By KHT Staff – LOCATION: Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City
KAOHSIUNG — Another win for a person willing to challenge a NT$600 NT ticket.
A man surnamed Chung (鍾) successfully challenged a ticket issued for parking his motorcycle in the arcade of his own home in Sanmin District (三民區). While the initial court upheld the fine, the second-instance judge ruled in favor of the resident due to a minor but legally fatal flaw in the official signage.
The legal turning point centered on the specific design of the “No Parking” sign posted at the location. Under the “Regulations on the Installation of Traffic Signs, Markings, and Signals” (道路交通標誌標線號誌設置規則), a prohibitive sign must feature a red background with white text and, crucially, a mandatory white border. Upon close inspection, Chung discovered that the sign used by the city lacked this white border, rendering it legally invalid as a formal traffic prohibition.
Kaohsiung currently follows a policy of “principally open, exceptionally prohibited” regarding motorcycle parking in arcades. This means fines can only be issued if a legally compliant “No Parking” sign is present. While the fine was only NT$600, the litigation fees for the two trials totaled (a surprisingly low) NT$1,050, which the Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau must now pay.
