Been in China too long? If you have adopted the local habit of ignoring traffic lights when riding your ebike, you might be in for a shock. An Aussie was pulled up recently. Initially, there was an ineffective explanation in Chinese by the policeman. However, with the help of a mobile phone translation, he discovered that he had been busted for “running a red light”. The same method revealed that he had to pay a fine of ¥50. Our bewildered foreign friend showed the cop his almost empty wallet. He got off with a warning. Laws are slowly becoming more enforced (see the story about facial recognition software to combat jaywalking), so beware of becoming too “local”.
A diagonal trench being dug in a new part of Shanghai Lu. Close off half the street, forcing traffic onto the wrong side. No warning for traffic going the other way. An nearby breakdown. The towtruck blocks one of the remaining two lanes. Nothing to see here, folks. Situation normal.
