Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN traffic police will launch citywide actions starting April 1 on seven types of honking violations in restricted areas and violators will be fined up to 500 yuan (US$72.55) for each count.

    The violations include honking more than twice in a row, or for longer than 1 second at a time. Drivers will be fined for using horns over 115 decibels in congested traffic to urge pedestrians at crosswalks or vehicles ahead of them, or for honking to alert others while waiting in residential areas, hospitals or schools, according to a release of Shenzhen’s traffic police yesterday.

    Police said that the move is to improve the “civilized atmosphere” of Shenzhen’s roads. They will increase the number of street patrols, with a focus on ports, piers and other areas where trucks congregate. They’ll also keep an eye on streets that are frequently congested. Police will set up a blacklist for those truck honkers who are caught two or more times. “These seven kinds of violations drew complaints from the public and will be the focus of the checks,” Xu Wei, head of the city’s traffic police bureau, said at the news conference.

    The public are encouraged to report and complain about honking violations by calling 8333-3333 or sending a message to their WeChat (ID: szjjwx) or Weibo.

    Police will contact the honkers and remind them of the violations. If a driver is reported multiple times, traffic police may be dispatched to probe further.