Overhaul traffic officials’ schooling to reform confusing road markings: lawmaker
Overhaul traffic officials’ schooling to reform confusing road markings: lawmaker
2023-07-05
Strange and perplexing road markings are a common sight on Taiwan’s roads. From zebra crossings with concessions for scooters, to red lines that wiggle around random obstacles, pedestrians must be blase about idiosyncratic visual cues. But some people say enough is enough, and they’re calling for road markings that are in line with international standards. Among them is NPP lawmaker Chen Jiau-hua. She thinks a major problem lies with the schooling for traffic officials. It doesn’t require officials to learn the rules of road markings and that must change, Chen says.
The zebra crossing here has a chunk cut out of it. A third of the space is given over to a waiting zone for scooter riders. If the scooters spill out of that space, pedestrians must make a long-cut across the road.
Member of public
It doesn’t have much space. There’ll be a clash.
Member of public
I was walking over it, and I though the scooter was going to crash into us.
Why are Taiwan’s roads so chaotic? NPP lawmaker Chen Jiau-hua highlights one factor: the national traffic officials’ exam doesn’t require aspiring officials to learn how to design road markings.
Chen Jiau-hua
NPP lawmaker
There are few people who know how to paint the markings. It’s not a priority in the schools. They don’t teach it at departments of traffic science, or even in the national exam. That means many officials in traffic bureaus might not even know. If roads are marked properly, then actually many traffic incidents can be avoided.
The main school of traffic management in Taiwan is controlling traffic through signal lights. As Chen explains, many officials in central and local government, as well as consultants, don’t really understand road markings. Some regard them, with significant disdain, as mere “paintwork.”
Voice of Lin Chih-hsueh
Taiwan Traffic Safe Association
The exam mostly asks for small essays. Some people are saying it should test people on drawing diagrams. Give the student a junction and get them to draw some markings to show how to manage it. If they can’t draw the markings, then it’s very hard to define how the flow of traffic should work on that road.
Taiwan has a notorious reputation as “hell for pedestrians.” To turn over a new leaf, tougher punishments for bad driving are needed, as well as an overhaul of issues in road markings, and an upgrade of the entire system in line with international advancements.
交通職系國考不考路怎麼畫? 立委爆奇怪標線之謎
2023-07-05
台灣道路上隨處可見奇葩標線，有斑馬線尾端是機車待轉區，還有路口紅線像蚯蚓一樣彎曲，立委陳椒華指出，原因之一就是交通職系的國考，竟然沒有考"路怎麼畫"，專家也建議應該加考"繪圖項目"，才能從根本改善，交通標線的亂象。
這處路口，斑馬線被斷頭，硬是少了三分之一，機車騎士為了待轉，只好騎上斑馬線，要是待轉格一滿，行人過馬路還得特地往外繞。
[[民眾]]
“它的空間好像滿小的，(人車)會衝突到。”
[[民眾]]
“走過來的時候，我以為機車要跑過來撞我們一樣。”
台灣道路標線，到底為什麼這麼亂，立委陳椒華點出原因之一，原來是"交通職系"的國考，根本不考路要怎麼畫。
[[立委(時力) 陳椒華]]
“會標線的老師就不多。學校不重視，交通科系沒有教，甚至國考沒有考，就造成很多交通主管(機關)，可能也不熟、不會。車道可以好好劃，其實很多交通事故是可以避免的。”
台灣的交通顯學是號誌控制，陳椒華透漏，最基礎的道路標線，從中央、地方的交通主管機關，到顧問公司都不太會，甚至把畫標線當成"油漆工"。
[[聲源:台灣交通安全協會理事林志學]]
“大部分都是考申論題。有人在提倡說，考試應該要考做圖題，丟一個路口讓考生畫畫看，這個路口他要怎麼處理，如果他不會劃這個東西，就很難定義，道路上的流動要怎麼做。”
台灣想洗刷行人地獄汙名，除了提高罰則，也得從根本改善標線劃設的問題，跟上國際腳步才行。
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