How Taipei moves: an on the street overview

Taipei is a City of 2.7 million residents in a region of close to 6 million residents. Taipei's streets are a network of large six to eight lane arterial boulevards, complemented by two to four lane connector streets and then alleys that are about the size of a typical Philadelphia street. Cars, buses, taxis, delivery trucks, bicycles, more than a million mopeds and pedestrians all compete for a piece of the pavement. 

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Typical Taipei alley

Typical connector street in Taipei

A Taipei arterial street. Note the diagonal pedestrian crossing, which is used in the afternoons to accommodate high pedestrian volumes that access and MRT station.

Mopeds are a prominent feature of the street scene in Taipei, with a moped for every two residents of Taipei and another 2.3 million registered mopeds in neighboring New Taipei City. To accommodate these volumes lanes are designated on most streets for mopeds, along with moped boxes at each intersection to provide a safe head start and easier turning for moped drivers. Nearly all on-street parking is exclusively for mopeds. 

Private vehicle parking is largely reserved private lots and along the many alleys. It reminds me a bit of South and North Philly.  The City provides a relatively comprehensive parking information system with pre-trip information on parking availability at lots available on-line (the link shows just one lot) or by phone.  On major streets digital signs provide guidance to parking lots with available space. Some garages now offer QR codes for each spot, so you won’t forget where you parked your car. 

Taipei’s bus system has nearly 4,200 buses plying 309 routes operated by 14 different private companies. All buses are equipped with GPS that updates every 30 seconds (currently, SEPTA’s buses update every 3 minutes) to the City’s traffic operations center and on-line. The DOT has installed 37 miles of exclusive bus lanes along major arterial streets. The bus lanes are supported with boarding stations that provide information on the arrival of the next bus, seating and shelter from the rain. The system initially meet resistance from drivers, but data on dramatically improved travel time for buses, transit passenger satisfaction and little difference for autos supported the expansion of the lanes.

I had the chance to meet Taipei’s transportation leadership. The goal of Taipei’s Department of Transportation is to be sustainable and humanistic. With nearly 58 percent of all trips taken by transit, bike or foot and travel by these means growing, the Department is moving toward a realization of their goals.

In conversation with Deputy Mayor Wei-Zen Chen

Meeting with DOT Deputy Commissioner Dr. Lee-Yu Lin