Several commercial drivers’ groups protested outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday, voicing opposition to a proposed increase in fines for motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians, and calling for stricter penalties on pedestrians who engage in dangerous behavior.
Dozens of drivers parked their cars around the block near the ministry, and held a news conference in front of the ministry building.
Under the ministry’s proposed amendments to the rules governing the issuance of fines for traffic contraventions, motorists who fail to yield at pedestrian crossings or intersections, resulting in minor injuries, would face fines of between NT$18,000 and NT$30,000, up from the current NT$7,200 to NT$12,000.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
If the contravention leads to serious injuries, the fine would rise to NT$36,000, compared with the current range of NT$18,000 to NT$30,000.
Drivers would be fined NT$36,000 if their failure to yield results in a pedestrian’s death, which is unchanged from the current regulations.
The proposed amendments have been made available for public review and are scheduled to take effect next month.
National Automobile Driver’s Rights Alliance president Liu Hong-chang (劉鴻樟) said the voices of drivers should also be listened to.
“Pedestrians who cross the street when the signal is red, or who fail to pay attention while using pedestrian crossings, should not be fined merely a few hundred dollars,” he said.
“Compared with the penalties imposed on drivers, fines for misbehaving pedestrians are disproportionately low. This stark disparity in punishment would lead to frequent conflicts between pedestrians and drivers,” he added.
The protesters also called for pedestrians who do not follow traffic signals while crossing the street to be fined NT$18,000, the same as drivers.
Police should be deployed at key intersections to enforce the rules and deter reckless pedestrians, they said, adding that traffic signals should be redesigned to better separate vehicle and pedestrian flow to improve overall safety.
In response to the demands, Department of Public Transportation and Supervision Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said the proposed amendments mainly focus on cases in which pedestrians are injured or killed due to drivers failing to yield.
“The purpose of imposing heavier fines on drivers is so they would see protecting pedestrians as their top priority,” Lin said.
“We would also step up safety awareness campaigns aimed at pedestrians,” he added.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS