Jaywalkers fined in Beijing

Police have fined 13,400 people found jaywalking or riding bikes through red lights in Beijing since Dec 20, the Beijing Daily reported on Wednesday.

Last month, authorities launched a campaign and deployed more officers to crack down on people who violate traffic rules.

Of the 13,400 cases, most involved people riding tricycles and electric bikes.

Groups of pedestrians or riders getting together at crossings to run red lights are a common sight in the Chinese capital, and the practice has been dubbed "the Chinese style of crossing the road."

Chen Longbo, deputy head of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, said the number of jaywalking incidents has been decreasing in the urban area, and that tougher punishments on jaywalkers will be imposed.