The History of Bicycle Infrastructure Development in Taiwan: The Long Road from Riverside Trails to Commuter Networks

Taiwan is a global hub for bicycle manufacturing, with two major brands, Giant and Merida, enjoying international renown. However, there is a contradictory fact: the country that builds the world’s best bicycles has long lagged behind international standards in its own bicycle infrastructure. Behind this contradiction lie complex historical, geographical, and cultural factors. Let’s start from the beginning.

Early Development: The Golden Age and Decline of the Bicycle (1950-1990)

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the bicycle was Taiwan’s primary mode of personal transportation. In an era before the economy took off, almost every household owned a bicycle, relying on it for commuting to school, grocery shopping, and getting to work. On Taiwan’s urban roads at the time, bicycles far outnumbered cars and motorcycles.

However, as Taiwan’s economy grew rapidly, motorcycles and cars quickly became widespread. From the late 1970s through the 1980s, Taiwan’s motorcycle ownership exploded, growing from approximately 1 million in 1970 to over 10 million by 1990. The bicycle went from being a “necessity” to an “obsolete item,” and riding one was even seen as a symbol of insufficient economic means.

During this period, Taiwan’s road planning was entirely motor-vehicle-oriented. Bicycle lanes? They didn’t exist. Urban planners saw only wider roads, more parking spaces, and faster traffic flow.

The Riverside Trail Era: A Leisure-Oriented Beginning (1990-2008)

The real start of Taiwan’s bicycle infrastructure came in the late 1990s. The catalyst was two seemingly unrelated trends: the awakening of environmental awareness and the craze for leisure and fitness.

In 1997, the Taipei City Government began building riverside bicycle trails along the Tamsui River and Keelung River. These trails were constructed along the river embankments, completely separated from regular roads, offering high safety and scenic views. In 1999, the Golden Waterfront Bicycle Trail connecting Tamsui to Guandu was completed, immediately becoming a popular weekend leisure destination for Taipei residents.

The characteristics of construction during this period were:

• Purely leisure-oriented: Trail design focused on weekend rides, without considering commuter needs
• Riverside-focused: Almost all trails were built along rivers, disconnected from the urban road system
• Lack of continuity: There were often gaps between trail segments, requiring detours or carrying the bike
• Inconvenient access: Entrances to riverside trails typically required climbing embankment ramps, making daily use impractical

Despite these limitations, the success of the riverside trails laid the foundation for subsequent development. They allowed the Taiwanese public to rediscover the joy of cycling and showed the government that there was demand for bicycle facilities.

The Round-the-Island Craze and Expansion of the Leisure Network (2007-2015)

In 2007, a documentary film called “Island Etude” caused a huge sensation in Taiwan. The story of a hearing-impaired young man cycling around the island sparked a “round-the-island fever” in Taiwanese society. Almost overnight, cycling around Taiwan became a must-have item on every Taiwanese person’s bucket list.

This craze drove large-scale construction of bicycle paths across the island. In 2009, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications launched the “Overall Bicycle Network Plan,” aiming to build a round-the-island bicycle route and leisure cycling networks in every county and city.

Major developments included:

Route 1 - The Round-the-Island Route

A cycling route of approximately 960 kilometers in total length, with bicycle signage and some dedicated lanes set up along provincial and county highways. Although most sections still share the road with cars and motorcycles, it at least gave island-circumnavigating cyclists a route to follow.

Sun Moon Lake Lakeside Bicycle Path

Completed in 2012, with a total length of about 30 kilometers, it was named by CNN as one of the “World’s 10 Most Beautiful Bike Paths.” Built along the shores of Sun Moon Lake, with some sections featuring boardwalks elevated above the water, the scenery is magnificent.

Houfeng Bike Path and Dongfeng Bicycle Greenway

Converted from abandoned railway corridors, passing through steel girder bridges and tunnels, this is one of Taiwan’s most popular leisure cycling routes. This case has also become a model for the revitalization and reuse of abandoned railways across Taiwan.

The Problems Persist

Although the amount of construction during this period was considerable, the core problem remained unchanged—almost all development was leisure-oriented. The bicycle was still viewed as a “weekend sport” rather than a “daily mode of transportation.” Construction of commuter bicycle lanes within cities was almost nonexistent.

The Forward-Looking Infrastructure Plan and Attempts at Commuter Networks (2016 to Present)

In 2016, the Taiwanese government launched the “Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program,” which included sub-projects related to bicycle infrastructure such as “Township Core” and “Improving Road Quality.” This was the first time Taiwan incorporated commuter-oriented bicycle facilities into a national-level infrastructure plan.

