By MOOK Scenic Spots Home, compiled and reported
Many people may have noticed that when dining out, fewer and fewer establishments provide plastic straws with drinks—often replacing them with glass, stainless steel, or paper straws, or simply not offering straws at all. On July 1st, there are several new regulations related to dining out and transportation that you need to be aware of.
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Paper straws are now a common plastic straw alternative used in many restaurants. (Photo / Paper products)
1. No single-use plastic straws for dine-in customers at four types of locations
Starting July 1st, the following four types of locations are prohibited from providing “single-use plastic straws” to dine-in customers. These include government agencies, schools, department stores and shopping malls, and chain fast-food restaurants—all must comply. Violators will be fined between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000 by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). The EPA estimates this policy will reduce the use of one hundred million plastic straws per year.
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Buses in the Taipei-Keelung area continue to promote tapping cards both when boarding and alighting. (Photo / cheriechang1217)
2. New bus rule in Taipei-Keelung area: Tap card both when boarding and alighting
The Taipei City Department of Transportation stated that buses in the Taipei-Keelung area are implementing a tap-both-ways policy. Tapping when alighting automatically identifies the trip segment, eliminating the need to constantly worry about whether to tap when boarding or alighting under the current system.
There will be a seven-month promotion period, with lottery activities encouraging bus riders to tap both when boarding and alighting. Starting February 1st, 2020, strict enforcement will be in place—if you do not tap both when boarding and alighting, you will not be eligible for transfer discounts (MRT, bus, YouBike), but your card will not be blocked.
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Current bus card readers are installed at both the front and rear doors. (Photo / cheriechang1217)
3. Increased penalties for drunk driving and implementation of consecutive fines
Drunk driving has long been condemned as a major cause of traffic accidents. The fine for car drivers caught drunk driving has been raised to between NT$30,000 and NT$120,000. For a second offense within five years, the maximum penalty will be imposed; a third offense will incur an additional NT$90,000 fine. The fine for refusing a breathalyzer test has doubled from NT$90,000 to NT$180,000, with an additional NT$180,000 for each subsequent offense.
Fines for motorcyclists caught drunk driving remain unchanged, at between NT$15,000 and NT$90,000. New penalties also include a “joint liability” rule—passengers (18 years or older) in a vehicle with a drunk driver will be fined between NT$600 and NT$9,000. This part of the penalty is more detailed and varies between daytime and nighttime.
4. Increased fine for failing to yield to visually impaired pedestrians to NT$7,200
The fine for drivers who fail to yield to visually impaired pedestrians at crosswalks or intersections has been raised from between NT$1,200 and NT$3,600 to between NT$2,400 and NT$7,200. Additionally, fines for placing objects on roads that obstruct traffic range from NT$3,000 to NT$6,000.