Park & Ride: Taipei Offers More Bicycle Parking

The Taiwan News is reporting that Taipei City will begin increasing the number of bicycle parking spaces citywide.

One goal is to increase parking capacity near public transport hubs to make it easier for bike riders to take advantage of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system's expanding mixed-mode commuting network, according to office director Chang Jer-yang.

But effectively managing those parking lots will be just as important as building them if the bicycle-MRT commuting option catches on.

"People will feel more comfortable parking their bikes in a public area near an MRT station under our staff's watch, " Chang said.

This is a very promising development. There are actually plenty of bike racks in Taipei, but few of them are any good (front wheel slots) and most of them have little if any additional security.

I would love to see this program expand to include fully enclosed bike boxes, but maybe it would also save some money to increase bicycle access so you could more easily bring your bike on mass transit systems.

Also in the news...

The Straits Times is reporting that a Singaporean religious organization has finished its mercy mission to Taiwan and looks to spread is beliefs to other poor countries, including Malaysia and the United States of America.

Here is the full article:

WHEN cycling around Singapore started getting routine, four members of the Concern and Care Society (CCS) took to cycling 1, 400km around Taiwan, at the same time bringing cheer to victims of last year's hurricanes and floods.

Together, they cycled their way through 100 nursing homes and orphanages along with 66 other cyclists from Taiwan.

Ms Siow Lee Khoon, 43, Mr Lee Yok Leun, 77, Mr Marcus Loh Yoon Siong, 53 and Mr Wee Lian Seng, 62 armed themselves with hopeful messages written by students from Nanyang Girls' High School as well as members of the public.

The four are part of Cycling Club Superstar, which promotes cycling among members of the CCS and other residents. The club decided to use cycling to reach out to the needy, and the initiative was born.

'It started off as a way to get old folks, especially retirees, to lead a more active lifestyle. We later wanted to make it even more meaningful by using cycling to help others,' said Mr Lee.

The club has plans to do the same in Singapore. Road trips to Malaysia and the United States are also on the cards, according to Mr David Lee Chih-Wei, honorary consultant, CCS.