The Catalytic Effect of YouBike

The success of YouBike played a huge catalytic role. As more and more people commuted by YouBike in cities, the demand for safe lanes emerged. Taipei City and New Taipei City began designating dedicated bicycle lanes on major roads:

• Dunhua North and South Road Bicycle Lane (2014): Taipei’s first dedicated bicycle lane on an urban road, utilizing the space on the inner side of the bus lane
• Fuxing North and South Road Bicycle Lane (2016): Connecting the north-south traffic artery
• Minsheng Community Bicycle Lane Network: Building low-speed, shared bicycle-friendly streets within residential areas

Hsinchu City’s Breakthrough

The bicycle infrastructure development in Hsinchu City between 2018 and 2022 deserves special attention. Then-Mayor Lin Chih-chien promoted several important projects:

• Transforming the area around the moat into a pedestrian and bicycle priority zone
• Installing physically separated bicycle lanes on major roads
• Redesigning the plaza in front of Hsinchu Railway Station from car-oriented to people-oriented design

Although these changes drew some backlash from motorcyclists, surveys showed that the majority of residents were satisfied with the improved environment.

The Core Problems That Remain

Despite the progress, Taiwan’s bicycle infrastructure still faces the following fundamental issues:

1. Disconnected Network

The most criticized problem with Taiwan’s bicycle infrastructure is the “dead-end roads”—bicycle lanes that suddenly disappear as you ride along. A bicycle lane with physical separation might turn into a shared sidewalk path at the next intersection, then become a painted bicycle lane two intersections later, and finally vanish completely.

This lack of continuity stems from several reasons:

• Different sections are managed by different agencies (city government, district offices, highway bureau, etc.)
• Insufficient road space makes it impossible to install lanes on every section
• Opposition from roadside businesses to reducing parking spaces
• Lack of overall planning, with each section acting independently

2. Insufficient Protection

Most of Taiwan’s so-called “bicycle lanes” are merely a painted line on the road surface (painted bicycle lanes), without any physical separation. On Taiwan’s roads, where traffic moves fast and motorcycles are dense, these painted lanes offer almost no safety. Research shows that bicycle lanes with physical separation (such as guardrails, planter beds, or elevation differences) are used at a rate more than 3 times higher than painted lanes.

3. Conflict with Motorcycle Culture

Taiwan has over 14 million motorcycles, the highest motorcycle density in the world. In limited road space, the interests of motorcycles and bicycles frequently conflict. Many spaces that could have accommodated bicycle lanes are occupied by motorcycle parking; motorcycles occupying bicycle waiting areas at red lights (the conflict between motorcycle waiting zones and bicycle waiting zones) is also a common problem.

4. Severely Insufficient Parking Facilities

Riding to your destination only to find no safe place to park is a common frustration for many bicycle commuters. Taiwan has a severe shortage of bicycle parking facilities, and most existing bike racks are of poor quality and cannot effectively deter theft.

International Experiences Worth Learning From

Taiwan can draw inspiration from the following international experiences:

The Netherlands: A Systematic Planning Approach

The core principle of Dutch bicycle planning is defined by the five requirements in the “CROW Design Manual”: Safety, Directness, Comfort, Attractiveness, and Coherence. The design of every bicycle lane must simultaneously satisfy all five requirements.

Copenhagen: Data-Driven Continuous Improvement

Copenhagen conducts a large-scale bicycle usage survey every two years, collecting data on cyclist satisfaction, route choices, and perceptions of safety, which serves as the basis for the next phase of construction. This data-driven approach avoids the problem of “building for the sake of building.”

Seoul: Transforming Roads into Greenways

In 2005, Seoul demolished the Cheonggyecheon elevated highway, restoring the stream to its natural state and building bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways along it. This bold decision initially faced strong opposition, but upon completion, it became Seoul’s most popular public space, proving that “removing roads” can actually improve the quality of urban life.

Looking to the Future

The future development of Taiwan’s bicycle infrastructure requires a shift in mindset from “leisure facilities” to the level of “transportation infrastructure.” Specifically:

1. Prioritize building commuter networks: Establish coherent, physically separated bicycle commuter networks in major urban centers
2. Integrate with public transportation: Strengthen connections between bicycles and MRT and bus systems for transfers
3. Solve the parking problem: Provide sufficient secure parking facilities in commercial, office, and residential areas
4. Reduce vehicle speeds: Implement 30 km/h speed limits in residential areas to create a bicycle-friendly environment
5. Regulatory support: Revise road design standards to make bicycle lanes a standard feature of all newly built roads

Taiwan builds the world’s best bicycles. Now it’s time to build world-class riding environments for these bicycles. This is not just a transportation policy; it’s a choice about what kind of cities we want and what kind of lifestyle we aspire to.

Related Reading

• Taiwan’s Bicycle Path Construction: The Government-Invested Round-the-Island Cycling Network
• Taiwan’s Bicycle Path Planning: Government Investment and Future Development Prospects
• The History of Bicycle Culture in Taiwan: A Half-Century Transformation from Transportation to Cycling Culture
• The Golden Age of Road Bikes in Taiwan: The Cycling Craze from the 2000s to the Present