Minibus becomes convertible after driver ignores height warning bar

Minibus becomes convertible after driver ignores height warning bar

2026-04-15

The driver of a minibus in Taipei turned his vehicle into a convertible when he entered an underpass that could not accommodate the height of his vehicle. On Tuesday afternoon, the driver was on Keelung Road driving a minibus used to bring patients to and from medical facilities. As he approached the underpass, he ignored signs that indicated its maximum height, and kept going despite knocking against a height restriction warning bar before the entrance. As you can expect, as soon as he reached the underpass, the top of his vehicle was sheared off by the low ceiling. Let’s hear more.

Ho Tsung-jung
Taipei New Construction Office
After the site was investigate, all the debris was cleared. We will seek compensation from the driver for the damage to the equipment at the underpass.

Lee Yu-han
FTV reporter
Here, you can see a height restriction warning bar hanging from chains above the entrance. If you hit it, you still have a chance to stop and turn around. But the minibus driver decided to press on anyway, and wrecked the roof of the vehicle.

Ignoring the height restriction at an underpass can be fined between NT$900 and NT$1,800. The driver was reportedly a new employee who was unfamiliar with the route. He was so focused on the GPS navigation instructions that he failed to notice the height restriction. The minibus itself was a donated vehicle valued at more than NT$2 million, and had only been in use for three years. Fortunately, there were no passengers onboard at the time of the accident.

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

#convertible #car #minibus #taipei #roadrage

台北復康巴士硬闖限高地下道車頂全削掉"變敞篷車"

2026-04-15

昨(14)日下午，台北市一輛復康巴士走基隆路的地下道，明明已經撞到警示桿，司機竟還繼續硬闖，結果車頂直接被限高架削掉，瞬間變成了敞篷車，撞擊炸裂瞬間畫面曝光。

[[北市新工處橋涵分隊分隊長何宗融]]
“經現場勘查，現場散落物已經清除完成，遭撞擊的其他地下道設施，本處後續將與復康巴士駕駛求償”

[[民視記者李豫翰]]
“我們實際回到現場，可以看到限高架刻意用鐵鍊綁著，搖搖晃晃的，就是要讓車子撞到後，有機會可以回頭，但這回復康巴士卻是執意往下開，造成車頂直接開花”

駕駛開車闖入限高地下道，已經違反道交法，可以罰900元到1800元。根據了解，肇事的巴士駕駛是新進人員，疑似不熟路況跟導航走，也沒注意到限高，讓這輛愛心捐贈、價值兩百多萬的復康巴士，才開3年多就毀了，好在當時車上沒有載人，否則後果不堪設想。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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New Taipei tries street umbrellas from Seoul

New Taipei City recently imported giant electric umbrellas from South Korea and installed them on street corners. The contraption automatically opens when it’s hot and sunny to provide shade for pedestrians. Over the past six months, the city’s Transportation Department has been testing them at busy intersections to see whether they can withstand Taiwan’s typhoons and heavy rains.

Meng Chia-mei
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When the sun is hot, just walking on the street will leave you drenched in sweat. But now on the streets of New Taipei that’s no problem at all, because a giant umbrella opens right on the sidewalk to block all UV rays.

The large sunshade slowly opens, covering the open sidewalk with an 18.5 square meter shadow.

Member of public
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It’s pretty useful because the sun is so strong. If I’m waiting for the light, I want to wait there.

Member of public
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Enjoying the shade
It’s great for this kind of busy intersection. It would be even better if it was for rain too.

This umbrella is a smart sunshade like Korea has in Seoul. New Taipei has been testing them out on two busy intersections that don’t have any natural shade. The umbrella is solar powered and automatically opens when it’s hot and sunny. If it detects heavy rains or strong winds, it will close.

Lin Chao-hsien
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Taiwan’s weather is unlike Korea’s. Taiwan has more typhoons, and they definitely tend to be stronger. We built the foundation about twice as large as the one in Korea, mainly to make it more stable than the one there.

While the foundation designed in Korea was 45 by 45cm, New Taipei built it at 90 by 90cm. Even with a stronger foundation, the Transportation Department has been testing them for six months to make sure they can withstand Taiwan’s typhoons and heavy rains.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Feng shui master explains mirrors covering building in Tainan

One residential building in Tainan’s West Central District has the neighbors scratching their heads after 10 convex mirrors were installed on the building’s facade. As the building faces a larger new building, a fortune teller advised that the mirrors were needed to neutralize the negative energy of the other structure’s "knife edge" corner. But over in South District, some residents refused to install traffic mirrors in their neighborhood, fearing they would harm the feng shui. The neighborhood chief instead had to have mirrors custom-made to keep everyone happy.

Stretching from the entrance up to the fourth floor, a row of 10 mirrors are affixed to the outside of this residential building. The peculiar design has left passersby wondering what on earth they could be for.

-It might be to ward off bad energy from the opposite building.
-Have you ever seen something like this before?
-No. It’s weird. I found it weird walking over here.

-It’s strange. It could be blinding if the sun hits them.

