The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that it is considering changing regulations to allow passengers to be carried on the backseat of bicycles, but transportation experts and children’s rights advocates objected to the proposal.
The Road Traffic Safety Rules (道路交通安全規則) currently ban cyclists from carrying passengers on backseats. People infringing the rule can face fines of between NT$300 and NT$600. However, the fine is rarely imposed as police officers usually deal with the matter with warnings.
The ministry said it is considering the relaxation of the regulations after the issue was first raised by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) last year.
Tsai said the government has been promoting the use of a “green transport” system and has built bicycle lanes across the nation, but it does not allow parents to carry their children on the back seat of bicycles, which is a shame.
He also said that Japan has stipulated rules about the types of bicycles that parents can use if they want to carry their children on the backseat. By contrast, he said that Taiwanese parents simply buy a bicycle and have a children’s seat welded — or tied to — the backseat of the bicycle.
Department of Railways and Highway Director-General Lin Chi-kuo (林繼國) said he has held a preliminary discussion over the issue at a Sept. 10 meeting.
He said the participants agreed to first research the rules in other countries and to determine what the the age restrictions should be for bicycle riders.
As an example, children in Germany are only allowed to ride bicycles alone above the age of eight, the ministry said, adding that children under eight must be accompanied by a rider above 15.
Lin said the ministry must also determined the age that bicycle riders have to reach before they are allowed to carry passengers, adding that there must also be an age limit for passengers sitting on the backseat of bicycles.
Lin added that the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection must set the specifications for bicycles that are allowed to carry passengers, and the Directorate General of Highways must also find ways to regulate these bicycles.
Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation executive director Lin Yue-chin (林月琴) said that bicyclists riders and their passengers would be put in a greater risk if the policy is enforced.
The government does not provide a safe environment for bicyclists, who have to compete constantly with pedestrians for right of way, she said, adding there have incidents in the past in which grandparents carried their grandchildren on bicycles and both were injured after being hit by cars.
Safety should be the most important consideration, she said.
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