Disobedient pedestrians' fined to help raise road safety

Pedestrians in Beijing who were warned a month ago to more closely follow traffic controls started being fined on Monday for disobeying stop-and-wait signals.

The capital's traffic management bureau pledged to crack down on minor traffic offences in an effort to reduce accidents caused by a crowd mentality that has been labeled in media reports as the "Chinese style" of crossing busy intersections.

It is common to see groups of people waiting for a red light to change but then follow, en masse, the first person to step off the sidewalk even when the don't-cross signal has yet to change.

The bureau is targeting those who lead a group of pedestrians to cross against a red light, instantly imposing 10-yuan ($1.62) fines on those who ignore warnings to stop.

Cyclists and moped riders are being fined 20 yuan if they lead the pack, said the bureau's statement, adding that the fines are imposed by police officers stationed at the city's busier intersections.

During the month-long warning period police gave verbal cautions to some 20,000 pedestrians. Chinese-style road crossing is also listed as one of the most dangerous traffic offences in other cities.

Beijing traffic bureau's 2011 annual report shows that 17.2 percent of people injured in traffic accidents were pedestrians.

Some pedestrians who had just streamed across a street against a red light told the Global Times that taking money out of people's pockets through on-the-spot fines should help raise awareness of regulations. Others wondered if the fines are only a temporary measure.

The People's Daily reported Monday that traffic police stationed at Huizhong Road and Beiyuan Road in Chaoyang district fined 19 people within 30 minutes.

Xu Kangming, a transportation adviser under the municipal government, told the Global Times that the 2004 traffic safety law gives police the right to issue instant fines of up to 50 yuan to pedestrians.

"We have long let offenders get off easy," said Xu, adding that traffic controls might need to be improved to allow pedestrians enough time to cross the road.