Zhu Shaohua (www.xinhuanet.com): Beggars have the right to beg, but the safety of the lives of beggars and drivers and social safety are more important. To forbid beggars from asking for money and prevent drivers from showing sympathy means protecting life and avoiding hidden traffic dangers. This sort of misbehavior not only risks their own lives, but also poses threats to others' lives. Zhuhai's new regulations imply this city has developed certain capabilities in urban management.

Bi Xiaozhe (www.xinhuanet.com): Zhuhai's legislature has made the best choice. The highlight of the new regulations is, on this controversial issue, legislators have found a point where public rights and interests are maximized. Zhuhai's legislators choose to give priority to the safety of people's lives and road safety, instead of beggars' rights, although some of them may really need to get money this way. On the whole, Zhuhai is going in the right direction on this issue.

Inappropriate

Chen Yizhou (www.xinhuanet.com): Banning begging is not a panacea, and government's resorting to fining is a kind of inaction. Most people are very clear about the danger of giving alms to beggars in vehicle lanes, and the fact is fewer and fewer drivers would like to give them money. Sometimes, drivers give money in the hope beggars will go away as soon as possible. In this context, warning people not to beg, sell things or give alms in vehicle lanes is enough. What's important is the government should improve traffic management not just using the method of levying fines. Isn't this a striking example of related governmental departments' inaction?

Zhang Haifei (www.xinhuanet.com): To resolve the problem of begging on busy roads, the Zhuhai police seem to blame drivers who give money to beggars, not trying to find causes possibly existing in government administration. This is undoubtedly government inaction. Besides, beggars are poor, and they cannot afford a 50-yuan ($7.8) fine. If there are only fines and a lack of effective management, beggars and vendors will continue to appear in vehicle lanes. They know there are always drivers who feel sympathetic to them. If traffic police only impose fines without taking other measures, they will be suspected of creating revenue through fines.

Qiao Zhifeng (www.rednet.cn): Nowadays, many Chinese cities are plagued by people who beg on busy roads. Beggars not only interrupt traffic flows, but are potential causes of traffic accidents. Traffic department and the public have borne this for a while, but no effective methods have been worked out to deal with the problem. Zhuhai is trying to solve the problem through legislation. The question is, while beggars and drivers are being punished, what are the traffic police doing? Is their job all about fines? Are fines able to eradicate the root of the problem?

A fine of 50 yuan won't rein in the beggars. As for the beggars, many of them are not really in financial difficulty and have to beg for living, but are professional beggars. Some have even become rich in this way. Thus, a fine of 50 yuan is nothing to a professional beggar. They can earn back the money by stopping more cars on busy roads. As for the drivers who give alms, it's not they can't tell who are the real beggars and who are not, but they give money in order to drive the beggars away quickly.

Instead of helping solve drivers' troubles and creating a good traffic environment, Zhuhai's traffic police try to deter drivers by fines. Do they mean to transfer their responsibility?

How can this problem be really solved? The first is to provide aid to those who beg from necessity and the second is to punish professional beggars. When these two jobs are done well, smooth traffic flows will naturally return.

Shi Yanping (Shanxi Evening News): Zhuhai's new regulations seem unreasonable in terms of targets. Beggars and drivers are fined while the traffic department, supposed to ensure smooth traffic flows and road safety, does nothing but to fine. To prevent vendors and beggars from walking on busy roads and affecting others' normal lives is the responsibility of urban management department and social aid agencies.

Zhuhai's new regulations seem to have transferred all the responsibility to drivers. This is ridiculous! Beggars can bring drivers to a standstill if they do not give money. If drivers do give, they will be fined. The new regulations will place drivers in a dilemma.

Fining drivers is unreasonable and is by no means a sound way to drive beggars off roads. The sound way out is to coordinate departments' work to properly settle who are the real beggars. Only when beggars voluntarily choose to leave the roads, will drivers be free to move.

Zhuhai's new regulations are a kind of inaction. When the regulations have taken effect, we can predict these scenarios: Beggars and vendors surround vehicles to sell or beg, while drivers don't know what to do. If they give beggars money so they will leave, drivers will face fines; but if they don't, the beggars will not let them go. The traffic department should not transfer responsibilities to drivers, but try to find effective ways to ensure road safety and smooth traffic flows.