Taiwan poll finds opposition to heavy motorcycles on freeways

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – More than a decade after the Legislative Yuan opened the way to allow heavy motorcycles on Taiwan’s freeways, a poll found Wednesday that 60% of the public opposed the change.

Lawmakers proposed in 2011 that motorbikes with an engine displacement of 250 cubic centimeters or more would be allowed to use three sections of freeways on a trial basis. However, due to public opposition, the proposal was never implemented.

In its 12th opinion poll on the issue, the Ministry of Transportation’s Freeway Bureau found that 60% of the public still did not want to see heavy bikes on freeways, per CNA. The main reason mentioned was the fear that bikers would not respect traffic rules, especially when overtaking other traffic, thus creating dangerous situations.

Supporters favored only opening freeways to motorbikes from Monday to Friday, while 80.6% mentioned a limited opening up, mentioning the No. 6 Freeway between Wufeng and Puli in Central Taiwan.

The Freeway Bureau said the latest results were similar to previous surveys, while a larger consensus and the agreement of local governments would be necessary to approve the use of freeways by heavy motorbikes. The poll was conducted March 11-21, and produced 2,292 valid responses, with a 2% margin of error.

Over the years, activists conducted several protests against the ban, with motorcycle riders either entering freeways or gathering at service stations to publicize their demands.