Motorcycles with engine capacities of more than 550cc will be allowed on the country's expressways from today, but will still be excluded from freeways, a Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) official said yesterday.
The official, from the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, reminded motorcyclists riding on the 15 expressways that are connected to freeways to pay close attention to exit signs, in order to avoid ending up on a freeway.
Motorcyclists who are caught riding on freeways will be fined NT$3,000, the official said.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
J-Motors Professional Group vice president Hsiao Yu-lin (蕭毓麟) said that the regulation change had boosted his company's sales of large-engined motorcycles by about 20 percent.
Meanwhile, a National Police Agency official said that during the early stages of the new road rules, police will focus on serious violations by motorcycle riders and only issue warnings for minor violations, as riders adjust to the new regulations.
The official advised motorcycle riders to wear full-face helmets when riding on expressways and called on drivers of cars to respect the bigger motorcycles on expressways, as they enjoy the same road rights as cars.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (
Wang, who was joined by bike enthusiasts and DPP legislators Wang Shu-hui (
Wang Sing-nan said the Tainan City Government and motorcycle manufacturers and organizations would host celebrations to mark the law change on Saturday.
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
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