By KHT Staff
KAOSHIUNG — Confusing left-turn rules for motorcycles on some Kaohsiung roads are raising safety concerns, with riders and a city councilor saying inconsistent requirements from one intersection to the next can create hesitation, sudden lane changes, and a greater risk of crashes.
Some intersections in Kaohsiung allow motorcycles to turn left directly without using a two-stage turn box, while others still require riders to wait and complete the turn in two steps. Critics say the result on some roads is a patchwork of rules that can leave riders unsure what to do.
One example cited is Zihyou 1st Road (自由一路) in Sanmin District (三民), where riders claim that a 1.7-kilometer stretch features more than four different types of left-turn arrangements. Similar complaints have also been raised along Dashun Road (大順路), where rules differ from one intersection to another even along the same corridor.
Kaohsiung City Councilor Chang Po-yang (張博洋) said the confusion not only increases the risk of traffic violations but can also make riders hesitate or suddenly switch lanes, raising the chance of accidents. He said that under Kaohsiung’s own review process for two-stage left turns by motorcycles and slow vehicles, roads with two lanes or fewer in one direction should, in principle, not require two-stage left turns.
Chang also pointed to changes in other cities. He said Changhua County has removed mandatory two-stage left turns on county and township roads, while Tainan has eliminated the requirement on roads with two lanes or fewer in one direction. He cited research suggesting crash rates can fall by more than 21 percent under such changes.
The Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau said traffic conditions differ from intersection to intersection, and that the city currently evaluates each location individually rather than applying a blanket rule. The bureau said it is also working with universities to study whether broader changes would be feasible.
