Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday called for improvements of facilities along popular bicycle routes nationwide to prepare for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications “year of bicycle tourism” campaign next year.
Su made the remarks during the weekly Cabinet meeting in Taipei, evaluating the expansion of the nation’s bicycle route network from 2002 to 2018, during which 7,500km of bicycle trails were built.
However, it is not the length of routes, but the quality of facilities that matters, Su said, adding that it is also important that public transportation systems allow passengers to carry bicycles on trains and buses.
Photo: CNA
Su also highlighted public bicycle services, such as YouBike, that allow people to rent bicycles and return them at another location, saying that the services should expand.
The central role of bicycles during the early stages of the nation’s economic development are ingrained in the nation’s collective memory, including his own, Su said.
As a lifelong bicycle enthusiast, he finished his first round-island trip on a borrowed bicycle short after graduating from university, he said.
During his first term as premier from 2006 to 2007, he had made May 5 the nation’s Bicycle Day, leading the UN by more than a decade in proclaiming a day dedicated to cycling, Su said.
In September last year, he introduced a NT$1.6 billion (US$54.2 million at the current exchange rates) project to improve bicycle trails nationwide over the course of four years, he said.
However, further improvement is necessary to attract foreign visitors after the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a solid “bicycle network,” he said.
Bicycle trails and policies are governed by different agencies, with the round-nation trail managed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the promotion of leisure activities and tourism managed by the Sports Administration and the Environmental Protection Administration, while the planning of urban bicycle routes is overseen by the Construction and Planning Agency, the premier said.
All agencies should coordinate their efforts and work with local governments to improve public health and local economies, and boost tourism, he added.
Su said that he envisions Taiwan becoming “a kingdom of bicycle tourism,” with international cycling events and opportunities for bicycle tourists to explore the nation.
He would try to find the time soon to go cycling to inspect the state of the nation’s bicycle infrastructure soon, he added.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS