《TAIPEI TIMES》Transportation minister bikes Cycling Route No. 2

健康 國際 地方 蒐奇 影音 財經 娛樂 汽車 時尚 體育 3 C 評論 藝文 玩咖 食譜 地產 專區 TAIPEI TIMES 求職

Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai, second right, poses for a photo while inspecting the around-the-nation Cycling Route No. 2 in New Taipei City yesterday. Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times

PEDAL POWER: The route would take riders through several railways stations that have covered cycling lanes, bicycle repair areas and bike rental stations nearby

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, in NEW TAIPEI CITY

Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai （陳世凱） yesterday inspected and biked part of the 1,019.4km around-the-nation Cycling Route No. 2 （環島二號線） along with other government officials.

Unlike the 960.8km Cycling Route No. 1 （環島一號線）, the new route gives people the option of cycling at their own pace, Chen said.

“They can get to know Taiwan better by riding one section at a time,” he said.

The ministry said it is scheduled to have a final inspection of the route and open it to the public by December.

The route combines bike lanes, local highways, riverside roads and old railway lines, with new road signs and guard rails, resurfaced pavement and refreshment stops marked along the way, Chen said.

The route is designed to address cyclists’ safety concerns, while allowing riders to enjoy the scenery along the way, Chen said.

The new route is comprised of 37 percent exclusive bike lanes, up from Route No. 1’s 11.2 percent, while only 12.3 percent of Route No. 2 contains sections in which cyclists and motorists must share the outer lanes, compared with 37.4 percent on Route No. 1, he said.

Because the new route contains road sections that have relatively lower traffic flow, more than 50 percent of the route is considered cyclist-friendly, he added.

Cyclists would also pass through several railway stations along Cycling Route No. 2, including Dongshan （冬山） in Yilan County, Ershuei （二水） in Changhua County, Chaojhou （潮州） in Pingtung County and Chihshang （池上） in Taitung County, the ministry said.

The stations have covered cycling lanes, bicycle repair and assembly areas, and public bike rental stations nearby, it said.

The route connects several destinations, including the North Coast, Ershuei Bikeway and the “canal greenway” built along the Chianan Irrigation Canal （嘉南大圳）.

The Tourism Administration is planning to offer services to cyclists from overseas along the route, including a luggage transfer service.

Separately, the ministry is considering capping the availability of non-reserved seats on the high-speed rail system under certain conditions, Chen said, following overcrowding the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival and Teachers’ Day long weekend.

On Thursday last week, train cabins at Nangang, Taipei and Taoyuan were overflowing with a large number of passengers with non-reserved seats. Some people with reserved seats were unable to board trains.

The ministry might consider capping the availability of non-reserved seats when the first day of a long weekend coincides with peak commuter travel times, Chen said.

Chen said he has asked the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp （THSRC） to study the issue, and determine the maximum number of non-reserved seat passengers each train can accommodate during peak travel hours, as well as find ways to ease congestion at stations and in train cabins.

The company must find ways to maximize passenger volume without compromising comfort, he said.

The Taiwan Railway Corp and freeway bus operators should also determine how many passengers they can absorb should THSRC cap the non-reserved seats available during peak hours of long weekends, he said.

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