Here in Tainan’s West Central District, you can even see the reflection of the opposite building in the mirrors. They may be intended to neutralize the negative energy of the large building’s high wall facing the apartment.

Cheng Kai-tung
Feng shui master
Those born in the Year of the Horse or the Rat will be affected by the malevolent energy of the “knife edge effect” during those years. This energy could lead to injuries or accidents. Sometimes we use other methods to neutralize it.

Wang Chien-hsiung
Tainan Public Works Bureau acting director
As long as they don’t protrude past the road boundary, or the so-called building line, it’s not illegal.

Meanwhile, over in South District, the neighborhood chief wanted to put up some traffic mirrors to address the many accidents at this intersection. But the residents protested, believing they would reflect into their homes and ruin their feng shui. Instead, the chief made his own smaller, cuter version.

Hsu Chih-hsiung
Dazhong Borough chief
After speaking with the residents, they ended up being OK with these. It’s really made a difference. Accidents are down.

Whether guarding against invisible “blades” carrying bad energy, or visible blind spots, these mirrors are the talk of Tainan.

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Shoushan Zoo uses AI to track animals and make avatars

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After instructing the screen, it quickly creates a cute rhino avatar of the speaker. The avatar has glasses, a blue shirt, and gray shorts, just like the person standing in front of the screen.

Yang Hsin-yi
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This is me as a rhinoceros! Based on my outfit today, it generated an avatar of me as a Javan rhinoceros.

There are five different species of rhino to choose between. After their rhino avatar is generated, people can change its clothes if they want to.

Member of public
It’s great! The avatar it made is really like me. It can tell the colors and different elements of your clothing.

Member of public
It’s quite special. It can tell what you are wearing and generate an avatar for you. It’s great for kids, they would be really happy to try this.

This is part of an AI guide system that the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung commissioned the Industrial Technology Research Institute to design. It’s set up in the Formosan black bear and white rhinoceros enclosures and uses AI to locate the animals so that visitors can find them.

Yang Hsin-yi
Industrial Technology Research Institute
We can see where the bear is. We can see that the bear is currently hiding in its culvert. It is hiding by camera No. 9, which captures inside the black bear culvert.

Chuang Hsuan-chih
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Our white rhinoceros enclosure is quite large, so sometimes when visitors are passing through our animal corridors, they can’t immediately see any rhinos. With this guide system, it can automatically detect where the rhinos are and track them.

This system not only tracks animals and generates avatars, but also has interactive games to test visitors’ knowledge of animals, making visiting the zoo more fun and educational.

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Taichung expressway project makes significant progress, could run by 2029

Neighborhoods in the mountains of Taichung will be more connected to city center. More than 20 years since its proposal, the Dongfeng Expressway project has made significant progress. Two key sections of the road were successfully conjoined last April. Meanwhile, the 2km tunnel section is making swift progress. It’s adopted an environmentally conscious construction method using advanced materials. So far, excavation has reached 720m, despite challenging geological conditions. The entire expressway could open in 2029, well ahead of schedule.

Taichung City Government is marking a new milestone in the Dongshi-Fengyuan Life Circle Expressway project, or Dongfeng Expressway in short.

Lu Shiow-yen
Taichung Mayor
I guarantee that we’ll see through the completion of this expressway, because it’s a lifeline for our residents in the mountainous area, safeguarding their lives and livelihoods.

The expressway’s third- and fourth-tender sections were conjoined at the end of April, 2025, marking a key milestone in transportation for Taichung’s mountainous region. Both Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen and deputy legislative speaker Johnny Chiang witnessed this historic moment.

Lu Shiow-yen
Taichung Mayor
People’s lives and livelihoods are the most valued, so we are compelled to build this expressway.

In addition to the successful conjoinment, the first-tender section, a tunnel through Gonglaoping Mountain, is also going ahead in full steam. At 2km, it’s the longest tunnel project in Taichung to date. Challenging geological conditions, such as proximity to the Chelungpu Fault, also makes construction all the more difficult.

Chen Ta-tien
Taichung Construction Bureau
In order to fulfill our promise and faithfully following the environmental impact assessment, we’ve adopted the New Austrian Tunneling Method. The whole stretch is fully excavated with mechanical methods. Explosives were not used at all, which lowers the environmental impact. The walls are also reinforced with rock bolts, to enhance the tunnel’s structural stability and construction safety. In addition, to minimize groundwater runoff and implement environmental sustainability principles, the Construction Bureau also adopted a waterproofing method using full-coverage membrane. The construction standards are also on par as that of national freeways.

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Wang Chen-liang
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It’s not just a lifeline. It’s also a road connecting the mountainous area with the outside region, a boon for local tourism and prosperity and preventing population loss.

Even though the team faced various challenges for this difficult project, they persisted out of conviction that Taichung residents deserve the best. After more than 20 years since the initial proposal, the Dongfeng Expressway is expected to finally open in 2029, making the transportation of goods and people more convenient, on both regular days and in the wake of natural disasters—a veritable lifeline for communities in the area.

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