《TAIPEI TIMES》 Groups protest traffic penalty easing

‘LIVES AT RISK’: Taiwan has more than 1.2 million people with disabilities. The proposal would encourage illegal parking and make life harder for them, a rights activist said

By Chen Chia-yi, Hsu Li-chuan and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

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People with disabilities and pedestrian-rights activists yesterday protested in Taipei and other cities against the Cabinet’s planned decision to reduce the punishment for minor traffic violations.

About 300 people, including people in wheelchairs, requested that lawmakers block the proposal.

They held placards in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei and shouted slogans such as “We demand traffic law enforcement,” and “Stop subverting road safety.”

The protest in Taipei was organized by Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance director Chen Kai-ning （陳愷寧）, who said lawmakers should discuss the proposal publicly and it is a “malevolent law” severely violating pedestrians’ rights.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ plan — which was approved by the Executive Yuan on March 7 and passed on to the Legislative Yuan for voting — is to relax penalties for 10 “minor violations,” not giving drivers any demerit points from these and canceling the reward system to report such incidents, is a step back, making Taiwan a “pedestrian hell” again, Chen said.

The “minor violations” include actions such as talking on a mobile phone when driving, riding a scooter on sidewalks and illegal parking on pedestrian crossings, intersections, bus stops and in front of fire hydrants.

Taiwan Association for Disability Rights head Liu Yu-chi （劉于濟）, who uses a wheelchair due to spinal muscular atrophy disorder, said Taiwan has more than 1.2 million people with disabilities experiencing difficulty accessing streets and public spaces.

The proposal would encourage illegal parking and make the situation much worse for wheelchair users, Liu said.

Student Pedestrian Union and young activist groups headed a flash mob event in Kaohsiung, in which protesters marched in the downtown area to protest the proposal.

Some protesters stuck notes on an effigy of Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai （王國材）, reading: “More dangerous roads, more killing by cars,” and “Walking has become very dangerous.” They demanded that Wang resign.

Wang Chin-chien （王晉謙）, one of the organizers, said the ministry prioritized drivers, while ignoring the rights of pedestrians, adding: “The listed violations are not minor, they are quite serious.”

“The ministry is putting people’s lives at risk, and this will lead to more deadly accidents,” Wang Chin-chien said.

“The minister of transportation and communications said he wanted to promote safety for pedestrians, but he is doing the opposite,” he said. “It is shameful, and we demand the blocking of this proposal.”

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES