Shanghai Street View: Tuning Up Traffic 沪经动向：调整改善交通

This edition of Shanghai Street View takes a real turn onto the streets of Shanghai, where the local government is on a drive to clean up the unruly traffic in China’s biggest city. Talk to any foreigner living in Shanghai, and he will gush excitedly about the rich history, cultural life and abundance of entertainment options that the city has to offer. But when the subject turns to the city’s darker sides, traffic inevitably comes up as one of the biggest complaints for most Shanghai expatriates. Nearly everyone has tales to tell of how they were nearly run over by a bus charging through a red light, or of being stuck for an hour in a traffic jam on one of the city’s elevated expressways.

Perhaps somewhat ironically, many of my Chinese friends say that Shanghai is actually one of China’s best-run cities in terms of traffic and that most other cities are far worse. Even Beijing is certainly far more famous for its nonstop traffic jams that occur nearly anywhere and around the clock, and other smaller cities do seem to experience far worse states of gridlock than Shanghai’s. But that’s hardly solace for anyone trying to get anywhere quickly, or for someone simply trying to cross the street at a busy intersection during rush hour.

Shanghai’s progressive government surely realizes that a city’s traffic leaves one of the deepest impressions on outsiders, especially short-term visitors, and that perhaps is the reason for this latest clean-up campaign. In keeping with Shanghai’s creative approach to problem solving, this latest drive uses a shrewd and interesting combination of strategies. That includes more obvious financial-oriented tactics that are the city’s forte as it aims to retake its place as a financial hub of Asia. In addition, this latest push also uses a more creative approach that relies on the cultural concept of face, using at least one major tactic designed to shame drivers into behaving more responsibly.

The Shanghai TV and newspaper headlines have been buzzing non-stop these last couple of weeks with reports of the latest moves the city is taking to make its streets more civilized. Several weeks ago the government announced it was doubling the number of penalty points given to drivers who  run red lights, raising the total to 6 points from the previous 3. That move predictably stirred up fear on the streets, since current rules dictate any driver who gets 12 or more points will automatically have his license suspended.

I watched a TV news report with amusement after this big change was announced, as many drivers interviewed blamed their tendency to run red lights on a simple failure to pay attention. Perhaps this rule will cause them to focus a bit more on the road, and also to stop honking their horns as they charge through the red lights.

In a more creative move to combat the problem, the city also announced a reward of 50 yuan for anyone who can photograph a bus driver engaging in illegal behavior. I particularly like this tactic, as I’m sure there are many unemployed entrepreneurs in Shanghai who have plenty of time to stand and wait at busy intersections where they can spot and photograph the numerous buses and taxis that regularly run red lights and fail to yield to pedestrians.

The recent reports also spotlighted a recent citywide crackdown on out-of-towners who drive on Shanghai’s congested elevated freeways during rush hour, even though any car with a non-Shanghai license plate is forbidden from using the roadways at those times. Recent news reports say the city caught and fined more than 2,000 out-of-town vehicles over the last 2 months as part of the crackdown, sending an important message that people need to obey the law.

All of these tactics are more financial in nature, as they involve monetary penalties for breaking the law. But I have to applaud the city for its other approach to the tackling problem, namely by shaming scofflaw drivers into behaving better. That tactic has seen the Shanghai government start using lighted message boards on roads throughout the city to display license numbers of traffic scofflaws, including speeders and people who drive illegally on elevated expressways. Drivers who engage in illegal behavior will certainly think twice before breaking the law if they know their friends or acquaintances might see their license number flashed on message boards all around Shanghai.

Education about the dangers of bad driving is just as important to improving traffic conditions as financial and other penalties, and local TV stations do seem to take every opportunity to spotlight horrific accidents that were the result of bad or illegal behavior. Such campaigns are both necessary and will play a critical role in perhaps making Shanghai the first Chinese city to finally tame its unruly streets. Without that kind of transformation, Shanghai will have a difficult time ever reclaiming its highly coveted position as a truly world city and Asian financial hub.