Safer roads

    I HAVE written before to complain about wild car parking on pedestrian walkways in Shixiabei, Futian District, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road, including people with baby strollers, handicapped people and the elderly.

    Shenzhen Daily published my first complaint on April 7, 2014 and the second on Sept. 22.

    Now I would like to report that the problem has been beautifully tackled by local authorities who have installed barriers to prevent cars from parking on sidewalks. Now kids, the elderly, and handicapped persons can safely use the sidewalks! That’s a huge improvement and a big step for citizen safety.

    I have attached two pictures to show the changes before and after.

    Yann Le Berre via email

    Parking fines

    SHENZHEN authorities have announced that they will issue severe penalties of up to 2,000 yuan (US$323) on cars parked in such a way that they may cause an accident or a traffic jam.

    May I suggest that the fine also apply to cars parked closer than 10 meters to a pedestrian crossing? The reason is obvious: if you want to safely cross a road, you must have a clear view of oncoming traffic. You cannot see this if cars are parked too close to pedestrian crossings. Also for drivers, it is better if no cars are parked near a pedestrian crossing so they can clearly see if someone is trying to cross the road.

    Unfortunately, I see cars parked close to pedestrian crossings everywhere, some of which even park ON pedestrian crossings! When this happens, offending car should be towed away, the driver should incur a penalty of at least 2,000 yuan (in addition to towing and impound costs) and 6 points should be issued against the driver’s license because such drivers endanger the lives of pedestrians.

    Jeffry Kuperus via email