Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles.
Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed.
Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed.
Photo: CNA
Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other pedal-powered or electric-assisted vehicles with a top speed of 25kph or less — fall under the category of “slow-moving vehicles” (慢車). This also includes electric scooters and skateboards.
While bicycles are generally considered safer and slower, riding under the influence still poses a serious public safety risk, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) said on Sunday.
“Offenders can be prosecuted under the Criminal Code for public safety violations and face criminal penalties,” Tseng said. “However, many people mistakenly believe that riding a bicycle after drinking only results in a warning, not legal action — yet it is becoming an increasingly serious road safety issue in the city.”
Tseng attributed the situation to a general lack of awareness about traffic laws, calling it a blind spot in law enforcement and public education.
He urged the Taipei City Government to intensify public legal education campaigns about traffic regulations — especially during high-risk periods and in incident-prone areas — and to install warning signs at YouBike stations to remind riders of the consequences of riding under the influence.
A Taipei traffic police officer said officers monitor slow-moving vehicles for signs of erratic behavior such as swerving or drifting out of bike lanes.
If alcohol use is suspected, such as from the smell of a rider’s breath, officers would stop the cyclist and administer a breath alcohol test.
If a rider is found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding the legal limit of 0.15 milligrams per liter (about 0.03 percent BAC), they are in violation of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, the officer said.
Contraveners face a fine ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$2,400 and would be prohibited from continuing to ride, the officer added.
Those who refuse to take breath alcohol test can be fined NT$4,800, the officer said.
If the bicycle or device involved has auxiliary power — such as electric-assist systems — the rider might also face charges under the Criminal Code for offenses against public safety, which carry more serious legal consequences, the officer added.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS