TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan will accelerate the development of safer school routes and establish consistent minimum speed limits nationwide, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) announced on Wednesday (May 21). The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC, 交通部), Taiwan's national transportation authority, has identified multiple hazards confronting school-age pedestrians, including hostile street environments, strategic traffic law violations, underage motorcycle operation, and insufficient road safety awareness among drivers.
According to ministry data, central government funding has facilitated safety enhancements for 228 school-adjacent roadways and 784 high-priority intersections through December 2024. The Highway Bureau (公路局), the agency overseeing Taiwan's provincial road network, has simultaneously upgraded 2,978 intersections across the island. Officials also reported the implementation of 5,778 pedestrian-exclusive signal phases and early-start crossing signals by year-end 2024.
Transportation officials published comprehensive guidelines last year targeting widespread inconsistencies in traffic signage across different jurisdictions. The ministry has also proposed significant penalty increases through amendments to the "Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act" (道路交通管理處罰條例加重處罰修正), legislation currently pending review in Taiwan's parliament. Complementing these infrastructure improvements, the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部), the government department responsible for national educational policy, has integrated mandatory traffic safety education into elementary and junior high school curricula since the 2022 academic year.
While acknowledging that municipal and county governments maintain jurisdiction over school zone designations, Minister Chen pledged close collaboration between his ministry, local authorities, and education officials to enhance child pedestrian safety. The transportation chief highlighted the current patchwork of speed regulations that vary significantly between jurisdictions based on local road conditions. His ministry will spearhead discussions with regional governments to explore standardizing these critical safety parameters across the island. ◼
