Taipei to reduce traffic light wait times to spare drivers from heat

2024-06-19

Now that the temperatures have surpassed 30 degrees, it can be unbearable to sit at a traffic light under the hot sun. Many scooter drivers instead illegally find shaded areas to wait. To reduce the amount of time drivers have to sit in the heat, Taipei announced that in July and August, 740 red lights are to be shortened by 21 seconds on average. One intersection in Tianmu cut its time down to 80 seconds from 170.

For waiting at red lights under the scorching sun, many scooter drivers wear gloves, sleeves, and thin jackets as well as sunscreen. Yet even with all that, sitting in over 30 degree temperatures can be too much.

Scooter driver
If there’s a tree nearby, I’ll wait under it or in the shade.

Scooter driver
I wear sunscreen. You have to protect your hands. Also sleeves and ice water.

Scooter driver
You have to wait by the side of the road. If there’s no shade, then you just have to deal with it. If your arms are like this and the top gets tanned, just turn them over. At least it won’t be uneven.

To minimize time spent in the sun, Taipei is shortening red light times from July 1 until the end of August. At 740 intersections across the city, times will be cut by 21 seconds on average. The biggest change is in Tianmu, where one light will be reduced by 90 seconds.

Scooter driver
Sometimes there’s nowhere shaded to wait and it really gets too hot in the sun. So it’s nice that they’re cutting the times.

Scooter driver
You need to have the proper supporting measures. If you don’t, I have to wait for pedestrians to cross. If I don’t turn in time, it’ll be another 20 seconds and it’s the same.

The city government says that wait times will only be reduced from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to minimize impact on other motorists.

Wu Yu-wei
Taipei traffic control deputy head
If at a particular intersection, vehicles aren’t able to turn right in time, like the one I just mentioned, we’ll do our best to fix it. For the traffic light times, we’ll avoid peak hours.

Fewer lights will be shortened this year than in the past two years. But no matter what, having to wait a few fewer seconds in the sun is a welcome reprieve for motorists.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

騎士夏天難忍曝曬北市740個路口縮短紅燈秒數

2024-06-19

夏季高溫動輒30度以上，騎車外出停等紅燈時，長時間的曝曬，經常讓騎士受不了，只好違規躲到樹蔭底下或陰涼處，北市府為了讓騎士減少停等時間，宣布從7/1開始到8月底，將針對740個路口縮短紅燈秒數，平均減少21秒，天母一個路口更是從170秒縮短到只剩80秒。

烈日下停等紅燈，機車騎士除了先擦好防曬，手套、袖套還有薄外套，通通派上用場，因為動輒30度以上的高溫，實在太熱了。

[[機車騎士]]
“旁邊剛好有樹的話，就會停在樹下或是陰影之類的”

[[機車騎士]]
“擦防曬，就是你要保護手，一些袖套什麼的，還有冰水”

[[機車騎士]]
“盡量靠旁邊停，但是如果沒有陰影的話也就只能曬，不然就是如果手臂這邊，上面比較黑，那就反過來曬，就是你起碼，不會膚色不均勻”

為了減少曝曬時間，北市從7/1開始到8月底，將針對740個路口縮短紅燈秒數，平均減少21秒、縮短最多的路口出現在天母，高達90秒之久。

[[機車騎士]]
“有時候等，而且又沒有陰涼處的時候，太陽實在太大會受不了，所以調短是不錯的”

[[機車騎士]]
“配套要做好，沒做好，等行人過去，我轉彎來不及轉不過去，然後20秒又過了，一樣的意思”

市府強調，縮短紅燈秒數，只會在每天9點到下午4點半的時間實施，降低對用路人的衝擊。

[[北市交控中心副主任吳育緯]]
“如果說本身那個路口的車流特性，就像剛才提到的，右轉車就已經轉不過去的話，這部分我們就會盡量去把它做一個排除，調降的部分，我們也是避開尖峰時段”

即便今年實施的路口數，比去年和前年都少，但無輪如何，能少等幾秒紅燈，對騎士來說，都是夏日騎車的小確幸。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00