Department of Transportation

Regarding the regulations concerning bicycle riding on sidewalks during interpellation by City councilors on May 21, 2013 at the 5th periodical conference of the 11th meeting of the City council, Taipei City Traffic Engineering Office (hereafter referred to as the TEO) responded that since the bicycle is a slow-moving vehicle, it shall be ridden on the right side of the road against the roadside, as prescribed by the Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety. Other than bikeways exclusively for bicycle riding, a bicycle can also be ridden on sidewalks where a sign (refer to illustration) allowing the passage of both pedestrians and bicycles is set up.
According to existing laws and regulations, given that a bicycle is a slow moving vehicle, its right of way shall be subject to Article 124 of the Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety: A bicycle shall be ridden on the right side of the road against the roadside and is prohibited to be ridden on the sidewalk. When the riding does not interfere with pedestrian passage or riding safety, signs or markings can then be set up on the sidewalk for slow-moving vehicles to go through (Article 90-3 of the Statute Governing Road Traffic).
The TEO is considering opening sidewalks more than 2 meters in width with qualified pedestrian service level and road environment for bicycle riding, with the sign of “pedestrian/vehicle lane; pedestrians first” being set up to define the riding right of way. As for where there are no signs, slow-moving vehicles shall be subject to Article 124 of the Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety, in which “a bicycle shall be ridden orderly towards the right side on marked slow traffic lanes, and on roads without slow traffic lane markings, a bicycle shall be ridden on the right side of the road against the roadside.”
The TEO says that when riding a bicycle through an intersection with traffic lights, the rider shall follow the traffic lights. The trial run for bicycle exclusive signals is currently implemented at 4 locations: entrances to Lane 316, Sec. 3, Roosevelt Rd. and Lane 90, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., and the east corners of Songzhi Rd. and Songshou Rd. intersection, and Songzhi Rd. and Songgao Rd. intersection. When going through intersections set with bicycle exclusive signals, riders shall follow the bicycle signal when going through the intersection. The bicycle crossing line markings on the ground at intersections show the passage way that bicycle riders should follow. Where there are no bicycle signals at intersections, bicycle riders shall still follow the traffic lights to go through the intersection.

2013-07-11