With motorcycles being a most common private transportation means in Taiwan, a variety of pollutants generated from the excessive number of motorcycle per unit space that moves in a stop-and-go scenario in the urban setting are poised to create considerable harm to the human body and the environment. And as marred by a common habit of operating a motorcycle by island residents who tend to neglect motorcycle maintenance and repair, this has also contributed motorcycle pollution discharge to be one of the critical source of air pollution. In light of which, the Environmental Protection Bureau has adopted a number of measures to control motorcycle exhaust discharge, which include in-use motorcycle routine inspection and spot inspection work, outdoor awareness campaigning, inspection station management and so forth by anticipating to utilize a multiple safeguard to thoroughly improve motorcycle pollution discharge. The report data are sorted from Jan. 30, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and the major task implementation results are described by category as follows, as well as the implementation progress and yield also described as follows,
1.Motorcycle roaming spot inspection work
As of December 31, 2007, a total of 15,327 motorcycles have undergone the roaming spot inspection, of which 3,763 motorcycles are spot-checked, and 1,1564 motorcycles responded in roaming inspection, with a progress ratio at 153%. In the intermittent stage, the spot check findings uncover that the failure rate on spot check in residential areas has inadvertently exceeded significantly than that in the industrial, commercial, cultural and educational areas. Consequently at the final stage, there are plans to draft a control strategy for community and nighttime roaming inspection, which aims to prop up the number of roaming inspection in residential areas from the intermittent stage to all roaming inspections from 21% to 29% that would reduce the failure rate of spot check in residential areas down o around 24% to be comparable to that in the industrial, commercial, cultural and educational areas.
2.Motorcycle spot inspection work
As of December 31, 2007, a total of 4,046 motorcycles have undergone spot inspection, with a progress ratio at 116%. Of which, a total of 948 motorcycles have failed the spot check, with a failure ratio of 23.4%; a total of 821 motorcycles have successfully undergone the reinspection, with a reinspection ratio of 86.6%. The spot check brings an overall CO concentration improvement ratio of approx. 59%, HC concentration improvement ratio of approx. 47%, which collectively contribute to increasing the reduction of CO by 14.8t/y, and increasing the reduction of HC by 2.0t/y.
3.Inspection station’s inspection and audit
As of December 31, 2007, a total of 360 inspection stations have undergone the audit, with a progress ratio at 100%. Inspection stations found with discrepancies have been enlisted to partake the inspection station’s developmental training staged on April 24, July 25, October 12 and Jan. 15, 2008, with 46 stations participating in the enlisted training. Through the enlisted training, it has cut down the inspection stations from repeating mistakes.
4.Overdue inspection notice to uninspected motorcycles
As of December 31, 2007, a total of 25,000 inspection notifications have been sent out, with 8,810 motorcycles responding to the inspection notice, with a response ratio at 35.2%. The efforts have contributed to increasing the CO reduction by 28.6t/y and increasing the HC reduction by 3.7t/y. A total of 3,078 motorcycles have been scrapped for not serviceable or operable, which by EPA’s reduction estimate, would collectively reduce CO by approx. 24.4t/y and HC by 13.4t/y.
5.Inspection station’s instrument gas comparison
As of December 31, 2007, a total of six instrument gas comparisons have been made to 180 inspection stations, with a progress ratio at 125%. Through the six comparison, three have been found in June with a gas comparison deviation ratio of greater than six, in which I16 Shang Da is reported with a CO2 deviation ratio of 6.74%, I24 Chu Fong is reported with a HC deviation ratio of 6.17, and I26 Jia Yun Nan is reported with a Co2 deviation ratio of 7.43%, and the rest have all met the specified ratings. However, upon tallying to discover through instrument gas comparison that the Riken brand’s RI-803 model has a tendency to prompt a higher reading of CO2, a recommendation has been drawn focusing on the analysis instrument model’s higher gas reading tendency for two daily full-range gas calibrations be sought in order to ascertain the inspection station’s screening quality.
6.Promotional campaign work
As of December 31, 2007, a total of 12 sessions of campaigning activities have been staged, which offers free inspection to 1,055 motorcycles, of which 201 motorcycles have failed the test, 192 surpassed the reinspection, with a reinspection ratio at 96%. The campaign also offers in-home screening service by penetrating into the community, which brings 192 motorcycles to surpass the reinspection through adjustment and repair that is estimated to contribute to increasing the Co reduction by 3.3t/y and HC by 0.4t/y.
7.Inspection station’s quality control
With clandestine audits using real motorcycles being staged at inspection stations in April and October, a total of two audits have been held at 58 inspection stations, and audit findings show that a number of inspection stations still contain discrepancies, such as the inspector deviates from the name of the inspector shown in the inspection form, no printout of the inspection form, and improper conduct by the inspectors and so forth, which the inspection stations are not only asked to adopt improvement, but will also be enlisted in the quarterly developmental training list. With audits of instrument shifting testing performed on screening instruments at 60 stations among 29 operators in April and October, test findings reveal that the instruments at two inspection stations are found with severe shifting, prompting the screening of the instruments at the two stations to be suspended on the next day, with a notice given that the instruments are subject to a subsequent reinspection before they may be operated upon; the two stations have since recalibrated the instrument and satisfactorily surpass the reinspection. Besides the standard gas comparison and instrument stability testing sought in the past year, stepped-up motorcycle testing standards have been incorporated this year in a bid to actively uncover problems through multiple testing. As ascertained through the various audits, a total of three inspection stations are reported with diminishing voltage on their instruments, resulting in the screening suspended for repair and maintenance, and all three stations have all met the controlled parameters.
8.Motorcycle registration census check
Field census check has been conducted on two local Li’s in Chiayi City, in which it brings 82% of uninspected motorcycles to undergo the routine inspection; in addition, the census also uncovers approx. 30% of motorcycles untraceable to their owners according to the motorcycle registration address, which rather coincides with approx. 70% of the inspection turnout ratio, thus it is recommendable to instill a household registration linkup system to update the motorcycle registration address, which is expected to improve the notification yield.
9.Motorcycle spot noise screening
With 38 motorcycles being tested in the current year, four are found to fail the inspection, with a failure ratio at 10.5%. Of inspections conducted in 20 days spanning from March 8 to May 22, at inspection sites including the diesel motorcycle exhaust inspection stations and in front of the Third Credit Union in Lan Tan, the arithmetic median of noise volume is measured at 89dB(A). In addition, when analyzed by vehicle type, there is a total of seven gasoline vehicles, which carry an arithmetic median of noise volume at 80dB(a); a total of 15 diesel vehicles, which carry an arithmetic median of noise volume at 91dB(A), and a total of 16 motorcycles, which carry an arithmetic median of noise volume at 85dB(A), making the diesel vehicles the highest. In which, vehicles/motorcycles failing the test are reported with fine tickets as per the legal mandate.
10.2007 working performance evaluation checklist
Of performance evaluation executed according to the 2007 Chiayi City air quality maintenance improvement plan’s moving pollution source audit control plan through the self-evaluation checklist on air quality maintenance or improvement work’s execution performance evaluation indicators and evaluation criteria, the expectant score on the moving pollution source by motorcycle is set to 3.5%, and the current score achieved is at 3.33%.
