Thanks to efforts by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Taiwan has seen its bicycle lanes more than quadruple from about 900 kilometers in 2008 to 4,016 kilometers as of April this year and won much international acclaim, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said at today's Cabinet meeting after listening to the ministries' report on bike path planning.
Premier Jiang hoped that the ministries can further integrate their resources for building, managing and marketing the lanes to make cycling a "spotlight" industry for Taiwan. Meanwhile, the premier instructed the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to assign priority funding so that bicycle path connections would be completed earlier, hopefully by the end of 2015.
Laying out bicycle lanes not only aids public commuting and promotes sports and leisure, but also helps showcase the unique characteristics of cities and towns around Taiwan, Premier Jiang pointed out. It is very beneficial for promoting industry development, spurring local prosperity and marketing Taiwan as a whole, he said.
The premier further instructed the MOTC to use Europe's and Japan's experiences in strengthening cycling infrastructure and regulations as reference for Taiwan's agencies when promoting the bicycle transportation system. He also requested the MOE and MOTC to focus on raising the public's awareness on regulations and etiquettes in order to establish a safe and friendly riding environment.
As for promoting cycling as a sport, Premier Jiang emphasized that ministries should build up a cycling atmosphere around the more popular routes and attract more foreign tourists for biking in Taiwan. Since this effort involves infrastructure construction, software management, promotion and marketing, Premier Jiang asked Minister without Portfolio Yang Chiu-hsing to establish and lead an inter-ministerial platform with the aim of achieving the goals in a year and a half.
According to the MOE, the number of people in Taiwan who cycle regularly has reached 2.45 million. The ministry has already held 78 holiday and weekend cycling activities for 10,452 participants. Between 2008 and 2013, around 320,000 people attended bicycle coming-of-age celebrations.
Taiwan's cycling paths have earned global acclaim. U.S. news network CNN lists the bicycle route around the Sun Moon Lake as among the 10 most beautiful in the world. In 2012, leading travel guidebook Lonely Planet ranked Taiwan as the No. 9 tourist destination for excellent island-wide cycling paths.
As part of a program to promote cycling networks in eastern Taiwan, the annual Taiwan KOM Challenge has been held for two years, MOTC officials said. The route was named by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service as one of the six best mountain bike trails on earth. France's largest cycling magazine Le Cycle also placed it among the world's toughest—comparable to classic routes through Europe's Alps mountain ranges.
The MOTC said it is planning to integrate bike paths with railways, buses, scenic spots, restaurants, accommodations and tours to provide a quality, safe and green cycling environment. Meanwhile, it will team up with the Sports Administration to assist local authorities to install bike path signs and mileage markers. It will also work with the MOI and MOE to include bike paths into land development and tourism plans, helping to create jobs, serve the physically active population and spur local industries.