The YouBike public rental system is to introduce a new penalty system in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan from July 1 with the aim of curbing traffic violations, the Taipei City Government said on Tuesday.
A demerit point would be issued to the YouBike account of a rider if they run a red light, cycle the wrong way on a road, use a cellphone while riding or fail to yield to pedestrians, among other violations, the Taipei Department of Transportation said.
If a YouBike account accumulates three points in a 12-month period, the account holder would be suspended from riding for 14 days, the department said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
If seven points are accumulated within a 12-month period, the membership would be suspended for a year, it said.
If caught by police riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs, membership would be suspended for two years, it said.
The department would dispatch two staff members to report violations at hotspots eight times per month, it added.
Members of the public can report violations with video or photographic evidence, while police would also report violations, the department said.
The YouBike system has a penalty rule that was established in 2014, but it is neither clearly defined in the membership terms nor consistently implemented across administrative areas, the department said.
Also, unlike the existing rules that cancel memberships after they accrue seven points, the new system allows “some room for self-correction,” it said.
Under the new rules, all points would be reset to zero one year from when the first point was issued, it said.
The most common YouBike violations in Taipei are riding on pedestrian walkways where cycling is prohibited, riding on covered walkways and riding the wrong way on roads, it said.
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