Beijing Review: You have been in China for almost one year. What's your impression so far?

Elizabeth Clement: My personal life in China is very comfortable and pleasant. Transport and shopping are very convenient, too. I speak enough Chinese to carry on most daily tasks, even though it is often challenging and takes a lot of energy. The University looks after the foreign teachers very well and gives us all the help we need in dealing with life in a country whose language we do not speak very well and whose customs are often unfamiliar.

What do you think about the traffic situation in Beijing?

Traffic is a major problem, which will be especially prominent during the Olympics. Personally, I think the traffic problem in Beijing is not only due to cars but to the mixture of cars and bicycles. Bicycles are a "green" mode of transport and need to be encouraged. Beijing would not function nearly as well without the bicycles, so a good mode of coexistence with the vehicle traffic needs to be found.

I think more consideration needs to be given to pedestrians and bicycle riders at intersections. Most importantly, many Westerners will misunderstand the white stripes that mark the crossing areas at Beijing intersections. In most Western countries, crossing markings give absolute priority to pedestrians when the green light is on.

In China, however, the vehicles turning across the intersection seem to expect to be given priority over pedestrians and cyclists. There is no time in the traffic light sequence at intersections when all vehicles must stop and pedestrians can cross freely. This will be a cause for concern and confusion for many Olympic visitors. I think it is very important for Chinese traffic authorities to understand this area of potential misunderstanding and danger to visiting- and local-pedestrians.

The traffic signs on the ring roads in Beijing are very good. It is quite possible for someone who doesn't read Chinese to drive on the ring roads, if he is familiar with the layout of the city. The street name signs are a bit too small to be read easily from a moving car in time to make a turn. You have to know the area well in order to navigate successfully. But I can't think of many American or British cities that have good street signs, either.

The names of the bus stops are in the process of being changed. The street maps and bus stop signs often have the old names, but the displays in the buses give the new names...and of course the conductors call out the new names. This situation will be resolved long before the Olympics begin, but at present it can be quite worrying for bus passengers who venture to parts of the city that they do not know well.

Taxi drivers are usually very considerate and do their best to understand and to take us where we ask to be taken. They are also very honest and careful in giving the correct change. I have encountered several drivers who have made good use of the English phrase book and have made efforts to practice their English with English-speaking visitors.

Another area of concern is the state of the sidewalks, although there has been a vast improvement in recent years. They are sometimes very narrow, and in some areas are often filled with parked- and moving-bikes, scooters, and even cars. There are many holes and uneven segments of the pavement. Elderly people and visitors who are now used to these conditions may be in some danger of falling in.

Could you talk about some problems that Westerners might meet during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, primarily in regard to the convenience of life?

I'm sure that many residents in Beijing, both Chinese and Westerners, will suffer inconvenience during the time of preparation for the Olympics and during the actual Olympic period itself.

This is inevitable, given all the construction that must take place before the Games. In the long run, the city and its inhabitants will greatly benefit from all the changes and improvements.

During the actual Olympics, I can imagine that many citizens of Beijing will not be able to go about their daily business normally because of the vast number of visitors crowding into the capital city. I am sure that the authorities will take every possible step to keep the disruption to a minimum. During the run-up to the Olympics, residents near Olympic sites and other infrastructure building sites (for example, the new subways) have experienced and will continue to experience disturbance from the noise and dust of the numerous construction activities.

The end result will be an even more beautiful and convenient Olympic city. I am particularly familiar with the Da Tun Lu area near the new tunnel under the Olympic site: here the disruption and danger are being kept to a minimum by speedy construction work and careful re-routing of road traffic around the building sites. Ditches, broken pavements and other hazards have been mended with amazing alacrity. Even the recent heavy rain did not stop the process.

Would you please give us some suggestions based on your experience of big events in other countries?

Major international events always cause inconvenience to the inhabitants of the city in which these events take place. Edinburgh's now successful annual New Year's Eve Street Party was nearly a disaster the first year it was held. There were several injuries because of large crowds in a limited space; there was lack of control of crowd numbers. In later years, tickets were issued to restrict the number of people admitted to the area of the activity. I am sure that the responsible Beijing municipal government is aware of similar problems in cities that stage large-scale public events and have done thorough risk assessment and crowd control planning.

Each year during the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival, the city's residents suffer from general disruption to their daily life: traffic is fierce; streets are closed off; outdoor performances (notably, the EdinburghTattoo) create a noise nuisance. The city government has to balance the overall cultural and financial benefit against the inconvenience to the city's citizens. On the whole, the citizens feel that more is gained than lost, because the authorities are willing to listen to their views and advice and to act with sensitivity to local needs.

(The authors are graduate students from School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University)