TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The NPP on Friday urged the government to provide a timetable for reforms to a requirement that motorcyclists make two-stage left turns at designated intersections.
Commenting on the recent debate over the rule, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Department of Railways, Highways and Road Safety Director-General Wu Tung-ling (吳東凌) said the government is considering changes based on conditions at individual intersections, per Liberty Times. He said he had directed the Institute of Transportation to study intersections nationwide and consult local governments on possible reforms.
In response, the NPP highlighted the research by National Taiwan University Professor Chang Hung-hao (張宏浩), which found a reduction in traffic accidents during a trial program in Tainan after the two-stage left-turn requirement was removed, per Liberty Times. The party described the rule as a product of outdated views on the role of motorcycles in transportation and called on the ministry to expand its trial program.
The NPP also urged the government to release traffic accident data from intersections participating in the trials, disclose the criteria used to evaluate whether direct left turns should be permitted, and provide a comprehensive reform timetable.
The Formosa Motorcycle Rights Association argued that many motorcycle-related traffic accidents stem from inadequate driver education, as riders are often not taught how to make direct left turns, per UDN. The association said motorcyclists should be allowed to move with traffic in the same manner as other vehicles.
Some academics, however, cautioned against eliminating the requirement before more data becomes available. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University professor Wu Kun-feng (吳昆峯) said Taiwan's mixed-use urban environment results in frequent left-turning movements, increasing the risk of collisions between turning motorcycles and vehicles traveling straight, per China Times.
Wu said direct left turns could be considered but only if adequate protections are in place for riders making those turns.
National Taiwan University Professor Chu Chia-yuan (朱致遠) also urged caution, saying the Tainan study examined only selected intersections rather than the city's entire road network, per CNA. Given the study's three-week duration, Chu said its findings should not be used as the basis for implementing similar changes across Taiwan.
