(Mar. 2, 2008) Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) stated on March 2, 2008, that as of April 2008 bicycle riders will be subject to fines of NT$300-800 (about US$9.80-26.00) if caught cycling in pedestrian crossings. The cyclists may only use the crossings if they dismount the bikes and push them across; they must also obey the road signals for motor vehicles. According to Chen Yen-po, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Railways and Highways, "current regulations do not clearly define the status of a bicycle so you see a lot of the cyclists riding on the pedestrian crossings, which is actually against the law." To implement the new policy, he stated, about 30 traffic regulations are being amended and sections of pedestrian crossings will be changed to dedicated bicycle crossings. (Shelley Shan, Bikes Banned from Pedestrian Crossings, TAIPEI TIMES, Mar. 3, 2008, Open Source Center No. CPP20080303968018.)
On the other hand, under the new policy bicycles can be parked in spaces that were previously available only to motorcycles with an engine capacity of up to 550cc. The MOTC, after seeking an interpretation of the Law to Promote Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects from the Public Construction Commission, also made a proposal to encourage cities and counties in Taiwan to standardize motorcycle or bicycle parking spaces to be one-fifth the size of those for cars. Under the infrastructure law, contractors who build car parks may receive tax rebates, but motorcycle parking spaces are not mentioned. (Id.)