Taipei City Goverment

Attention cyclists in Taipei City: please do not discard unused bicycles! Starting on November 1, 2019, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be charging abandoned bicycle relocation and safekeeping fees. Each bicycle will be charged a NT$100 relocation fee in conjunction with a safekeeping fee, which is free for the first hour, whereafter the safekeeping fee will be NT$25 per half a day (12 hours), and the fee will continue to accumulate. A safekeeping duration of less than half a day will be calculated as half a day, and the policy will be implemented in all districts of Taipei City.

The DEP commented that the number of people commuting and exercising with bicycles is on the rise thanks to the trend of green transportation. However, bicycles no longer being used are often discarded on the streets and exposed to the elements, ultimately turning into unusable, abandoned bicycles. In recent years, the number of bicycles on the streets that have been classified as abandoned or unusable and towed away has exceeded 10,000 (see attached table), and the figure is on the rise. The frames and components of these bicycles have become damaged and unridable due to heavy corrosion, and some of them are used for advertising placement and taking up parking spaces. They not only pose an environmental problem, but also negatively affect the city’s appearance due to illegal road occupation.

Moreover, since the bicycles do not have license plates, it is difficult to fine the owners of these abandoned bicycles, and they can collect their abandoned bicycles free of charge, therefore the authorities are unable to discourage such behavior. To remind the public not to discard their bicycles and to enforce the principle of user charge, the agency will be charging citizens a relocation and safekeeping fee for abandoned bicycles that have been towed away starting on November 1, 2019.

The DEP elaborated that the types of abandoned vehicles that will be towed away include bicycles and tricycles. In particular, bicycles include pedal bicycles, pedelecs, and electric bicycles; tricycles include human-powered vehicles (passenger, goods, hand-pulled/pushed wagons, etc.) and animal-powered vehicles (oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages). Furthermore, according to Article 82-1 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, for bicycles on the road that meet the standards of abandonment (such as missing handlebar, pedals, chains, corrosion, broken brake lines or damaged tires, thereby rendering useless), a notice will be attached to the vehicles informing the owners to remove the bicycles within 7 days. Bicycles that have not been removed will be towed to the respective DEP district cleaning team for safekeeping. After a period of 30 days, all unclaimed bicycles will be disposed of as waste.

The agency urges the public that unused bicycles can be recycled by the cleaning team during weekdays, and requests the public not to discard them at will. Citizens intending to reclaim their abandoned bicycles that have been towed away may do so at the respective district cleaning team of the DEP during business hours. You are required to bring your ID card and vehicle key (so as to prove that you are the owner of the vehicle) and pay the necessary fees before collecting your vehicle.