Scooters, Bikes Can Use Zhongxiao W. Road at Night 今起夜間11點-清晨6點 忠孝西路開放機慢車

Starting at 11 p.m. on Dec. 14, scooters and bicycles will be allowed to use the outer two lanes of Taipei's Zhongxiao West Road from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Civic group "Taiwan Motorcycle" was dissatisfied with this new regulation.

Workers from the Taipei City Traffic Engineering Office change traffic signs at the intersection. This is because a new regulation allowing scooters and bicycles to travel along Zhongxiao West Road was to take effect at 11 p.m. on Dec. 14, and so signs had to be removed or updated. Under the new regulation, scooters and bicycles will be able to use the road from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. This probably won't be of much use to commuters and students.

Scooter Driver: “It appears it won't help us scooter riders any. (Do you feel inconvenienced every time you're around here?) Yes, it's very inconvenient.”

Scooter Driver: “It's better to be allowed to use it than not. (When you get here, you have to make a detour.) Yes, you have to take a long way, whether you go towards the right or the left, and there are more traffic lights.”

Zhongxiao West Road runs in front of Taipei Main Station. Scooters have been banned on the road for 44 years. The office said it chose to open the road to scooters and bikes during nighttime hours after consulting information on the number of buses that travel along the road at all hours and considering scooter driving safety and lane crossing. There are fewer buses and vehicles during this time period. Further observation is needed before any adjustments can be made.

Chen Shih-yun, Planning Director, Taipei City Traffic Engineering Office: “Civic groups suggested opening the road during another time slot. We'll wait and see how this goes and observe the use of the road before follow-up assessments.”

Civic group "Taiwan Motorcycle" complained that the time period shows a complete lack of good faith and cannot be accepted. It called on members to come out and express their discontent on Zhongxiao West Road on Dec. 14. It also demanded Mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an conduct a comprehensive review of Taipei's transportation policies involving bans on scooters and motorcycles.

北市交通局交工處工作人員，忙著在路口更改標誌。因應原本禁行機慢車的忠孝西路，14日晚間11時起解禁，原先禁行機車的告示牌，也加註禁行的時間。未來，機慢車在每天晚間11時到隔天6時，都可以通行，不過開放的時段，不是一般通學、通勤的需求時間，也引起討論。

機車騎士表示：「好像對我們這種機車族，沒有什麼幫助啊。」認為每次到該路段都相當不方便。

也有機車騎士認為，可以通比不能通好。他表示：「不管繞左邊還是繞右邊都是繞路，多等幾個紅綠燈這樣。」

台北車站前的忠孝西路禁行機車已有44年，為何選擇在夜間到清晨解禁？交工處表示，是依據忠孝西路24小時公車班次統計資料。基於機車行車安全及動線交織考量，選擇在公車班次較低，以及車流量相對少的時段開放。未來是否可能開放其他時段，還要觀察。

北市交通管制工程處規劃科長陳詩韻提及：「民團這邊有建議其他一個時段開放的部分，我們就是會等這次開放以後，再觀察整個駕駛人的一個用路的行為，再來做後續的評估。」

對此，台灣機車路權促進會抨擊，開放機車的時段毫無誠意，讓人難以接受。號召車友在14日晚間，到忠孝西路表達不滿與訴求；並點名即將上任台北市長的蔣萬安，要求全面檢討北市禁行機車的交通政策。