Taiwan is a very small country -- the main island is only about 36,000 square miles. It’s four times smaller than my home state of Iowa! But while Iowa has a population of about three million, Taiwan’s is closer to 23 million. With so many people living in a small place, even the smaller cities can feel crowded. Can you imagine how packed the streets would be here if every person was driving cars all the time? Thankfully, scooters are much more compact. This not only saves space on the road, but also largely eliminates the need for huge parking lots like we have in America. This way, we can keep more of our green space!
Also, a lot of Taiwan is mountainous, especially the middle and East coast of the island. Scooters are much easier to drive up and down the endlessly windy roads in the mountains. Plus, they’re a lot cheaper than cars! For these reasons, most people drive scooters for their day-to-day commutes. Only adults can drive, but kids can ride as passengers. Taiwanese people grow up riding on scooters from the time they are babies, and many of my students get picked up and dropped off on scooters! It’s another reason I love my scooter -- it makes me feel really engaged in Taiwanese culture.
