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Something that I have often wandered about, with so many mopeds is it not easy to forget where you parked
damned thing? Must ask somebody about that and if it ever happens! Where in Taiwan did I park that infernal machine?
It is dangerous on roads, there is no doubt about that and one of reasons why I have refused to drive or even consider driving a moped around. Taiwan law states that at any accident vehicles must remain in accident position until Police arrive – which means that traffic flow is seriously disrupted for another two hours or so.
Accidents are common and no Moped Driver has escaped turmoil of being knocked off his seat. Some with broken legs and arms put it down to experience and climb warily into saddle others just laugh their cuts and bruises off and carry on driving recklessly until next fall. Kids are worst, they scream around roads regardless of any safety rules and regulations and regardless of traffic lights and pedestrians. And they get away with it all! They are ultimate in danger yet Police just watch them zooming by probably knowing that they could not catch them but doing nothing all same.
One of my favorite accidents was where Policeman swerved around corner on his moped in chase of a poor woman who had run a red light! But in doing so Policeman ran headfirst into this other poor lady whose shopping went flying all over road and Policeman fell off his bike. They are to me not authoritative figure that we associate with back home. Like other day a woman and her kid did something wrong, maybe turned corner at wrong time or did not stop at red light. Mr. Policeman happened to be standing nearby with his pumped up chest and I am “king” attitude. Seeing what he saw he majestically clicked his fingers and through sign language told woman to pull over beside him. She was only going slowly, was not far away from him and obviously saw what he wanted. Back home one would pull over – don’t mess with law, but this lady just looked at him, smiled politely and slammed throttle to full. She was gone before Policeman could think about what to do next. I saw his hand going to his radio, then it went for his notebook, then he started towards his own moped and then he just sank into himself. Nothing he could do, she was out of sight and what information had he to pass across, what was that damned license plate number again? No, Police are not really best when concerned with traffic violators and speeders.
Helmet wearing is now law and enforced as far as they can do it. Most people do wear helmets and those without are easy for Police to pass message along. They have this habit of hiding behind signs and around corners and taking photographs of criminals and thus catching them that way. If they can get their expensive cameras up and focused that is!
There is no rule about using side mirrors that all mopeds come equipped with. Most mopeds seem to have had these removed either personally when they bought bike or through accidents along way. In fact many mirrors just hang sadly neglected downwards but saying to world, “I am here but nobody is interested in using me”. And along with this lack of attention to using mirrors comes typical and forceful manner of driving in Taiwan. Drivers look forwards, they do not look backwards. The rear is responsibility of those behind and absolutely nothing to do with those ahead. Should person ahead wish to move out of lane and turn a corner, what happens behind is of no consequence and should a faster driver be coming up and into path of one ahead, well that is their problem. At no point in a driver’s education does it say, “make sure nothing is coming up behind you before moving out”. Simply put, mirrors are not required and in fact are so “Not hip”.
Mopeds come in all shapes and sizes. The sleek Italian Design to ‘odds and ends’ wreck that is home built. They are driven by people of all shapes and sizes from rather large persons who drape themselves over seat and potter along at a curvy pace, old ladies who could walk faster, teenagers who zoom along and secretaries who are followed by admiring gazes. Some bikes groan as they are pushed to their limits and other bikes seem to stifle power that they possess. Some bikes are used as human transporters, father driving with mother behind, two kids standing in well at front and one kid holding on for dear life at back. Others still puff out a horrendous cloud of white smoke signaling that a repair is needed to all but drivers themselves. Some bikes weave uncontrollably as driver falls asleep or wanders off into a land of his creation, and others still go wrong way as drivers get confused or attempt shortcuts that could shave seconds off their journey.
Many bikes can’t be started as batteries run down. Petrol stations are filled with callers for more juice and proud people wash there bikes down, buffing up seat that they spend so many hours sitting in. Dogs ride in wells as their owners take them out for a walk, children sit on specially designed seats fitting snugly into well and electricians keep there tools all over bike as they attend to some call or other. Ladies try to keep their skirts from billowing up and showing to world color of their underwear. Food falls out from front basket as wind catches it, another drink is dropped as it rolls from between feet of a forgetful driver and yet another kid nearly falls off back as his mother guns throttle in excess.
People struggle to find parking spaces, whilst others scratch their heads over how to extract their moped from pack. Others still annoy taxi drivers as they cut across them and yet another pedestrian gets in way. Passengers stepping off a bus narrowly escape being mowed down as a moped scrapes past and yet another driver parks his machine in middle of road thus causing a bottleneck to occur.
Mopeds are distribution system veins and arteries of society that keep it functioning, in motion and fed. Mopeds are means to conduct business, to do shopping, to get around and to be free. They are lifelines for a whole society and one that without would just cease to function. Mopeds are bread and butter for an entire culture.
For me as lone pedestrian I am assigned to road to join melee, forced to sit on buses for endless hours and induced to spending large sums of money on taxis. For me as odd one out of millions I am looked upon as “weird” and receive strange looks for masses. I as pedestrian fight against society to live on my own two feet and find it hard. I as odd one out am thinking of riding a moped! If you can’t beat them join them.
Then again I may wait for Underground system that is now being built in Kaohsiung – should I find courage to wait estimated eight years it will take to complete
Ieuan Dolby is the Author and Webmaster of Seamania . As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.
