Rules revision needed to eliminate jaywalking

To eliminate jaywalking, China should revise its traffic rules and pay more respect to pedestrians, with the media launching long-term publicity campaigns to raise public awareness of the need to abide by traffic laws, according to an article in Jiefang Daily.

Excerpts:

Chinese cities are increasingly starting to tackle jaywalking, where pedestrians disregard red lights.

Traffic police in Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Liuzhou have fined jaywalkers 5 yuan (80 US cents) and warned them not to repeat the offense. Many more cities have pledged to join the campaign.

Under China's traffic rules, vehicles turning right vie for road space with pedestrians crossing on a green light.

But judging from jaywalkers' reactions when they are exposed by the media, they do not think it is fair for the authorities solely to target them, saying they are too forgiving to drivers, especially government and army vehicles.