policy.
"I am against this policy," said Chung Hsiao-yi (
"If it's forbidden to park in the arcade area along this road, then there won't be enough parking spaces available. Lots of workers reach this area by motorbike and it's already very difficult to find parking spaces every morning," Chung said.
He said he should be granted the right to park under the arcade of his restaurant as long as his parking did not cause any inconvenience to pedestrians.
Kuo Liang-tsuo (
But Kuo also urged the city government to provide enough parking spaces on Renai Road to meet the urgent demand of motorbike parking.
"I hope that the city government will provide alternative parking places for motorcyclists," Kuo said.
Both Chung and Kuo admitted that yesterday's crackdown had forced them to seek parking spaces in back alleys and lanes.
"There isn't enough parking space available here [referring to specially designated parking spaces on the walkways of Renai Road], so I've got no other option but to move my motorbike into the back lanes," Kuo said.
But Huang said his administration had researched the demand for parking spaces on Renai Road, and about 90 percent of the estimated demand had been met by the new parking spaces designated on the road.
He also said the city government didn't plan to supply parking spaces for all motorcyclists, since they could "make use of the more-than-adequate transportation provided by the MRT network, now that it has been established."
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