Other Headline of the Week: 'Beijing's Anti-Jaywalking Campaign Ineffective'

Drivers don't respect pedestrians, just as pedestrians all too often don't respect the right-of-way for the driver. The intersection should be free of pedestrians standing in the middle of the road, trying to dodge being hit by standing on the lane markings. Both parties feel like their time at the light is being unjustly used by the other, and so in effect, neither get what the lights were designed for: safe, orderly flow of traffic (both the on-foot variety and behind the wheel).

I've seen plenty o' foreigners not wait their turn at the light, too, and then during dinner some time they inevitably bring up the "chaotic" driving style they think they understand and somehow fail to see how they're contributing to it. Still, for China Radio Int'l to say what they witnessed is purely "Chinese style" is lazy reporting at best. The tough part about living in a city like Beijing is there will always be those from smaller towns who have their own custom of not waiting to cross the road when the signal gives a 'green' to pedestrians; however, Beijing gov't needs to help educate out of towners and new arrivals; Chinese from all over their homeland are visiting their capital city. And just like some display bad manners on public transport, so too might they bring their hometown customs to our fair city. In this city, there has to be a sense of order instilled. There's just too much riding on BJ's image. But the city also needs to do its part in creating safe waiting areas for pedestrians. Anyone whose ever waited on the north side of Gongti Beilu and Sanlitun Rd intersection knows what I'm talking about. For an area which receives so much foot traffic, city planners needed to create a safe place waiting space and prevent the temptation for peds to say "ah, the hell with it" and cross the street out of turn. As the mass expands, spilling over into the traffic lanes, it forces cars in the right-hand lane to slow down and merge further left. This only slows down traffic in the left lanes even more, and makes traffic jams worse. All because someone can't wait an extra 30 seconds to take their Uniqlo purchase home.

At pedestrian-heavy intersections, the city needs to put pedestrian orderlies on the job. They do it at Guomao at the Jianguo Lu/East 3rd Ring Rd intersection; Shanhai does it at major interesections, too, including Renmin Square and Times Square areas. They need to expand this, because people are just not paying attention. And they also need to penalize those who break the law with a fine.

RULES OF THE ROAD, BEIJING STYLE:

All vehicles must stop at the red light for pedestrians in the crosswalk except the following:

1. motorbikes;

2. bicycles;

3. unregistered three-wheelers;

4. vehicles traveling on the wrong side of the road;

5. vehicles turning right on red;

6. vehicles entering the left-turn lane at major intersections;

7. vehicles driven by city officials;

8. vehicles driven by state officials;

9. vehicles attempting a left-turn u-turn;

10. those vehicles driven by persons of significant financial, social or political standing that need not obey traffic rules to begin with.