30% Dissatisfied with Road Speed Limits: Ministry of Transportation Proposes Two Principles for Future Reference

(Central News Agency reporter Yu Hsiao-han, Taipei, 13th) A media public opinion survey has revealed that 30% of the public are dissatisfied with current speed management measures. In response, the Ministry of Transportation announced today that the Highway Bureau has proposed two principles: 'speed limits must not exceed design speed' and 'uniform speed limits for roads with homogeneous geometric conditions and road conditions,' to serve as references for future reviews.

A media outlet today released survey results regarding road speed limits and speed camera placements. According to the report, 30% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with current road speed regulations, while satisfaction with speed camera placements reached 59.6%.

In response, the Ministry of Transportation stated to the media that, as highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission, speed is a key factor in traffic accidents. Therefore, the core of speed management policy lies in preventing traffic accidents and ensuring the safety of road users.

The Ministry emphasized that, based on the concept of 'human-centered transportation' and prioritizing life safety, it continues to review reasonable and balanced approaches between actual road conditions and operational efficiency. To enable objective evaluation of speed limit settings, the Ministry's Highway Bureau has completed a research project titled 'Exploring Domestic and International Road Speed Limit Setting Principles.' Drawing on international standards and expert consensus, the study proposes two principles: 'speed limits must not exceed design speed' and 'uniform speed limits for roads with homogeneous geometric conditions and road conditions.' These principles will serve as assessment references for all road authorities when reviewing speed limits in the future.

Regarding speed camera placements, the Ministry explained that police agencies primarily evaluate and deploy them based on local traffic characteristics and accident-prone sections. This year, the National Police Agency provided nationwide speed enforcement hotspot data. The Ministry's Highway Bureau is now fully engaged in on-site joint inspections and inter-ministerial assessments with local police agencies, jointly implementing the policy principle of 'prioritizing traffic engineering improvements over law enforcement.' (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei) 1150713