In a move that has Taiwanese motorcycle and scooter riders in an uproar, the Changhua County Police Department is issuing fines to those exceeding a lean angle of more than 30 degrees from the vertical while riding. Reported in various Taiwan dailies and websites, Changhua police announced in the installation of two camera enforcement points on County Road 139.
The lean angle cameras are programmed to take photos of rider’s exceeding a lean angle of more than 30 degrees beginning November 15. County Road 139 winds along the ridge of the Changtou Bagua Mountains and is popular with riders for its scenery and winding roads.
Changhua police say the two curves, Li She Coffee Shop and Shaolin Temple, are known as “Curves of Death” and known for dangerous riding and accidents. The camera system uses license plate and smart image recognition to automatically detect and take photos of “dangerous” riding.
The photos are manually reviewed and if an infraction is seen, a fine is issued to the rider under Article 43 of the Taiwan “Road Traffic Management Punishment Regulations” Penalties for dangerous driving. Changhua police say this includes if the rider hangs their feet, stretches their legs or leans their body, touches the ground with their hands or knees, or causes sparks when the motorcycle runs out of ground clearance.
Taiwanese riders are protesting this move, citing issues such as calibration of cameras and how is measurement made from photographs. Messages left on the Changhua police criticize the action as incompetent and overbearing, with some questioning whether there was any legal basis for such a move.
One netizen left a message on Changhua County Magistrate Wang Huimei’s social media page, “can the county magistrate please demonstrate how to use motorcycles when cornering?” with another asking if the county government sold special protractors for riders to measure lean angle. Others uploaded photos of large displacement police motorcycles taking corners at extreme lean angles, angrily asking, “do I need to be fined if I corner the bike like this?”
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