Quote Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou View Post
Just read on CRI English that the government has backed off on the Yellow light rule.
The most controversial by far is the new rule on yellow traffic lights. According to the rule, vehicles that have passed the stop line on the road when the light turns yellow can continue through the intersection. All other motorists are expected to stop. Violators will be fined 20 yuan (US$3.21) to 200 yuan and have six points deducted.

Some motorists have said this is almost impossible in practice and may lead to more accidents as drivers stop too suddenly because of a yellow light.

Traffic authorities countered by saying that if drivers slow down before they reach an intersection and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of them then there would be no danger.
It's really sad if this yellow light lapses so soon. In civilized countries, it is an article of faith that you don't enter the yellow if you cannot exit the intersection before the light turns red. Because this is so rare in China, we see endless but completely unnecessary cases of gridlock, where the cars that accelerated into the yellow can't get out and end up blocking the cross traffic. When I lived in New York City in the 1980s, the city launched the slogan "Don't Block the Box" and enforced heavy fines on anyone who did. This made a huge difference, not only for flow of traffic but also for pedestrians and bicyclists who had to contend with 2-ton missiles accelerating into their path to squeeze through a yellow. This fear is palpable today at every intersection in China.

China must use enforcement to teach motorists that their rights and privileges as drivers are limited and subject to revocation.

Students were also having trouble with the new road test. At the Meilong driving school, only eight of 20 passed yesterday.
I was riding a high-speed train out of Beijing on Sunday afternoon, and passed a huge driver testing center south of town. OK, I was traveling at 300kph so didn't get a sustained glimpse, but the scene was hilarious:

There were so many cars on the testing grounds that there was gridlock almost everywhere. Very few of the cars were moving at all.

I don't mind at all if the authorities make it MUCH harder to qualify for a drivers license. Bring it on!

One final note, my housekeeper in Shanghai finally married off her younger son in his mid-30s. The lucky lass made all the au courant demands: A house with no inlaws living there, a diamond ring, gold necklaces and a minimum of 300k rmb in a bank account, and of course also a car. She has no clue how to drive, but managed to get a license and now pilots their connubial crate around Pudong feeling like a million bucks. This inane compulsion to have cars that people don't need is pushing China to the brink of nationwide gridlock.

cheers