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Pedestrians in a bind, tied to rules of the road

By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-05 13:46

SHANGHAI: Authorities in Jiangsu province have come up with a novel way to get people to obey the rules of the road in addition to flashing lights, flags, whistles and road signs -- they are putting up ropes to stop pedestrians from straying.

The new method introduced in the city's downtown area requires traffic wardens - those who stand beside traffic lights directing flow - to pull a rope across the pavement when the pedestrian's red light is on, to keep back pedestrians and bicyclists. When the light switches to green, the rope is pulled away.

Such a "primitive" method - it has already been mocked by many netizens - has produced positive results since it was introduced last week, said traffic police from Taizhou, Jiangsu province.

"The disobeying of traffic rules has long been a headache in the city," said Tang Minghui, deputy director of Taizhou's municipal traffic police brigade. "We hope that, by making the line visible, we'll be able to raise the residents' awareness of basic traffic regulations."

But Liu Zizhe, a Taizhou resident, said, while he fully understands the motives for the policy, he does not think the idea will be well received.

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"It's an authoritative intervention that may generate antipathy from people. I think more emphasis should be put on educating people instead of forcing them behind a line."

Pedestrians and cyclists crossing at a red light can be fined 20 and 50 yuan ($3-7) respectively. But Tang conceded it is very difficult to impose fines.

More often than not, police simply give warnings.

Tang said he believes in the long-term positive impact of the idea and said people will "become used to it".

Yu Hai, a sociologist from Fudan University, said the deep-rooted reason why Chinese people disobey traffic rules so readily is because they have not yet built up the necessary respect for the law.

"They are more likely to obey the rules when the police are on site; otherwise they pay less attention to them. It is therefore important to step up education for the public on their responsibility to respect the rules and regulations and, more importantly, the potential threats and punishments of any forms of violation," he said.

But Yu also thinks China needs to create a better traffic environment for pedestrians and cyclists. He said making it easier and safer for them to cross the street would make them more likely to obey rules.