The Ministry of the Environment is planning amendments to enforce mandatory noise certifications for vehicles’ modified exhaust systems by the end of the year.
A total of 23,423 complaints regarding noisy vehicles were filed this year as of August, and fines were imposed on 5,403 cases, the ministry said.
The numbers have surpassed the 21,682 complaints and 4,712 fines last year, it said.
Photo copied by Lin Chia-tung, Taipei Times
A woman surnamed Lee (李) said that noise from modified exhaust systems often wakes her up at night as she lives close to a major road, adding that she had to take sleeping pills and install airtight windows to improve her sleep.
A man surnamed Chen (陳) said he had been filing complaints regarding noisy vehicles for over a decade and hoped louder exhausts could be banned as they are “not a necessity.”
The noise from modified vehicles not only makes people irritable but also impairs hearing, he said.
The ministry’s Department of Atmospheric Environment Director-General Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) on Saturday said that the sound volume of general vehicles is about 80 decibels.
Noise exceeding 86 decibels made on roads with a speed limit of 50kph, or 90 decibels made on roads with a speed limit of 50 to 70kph, are considered illegal and owners could be fined up to NT$3,600, he said.
Environmental protection and police units enforcing the law and handling complaints failed to effectively curb noisy vehicle cases, Tsai said.
The current certification system for modified exhausts is unenforceable and it is not followed by all modified-vehicle owners, he said.
Noisy vehicles get fined when they are stopped for exceeding noise levels, Tsai said.
The ministry aims to introduce the “regulations governing certification of the modified exhaust” (改裝排氣管認證作業辦法) to make noise certification mandatory for vehicles with modified exhaust systems, he said.
The certification data would be linked to the vehicle registration data kept by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Tsai said.
Exhaust systems that are not legally certified would be in violation of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) and face a fine of up to NT$1,800, he said.
Apart from modified exhaust systems, fines would also be given for noise generated by improperly modified engines and speeding, he said.
In July, the Environmental Protection Administration, which was upgraded to the Ministry of the Environment in August, increased the fines for noisy vehicles at night and around specific places such as schools, libraries and medical institutions, Tsai said.
Acording to the ammendment, modified vehicles above legal noise levels could face a fine up to NT$30,000; while unmodified vehicles surpassing noise limits could face a fine of NT$3,600, he said.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS