Beijing traffic chiefs have vowed to crack down on jaywalkers. From this week, people who do not wait for the "green man" signal to cross at intersections will receive on-the-spot fines of 10 yuan ($1.60).
The move was announced on Monday by Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, a department of the capital's public security bureau.
The action follows a cyberphrase — which roughly translates as "cross the road Chinese-style" — that gained popularity online in October and sparked heated debate.
People talked about widespread violation of traffic laws and raised concerns about pedestrians disregarding traffic lights.
China Central Television broadcast a series of reports on jaywalking in several cities, showing pedestrians running traffic lights for various reasons.
In Beijing's popular Nanluoguxiang alley on Tuesday, China Daily reporters saw 47 people run red lights within 10 minutes.
Yang Qing, a junior college student in the city, was one of them.
"I know it's bad, but I was in the middle of the street when the light turned red and I could not turn back," she said. "Besides, the cars were stuck in a jam, so there was no way of missing the chance to cross the road."
A 32-year-old Swedish man, working for a sunglasses company in Beijing, said: "I don't care about the traffic light, but I care about safety. In Sweden, we go against traffic lights as well but we go after making sure there are no cars coming.
"It's a good idea to fine jaywalkers. For 10 yuan, you can take the subway five times," he said, adding that he was concerned the new measure will put a strain on police manpower and workload.
The traffic management bureau said it will not only focus on punishment but also upgraderoad safety facilities, such as arranging traffic lights more scientifically, and building overpasses.
In December, the bureau began focusing on traffic safety to stop pedestrians from running red lights.
"It will be a continuous action to improve road safety, making pedestrians follow the traffic laws," said Qi Qi, a bureau spokesman.
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 62,387 people died in 210,812 road traffic accidents in 2011, with 237,421 injured.
Road traffic deaths top the list of deaths from non-natural causes in China, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Liu Lin, a lawyer at the Shuangli Law Firm in Beijing, said enforcing the law will have a positive effect.
"The law states that if pedestrians run traffic lights, they will face a 10 yuan fine. As the fine has been written into law, I can't see any reason to break the law," Liu said. But he added that he thought enforcement is "a little late".
Stricter regulation has not only been seen in Beijing, but elsewhere in the country in the past six months.
Modern Express reported that in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, pedestrians running traffic lights will face a 20 yuan fine.
Liu, from the law firm, said, "The fine is one aspect, but 10 yuan is not a big deal for most people. The violation could be recorded on a person's career record or character profile todeter people from breaking the law."
相關(guān)新聞:
新京報訊在路口湊夠一撥人就走,與紅綠燈無關(guān)。這種行人無視交通法規(guī)過路口的現(xiàn)象被稱為“中國式過馬路”。即日起,交管部門將依法嚴管此類違法行為,“帶頭”闖燈的行人將面臨罰款,對于態(tài)度蠻橫、拒不服從糾正,有妨礙民警執(zhí)行公務甚至是襲警行為的人員,公安機關(guān)將依法嚴肅處理。
行人闖紅燈罰款10元
市交管局副局長陳龍波介紹,行人和非機動車違法情況長期存在且是突出違法行為。此次嚴查將整治行人違法明確納入秩序整治重點。
初期,交管部門對違法人員做到逢違必管、必糾、必教育。“對于不聽執(zhí)法的還結(jié)合處罰。”按北京相關(guān)法規(guī),行人闖紅燈處10元罰款,但交警操作起來存在一定難度。
陳龍波舉例,一個路口所有行人都在等紅燈,但有行人非要強行闖燈并對周邊行人造成帶動作用,這樣的違法行為就必須處罰。
陳龍波坦言,此次重提對行人違法嚴管,不會是“運動式”執(zhí)法,“交通秩序整治要形成常態(tài)化,效果出來以后力度不減,才能保證交通陋習逐漸改善。”
將改善行人過馬路條件
近期,全市150處重點路口的交通協(xié)管員將手持小旗,身背擴音喇叭勸阻違法行人。交管部門還將通過提高路口見警率,組織交通志愿者文明勸導活動等方式,加大對行人和非機動車駕駛?cè)诉`法的教育、勸阻力度,遏制“中國式過馬路”的現(xiàn)象。
同時,交管部門也積極改善行人過馬路的條件。陳龍波介紹,調(diào)研發(fā)現(xiàn)一些路口較寬,給行人過馬路造成一定影響,交管部門將進行相應改造,將原有的一次過街形式改造為二次過街形式,即在路口半程位置設安全島。針對較寬的路口通過增設多組信號燈,提高信號燈的識認效果,提升行人、非機動車通過路口安全系數(shù)。