tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post6407785278854374881..comments2024-03-14T10:19:04.234-07:00Comments on Taiwan In Cycles: Elephant In The Room: Growing Criticism Over Taiwan's Corporate Model For Cycling Infrastructure Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-11191906631299560182012-08-14T20:32:06.555-07:002012-08-14T20:32:06.555-07:00I agree. The more of us out being visible, the mor...I agree. The more of us out being visible, the more weight our arguments hold. The government is too keen to woo corporate involvement, but not everything must be for profit. NONEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00312011183953017842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-79799391347601083382012-08-14T20:21:46.695-07:002012-08-14T20:21:46.695-07:00Andrew you make many good points. The one point I ...Andrew you make many good points. The one point I would differ with you is that the article says MOST (granted MOST) cities make themselves bicycle friendly first before doing things like bike rentals. London has a similar (very controversial) bike rental system and when I was there the city did not look bike friendly at all - on the other hand the rule of law is enforced and drivers are very respectful of both pedestrians and cyclists.<br /><br />Taipei is a jungle for cyclists (sometimes terrifying) and you are right - they need to make it safer for everybody (not just cyclists). I mean, motorcyclists riding on the pavements to take a short cut, for example. Not cool! I have been hit on the sidewalk before as a pedestrian. Even the river side paths are not respected. There are regularly motorcycles commuting along those riverside paths and the police and authorities do not even try to stop it. I once even encountered a car going along the riverside path on the way to Yingge - when I challeneged them they said they had the right to be there. Not sure what I can do about that.<br /><br />I think EDUCATION and ENFORCEMENT are both important. There should be zero tolerance for motorized vehicles hitting cyclists - but motorcyclists and drivers should also be educated about the importance: when they do the test and possibly also through media campaigns.<br /><br />It is going to take a long time to make Taipei safe for cyclists and as infer, it will never be safe unless there is the political will to make it so. <br /><br />I do also believe making showering and washing facilities available at offices and work places will also help persuade people to ride. <br /><br />All we can do is encourage our friends to ride ride ride - the more of us there are, the more significant our voice will be.<br /><br />Good article.<br />Thanks for sharing.<br />PaulPaulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05103990308942486967noreply@blogger.com