Lack of local government regulations has made it impossible for people to ride electric kick scooters (e-scooters), despite them being legal vehicles, a manufacturer said yesterday.
An amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) in 2022 states that e-scooters — a two-wheeled vehicle that combines elements of a bicycle and a scooter with an electric motor in one or two of the wheels — are personal mobility devices and subject to the same regulations as other slow-moving vehicles.
A personal mobility device is defined as a self-balancing vehicle designed to carry one person and is powered mainly by electricity, with a maximum speed of 25kph.
Photo: CNA
However, the act also requires local governments to stipulate road rules for e-scooters, such as designating zones for riding them and speed limits, but so far no local government has done so.
A commuter surnamed Yang (楊) said he bought an e-scooter because he can carry it to the MRT and public buses, but had to sell it because local governments would never allow these e-scooters on the roads.
Although local governments have the right to decide whether e-scooter riders are allowed on roads, they have failed to issue clear guidance on their use, Rider Techjoy Co president Cheng Kai-fu (鄭凱夫) said.
Local governments are not eager to stipulate such regulations either, he added.
“It is a gray area on whether electric kick scooters are legal, but people cannot ride them on roads,” he said.
Compared with 2018 and 2019, sales of e-scooters are down 30 percent to 3,000 to 4,500 per year due to market saturation, fierce competition among manufacturers and lack of regulations, Cheng said.
However, the demand for electric kick scooters persists despite the absence of regulations, he said, adding that most users prefer to buy ones that can be operated at 25kph.
Although most local electric scooter manufacturers have adopted the UL2272 safety standard — the strictest safety standard widely accepted by the international community — Taiwan does not have an inspection agency to certify their safety, Cheng said.
Taipei Department of Transportation’s Transportation Management Section head Chu Cheng-tso (朱宸佐) said the city cannot discuss any proposal of allowing e-scooters on the roads without first implementing safety regulations for the devices.
“Since 2021, we have asked that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications propose standards to regulate electric kick scooters. We have yet to receive a clear reply,” Chu said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS