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.
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
POLICE INVESTIGATING: A man said he quit his job as a nurse at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital as he had been ‘disgusted’ by the behavior of his colleagues A man yesterday morning wrote online that he had witnessed nurses taking photographs and touching anesthetized patients inappropriately in Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital’s operating theaters. The man surnamed Huang (黃) wrote on the Professional Technology Temple bulletin board that during his six-month stint as a nurse at the hospital, he had seen nurses taking pictures of patients, including of their private parts, after they were anesthetized. Some nurses had also touched patients inappropriately and children were among those photographed, he said. Huang said this “disgusted” him “so much” that “he felt the need to reveal these unethical acts in the operating theater
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and