Taipei like Netherlands. Really???

Coincidence? 
Interesting to hear that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) looks at Holland rather than Singapore for inspiration. This is an excellent news article to come across the day after my whining about cycling in Taipei: though it says little about what this involves and in the most vague and generic way mentions 'democratic path'.

So let me have an opinion here - since I just spent a months in Rotterdam and other great cities. What is striking and worth following:

1. cycling paths and culture. Paths on its own do nothing. Paths of 2m are waste of money (Tamaki drive in Auckland or many paths in Krakow are just this...). You need paths that go from one end to another, shield you from the traffic - but you also need people to get on their bikes. The more people cycle, the faster the revolution. Can you incentify people? sure. UBike + paths + some apps that compare and track the health benefits of cycling.

2. restricted traffic in the city centre: oh yes. expensive carpark + city centre that is pedestrianised = city that people enjoy walking around + bars + shops. And more cycling (see point 1)

3. electric cars. There are tons of these babes in Holland. Tesla, BMW, Audi. You name it. The first taxi you are likely to spot at the airport is Tesla. So how come there are so many of them in comparison to other countries? I asked my colleague (a professor in innovation studies). It is actually quite simple.
- Provide tax breaks and incentives for electric cars. Especially for company cars. TICK
- Provide carpark spaces for electric cars only. Especially where parking is hard. TICK
- Have the designated spaces? well, allow people to charge for free. TICK

Would it work in Taipei? I think the better way to get around it would be to start with scooters and then cars. But the three points above might not be enough. When I asked some friends here why they don't get an electric scooter, the same old tune each and every time: it's too expensive to buy. So what would work? Simple again:
- introduce tax on scooters in the city
- introduce stricter environmental regulations for scooters to get rid of the biggest offenders
- use the money to reduce the price of electric scooters
- introduce appealing 'trade-in' scheme
- provide free charging stations and 'electric only' parking spaces around the town for the next couple of years

Of course you will be risking your next re-election. Of course you would be cursed for a couple of years. But in 3-4 years people would thank you for cleaner and quieter city.

And if Penghu can get on with electric scooter revolution, why not Taipei???
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/offshore-islands/2016/08/03/474302/Penghu-offering.htm

But there could be another, long term benefit of going electric for the whole country. As the demand for scooters grows, local companies will start investing into R&D and pushing the boundaries. This could put Taiwan at the forefront of the electric scooter in Asia. And there are plenty of cities that would follow the suit to get cleaner. Taiwan could become the household brand for electric scooters in Asia.
Gogoro is a good idea - but it needs some incentives - or competition - to take up properly. It remains niche and in some areas you will be lucky to see any at all.

So what would be the golden ratio for achieving 1-3 in Taipei? These three elements nicely reinforce each other. It would take a few policy tweaks, some extra taxes and some incentives to get more people cycling, using the excellent public transport or switching to electric scooters.

All of this will bring better quality of life and health benefits in the long term. And, if played well, could also establish a very profitable industry on the Potato Island. Just like the Dutch did...