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UPDATED: August 15, 2011 NO. 33 AUGUST 18, 2011
Will Banning Begging Improve Traffic Safety?
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(LI SHIGONG)

On August 2, Zhuhai, a city in south China's Guangdong Province, issued road safety regulations banning begging in vehicle lanes.

The new regulations allow the police to impose fines on beggers. Drivers who buy anything from vendors or give money to beggars will also be fined. Fines in the latter cases may amount to 200 yuan ($30.8).

In recent years, begging in vehicle lanes has become more prominent in Zhuhai, said the local police department. Some beggars even knock on car windows with their heads, asking for money from drivers. Begging in vehicle lanes aggravates traffic congestion. People begging in vehicle lanes violate traffic rules and disrupt the normal flows of traffic, and drivers who give money to beggars out of sympathy disturb public order. Besides, the presence of beggars makes it difficult for police to ensure the free flow of vehicles at intersections. Begging may also threaten the lives of beggars as well as drivers.

The new regulation is said to be welcomed by Zhuhai's residents, drivers and traffic police. But, on the Internet, heated debate is raging on whether the ban is reasonable. Some people worry that the ban will push people who survive on begging into a tight corner.

Helpful and practical

He Liangliang (www.cnr.cn): This is a common phenomenon in many Chinese cities: Beggars ask for money on busy roads, disrupting traffic flows. Out of sympathy, some drivers give them money. As a result, their sympathy fuels beggars' enthusiasm for this kind of begging, further disturbing traffic and putting the safety of both at risk.

Zhuhai's new regulations to fine beggars and drivers who give them money are the first of their kind in China. I think they're necessary. Selling items, begging for money or giving out advertisements is unsafe for violators and other road users. Drivers who meet these situations often may also feel disgusted.

The new regulations will first help to improve traffic safety in Zhuhai. The police now have a law to turn to when encountering these traffic problems. Isn't it also necessary to widen this practice to China's other cities? This will make it easier for traffic police to manage the roads and make it safer for both beggars and drivers and other road users.

Sun Cheng (Guangzhou Daily): From the perspective of road safety, it's dangerous for vendors to sell items or beggars to beg for money from roadsides or in vehicle lanes. There are signs at crossings in some cities, warning drivers against giving money to beggars, because there is social assistance available for these people. Banning these practices, backed up by fines, is a positive move.

Since the purpose is road safety and smooth traffic flows, if vendors and beggars are forbidden to sell items and beg for money, drivers must be also covered under the ban. The new regulations are right in imposing fines on drivers if they break the rules. Otherwise, fining only one party will constitute discrimination and will not help with road safety. Zhuhai's new regulations should be a good example for the rest of the country.

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