Beijing's jaywalkers to face fines

　　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 upgrade road 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 to deter people from breaking the law."

　　相关新闻：

　　新京报讯在路口凑够一拨人就走，与红绿灯无关。这种行人无视交通法规过路口的现象被称为“中国式过马路”。即日起，交管部门将依法严管此类违法行为，“带头”闯灯的行人将面临罚款，对于态度蛮横、拒不服从纠正，有妨碍民警执行公务甚至是袭警行为的人员，公安机关将依法严肃处理。

　　行人闯红灯罚款10元

　　市交管局副局长陈龙波介绍，行人和非机动车违法情况长期存在且是突出违法行为。此次严查将整治行人违法明确纳入秩序整治重点。

　　初期，交管部门对违法人员做到逢违必管、必纠、必教育。“对于不听执法的还结合处罚。”按北京相关法规，行人闯红灯处10元罚款，但交警操作起来存在一定难度。

　　陈龙波举例，一个路口所有行人都在等红灯，但有行人非要强行闯灯并对周边行人造成带动作用，这样的违法行为就必须处罚。

　　陈龙波坦言，此次重提对行人违法严管，不会是“运动式”执法，“交通秩序整治要形成常态化，效果出来以后力度不减，才能保证交通陋习逐渐改善。”

　　将改善行人过马路条件

　　近期，全市150处重点路口的交通协管员将手持小旗，身背扩音喇叭劝阻违法行人。交管部门还将通过提高路口见警率，组织交通志愿者文明劝导活动等方式，加大对行人和非机动车驾驶人违法的教育、劝阻力度，遏制“中国式过马路”的现象。

　　同时，交管部门也积极改善行人过马路的条件。陈龙波介绍，调研发现一些路口较宽，给行人过马路造成一定影响，交管部门将进行相应改造，将原有的一次过街形式改造为二次过街形式，即在路口半程位置设安全岛。针对较宽的路口通过增设多组信号灯，提高信号灯的识认效果，提升行人、非机动车通过路口安全系数。