Heavy motorcycles would be allowed on an 11km section of the upgraded South Link Highway (南迴公路) as of 12pm on Tuesday next week, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) announced on Saturday.
The section connecting Anshuo Village (安朔) in Taitung County and Tsaopu Village (草埔) in Pingtung County was opened for traffic on Dec. 23 last year.
The Tsaopu Senyung Tunnel (草埔森永隧道) — which is about 4.6km long — is part of the section, it said, adding that this would be the first time that heavy bikes would be allowed to access a long tunnel.
Large bikes were not permitted inside the tunnel when the section was opened for traffic last year as the tunnel’s air quality and lighting were not as good as the outside roadway, while the temperature inside was higher as well, DGH Deputy Chief Engineer Lee Chung-chang (李忠璋) said.
The section would be opened to heavy bikes on a six-month trial basis, Lee said.
“We have retained experts from the Chinese Institute of Transportation to evaluate bikers’ behaviors inside the tunnel based on a number of criteria, and they are to submit monthly and quarterly reports. We would continue to open the section to heavy motorcycles only if riders behave well during the trial,” he said.
The evaluation criteria include the number of traffic violations, riding behavior, as well as deaths and injuries caused by bikers, he said.
Whether bikers would be allowed access to the upgraded Suhua Highway (蘇花公路) would depend on the results of the South Link Highway trial, he added.
Heavy motorcycles are allowed to operate on regular roads, expressways and National Freeway No. 3A, a 5km spur through Taipei.
As the number of heavy motorcycles has increased nationwide over the years, bikers have been pressing the government to allow them to access more of the nation’s freeways and long tunnels.
During the trial, motorcycles with yellow license plates (engine displacement between 250cc and 550cc) and those with red plates (engine displacement of 550cc or more) would be allowed to access section, Lee said.
Bikers should observe the maximum speed limit of 70kph and the minimum speed limit of 50kph for the section, use their headlights inside the Tsaopu Senyung Tunnel and maintain a safe following distance of at least 50m from the vehicle ahead, the DGH said.
Inside the tunnel, bikers would be banned from changing lanes, speeding, overtaking other vehicles and tailgating, it added.
There are 165,761 heavy motorcycles in Taiwan, including 86,268 with engines of 550cc or more, DGH data showed.
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