by Brian Hioe

語言:
English
Photo Credit: 台灣機車路權促進會/Facebook

5,000 MOTORCYCLE and scooter riders demonstrated last weekend on Ketagalan Boulevard for a rally organized by the Formosa Motorcycle Rights Association. The riders assembled by the Taipei Expo Park on July 9th before driving to Ketagalan Boulevard, where they held a rally. Other counts have the number of participants in the rally as closer to 3,000. 

This was not the first such demonstration to occur, with demonstrations calling for the loosening of current restrictions on motorcycles and scooters in past years. As cited by demonstrators, there are eight million cars in Taiwan, but 14 million scooters and motorcycles. Nevertheless, demonstrators take the view that current laws favor cars over scooters and motorcycles in a way that is not only dangerous but also inconvenient, pointing to the 3,000 fatalities that take place yearly due to collisions. 

In particular, demonstrators are critical of laws and regulations governing scooters and motorcycle riders that they view as outdated. This includes requiring scooter and motorcycle riders to make a two-stage turn when they turn left. 

Demonstrators also called for the abolition of no-scooter lanes, seeing as restricting many roads for only causes instead causes scooters and motorcycles to drive on pedestrian lanes, potentially leading to crashes. To this extent, motorcycle and scooter riders were critical of that motorcycles and scooters are not allowed on provincial highways, as well as on major arteries in Taipei and other cities, such as Zhongxiao West Road. 

Banner advertising the event. Photo credit: 台灣機車路權促進會/Facebook

The Formosa Motorcycle Rights Association has framed the issue as “martial law on the road.” The organization takes the view that Ministry of Transportation and Communications officials are out of touch with the times, and key decisions on transportation regulations were made by small interest groups within the government. The association was critical, too, that during accidents, usually motorcycle or scooter riders are blamed by police even when they are not at fault. 

That being said, there have been some trial efforts at relaxing current restrictions, including that motorbikes with more than 250 cubic centimeters are to be allowed on the Suhua Highway as of last month, after a six-month trial period that ended in March. 

Youth-oriented political parties have generally been supportive of these demands in past years, with members of the New Power Party and Green Party appearing at the rally. Delivery workers’ unions were also present at the rally, seeing as many delivery workers ride scooters, and are affected by traffic safety regulations. 

Last week’s rally was preceded by a demonstration by representatives of 30 groups in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on July 1st. Apart from motorcycle and scooter riders, this included drone operators and water sports aficionados. 

Drone operators were critical of government restrictions on drones that only permit drone users from schools, the government, or similar entities to fly at night, and called for drone operators with drones less than 25 kilograms to have a five-year license for drone operation, without a written test. At present, drone operators need to take a written and physical test to renew their licenses every two years, but civil aviation operators are allowed to renew their licenses every five years without a written test. Drone operators criticized the government’s regulations as lagging behind the development of a new technology. 

Water sports aficionados criticized bans on water sports in rivers and lakes, used by local governments to crack down on water sports. Instead, the group called for rivers and lakes to be opened up to water sports as a general rule, and exceptions to be outlined, suggesting that this might benefit domestic tourism. 

It is to be seen if protests from such groups gain broader traction, especially since drone operators and water sports aficionados are a minority. Such groups, which are often youth-led, may see current regulations are arcane and arbitrary in bureaucratic authority, as tying back to attitudes that date to authoritarian governance. And despite how large motorcycle and scooter riders are as a demographic in Taiwan, this has not led the Tsai administration to promise changes after protests either. Although current regulations have been criticized as contributing to traffic safety issues in Taiwan, such as leading to fatalities, this is often accepted as a fact of life, rather than a problem needing redress. It is to be seen if this changes. 

No more articles