Hastening Slowly

Gigantic Cranes and cacophonous jackhammers greet every visitor to China's major cities, and provide graphic testament to the breakneck pace of Chinese development. However, there is one area where China has been remarkably successful in slowing the pace; it is in putting the brakes on disorderly traffic and speed demons.

Take a taxi from Beijing airport at 11 pm, and the taxi driver will daintily stay within the 80 kmph speed limit on the wide open superhighway. I wondered how the Beijing police department had been so successful in curbing the maniacal speed demon streak, which is an integral part of a taxi man's genetic code. The answer is that cameras are omnipresent on the superhighways, and a speeding ticket is a certainty should one trifle with the speed limit. The 80 kmph warning sign now acts as Pavlovian conditioning, warning errant drivers that a speed camera is not far away.

Ditto for the signal intersections - no one tries to run the YELLOW lights, because violators are certain to be fined.

A friend of mine was merrily cruising along a rural stretch of superhighway, and had unfortunately let his speed drift to 150 kmph. Guess what? At the next toll booth, the toll operator had a high resolution picture of his car with a hefty fine for breaking the law. Even in remote Tibet, they employ a less high tech method. There are highway check points, where they time stamp your ticket. If you reach the next check point too early, you are fined on the spot.

More insights in my next blog ...