Bicycles

The bicycle is a very popular means of transport in Taiwan. In Taipei, there are plenty of bike paths, and also long-distance cycling is getting more popular in Taiwan. In Taipei, there are also public bikes, which can be rented for 30min for free.

Even though the public bikes worked very well for me, I decided to get my own bike in order to have more flexibility. I bought a 14-gear bike for some TWD 2,000 (EUR 50) at the bike shop at the NTU campus.

Cycling in Taipei adheres to rules slightly different to what the average European may be used to. For example, nobody would indicate a right or left turn. At the NTU campus, the bikes are moving in an even more (seemingly) disordered fashion. People mostly cycle on the right hand side of the road, but not strictly. Also there doesn’t seem to be any particular right of way. If someone wants to turn left, they would just do so. No waiting, no indicating, no matter how many other bikes are crossing.

How does that work without major accidents? I don’t know, really. It just “flows”. Often, my sudden braking or change in direction causes great confusion for my fellow bikers. So in order to initiate a left turn, I have to slow down and slowly initiate the turn. This way the others “feel” my intentions and will slowly (no sudden change of motion!) make room. The amount of space needed for a bicycle to turn is considered to be quite small. I am still freaking out sometimes when, after carefully initiating a turn, there are bikes crossing just in front of me. I then react by sudden braking, with a high risk of collision with some person behind me.

Taiwanese people often carry an additional person on their bike. This person often stands on two bars mounted at the rear spike, or sits on the rack.

Map of the bike path

Bike path along the river

Bike facilities along the path

Bike path along the river

Bike path along the river

Exit indication at the bike path

The bars on which another person can stand on

My bike