By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Motorcyclists are calling on Kaohsiung officials to change traffic rules at the Y-shaped intersection of Jhongjheng 1st Road (中正一路) and Sanduo 1st Road (三多一路) near Weiwuying (衛武營), saying the current two-stage turn requirement is inefficient and creates safety conflicts.
The intersection currently requires motorcycles to use a two-stage turn box instead of making a direct movement through the junction. Riders say the rule forces them into conflicts with right-turning vehicles and buses, while also adding unnecessary delay.
The issue gained attention after the nearby intersection of Jhongjheng 1st Road and Wufu 1st Road (五福一路) was modified in October last year to allow direct motorcycle movements, China Times reported.
Kaohsiung City Councilor Hsu Tsai-chen (許采蓁) said her office has received numerous requests for similar changes at the Jhongjheng-Sanduo intersection. She urged the Transportation Bureau (交通局) to review signs, road markings, and lane design, and to consider easing some motorcycle restrictions.
The Transportation Bureau said the two intersections may look similar, but their traffic patterns are different.
At the modified Jhongjheng-Wufu intersection, about 70 percent of traffic continues toward Wufu 1st Road, the bureau said. At Jhongjheng-Sanduo, only about half of the traffic heads toward Sanduo 1st Road, creating a more complicated mix of vehicle movements.
The bureau also said the Jhongjheng-Sanduo intersection is closer to highway interchanges. Canceling the mandatory two-stage turn would require scooters to merge inward across lanes, which officials said could create new safety risks.
