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Surreal conversation between jaywalker and traffic cop in SZ goes viral

Posted: 05/20/2013 9:00 am

Courtesy of Baidu Images

Since Shenzhen stepped up its crackdown on jaywalking last week, instances of people talking back to traffic cops may not have been rare, but they can seldom have been as entertaining as this.

A conversation between a jaywalker and a traffic cop which was captured on camera has gone big in national media. Initially, she was excited to be on television, and in the subsequent argument, the attractive young jaywalker managed to exasperate the male traffic cop with her twisted logic and her claim that she would continue jaywalking no matter what.

Here is a translation/transcript of the conversation that you can hear on Anhui Satellite Television. The footage had subtitles and soundtracks added to it to make parts of it appear like a Taiwan comedy show, raising some questions as to whether it’s genuine.

But if a scriptwriter came up with this, he or she must be amazingly creative:

Traffic cop: You, you you. Come here. (She stops.) Do you see the traffic light?
Jaywalker: Yes.
Traffic cop: What colour is it?
Jaywalker: Two red, one green.
Traffic cop: Two red? How are there two reds? Look at that light. It’s the one for pedestrians, and it’s red. You’ve walked through a red light. Do you know?
(She looks at the camera.)

Jaywalker: (smiles at the camera) Hey, you’re filming this. Which channel will it be on?
Traffic cop: Errr, never mind which channel. I just want to tell you that today this particular violation is being cracked down on.
Jaywalker: Actually, I’ve always jaywalked.
Traffic cop: You’ve always jaywalked? And you don’t mind admitting this in front of a cop?
Jaywalker: I know the rules say I shouldn’t jaywalk. Jaywalking reflects on the poor behaviour of the Chinese public.
Traffic cop: Yes, yes.
Jaywalker: But I am a person of poor character and morals.
Traffic cop: (Laughs) Then, do you think people like us should follow your example?
Jaywalker: No, people shouldn’t be like me. A person of such low character shouldn’t be imitated. But as long as people like me account for a minority in society, it doesn’t matter. People shouldn’t jaywalk.
Traffic cop: Today, at this junction, we are targeting jaywalkers. You are the first.
Jaywalker: Yes! What an honour.

Then the footage cuts to a few seconds later.

Jaywalker: If a pedestrian dies as a result of jaywalking, then that is their own problem.
(The cop is now utterly bemused.)
Jaywalker: And the drivers who hit and kill them are good. They shouldn’t be punished. You don’t need to worry about me, this is my own life I’m endangering.
Traffic cop: So we shouldn’t care if you get hit and killed?
Jaywalker: Yes, don’t worry. Because when I jaywalk, I am committing a crime. If I die then so be it. Police might go looking for the vehicle that killed me, but actually the driver will have done nothing wrong. They will have driven through a green light.
Traffic cop: Okay, so if a vehicle hits you, should the driver pay you compensation?
Jaywalker: Why would I demand compensation?
Traffic cop: If a vehicle hits a pedestrian who’s breaking the law, the driver can be considered up to 10% responsible.
Jaywalker: Just 10%?
Traffic cop: (Angry) Having to pay compensation can be a devastating thing for a person! Do you want to see a driver hit a pedestrian on the road and then….
Jaywalker: What a fortunate thing that would be!
Traffic cop: Yes!
Jaywalker: For training purposes, this footage should end with me looking at the camera and saying “I will never do it again” before disappearing discreetly.
Traffic cop: You want this to be edited into a story.
Jaywalker: I wouldn’t mind taking time to cooperate with such a project.
Traffic cop: Who would cooperate with you? I’m here to do a job. We’re not acting in a TV show.
Jaywalker: Okay.
Traffic cop: I hope you can….
Jaywalker: It doesn’t matter what you hope.

The footage ends there and the anchorwoman says: “I’m speechless. Is this real or fake.”

Haohao

A traffic light in a Shenzhen intersection malfunctions; 3 people are dead

Posted: 07/16/2012 7:00 am

China is a scary place to drive at the best of times. Every day at least 300 people are killed in traffic accidents, giving the country the highest death toll and highest death rate in the world, according to China Daily.

As well as a widespread disregard for traffic laws, some accidents happen even when neither driver is technically breaking the law.

That was the case in Shenzhen when three people were killed after traffic lights at adjacent roads on a junction stayed green, causing a cement mixer to clash with a van, according to local television. The accident happened on July 10, and it has since emerged that the malfunction had been reported on Sina Weibo the day before.

The cement mixer smashed into the side of the van carrying three men and three women, according to a witness surnamed Yang. After the collision, only the driver was able to move, said Yang.

After the accident, several onlookers stopped to open the back door of the van and bring out the victims. Unfortunately two men and one woman did not survive.

The next day, an investigation by Shenzhen Traffic Police showed the accident to be caused by a malfunctioning traffic light, which was repaired the following day.

The Traffic Police have such confidence in street lights that they’re encouraging motorists to assume that all traffic lights are broken and approach them accordingly, looking both ways before continuing with caution.

There is a 12-minute compilation of traffic accidents in Shandong Province here. Warning though: they are not for the squeamish.

Haohao

Man beaten, hospitalized by Shenzhen traffic police

Posted: 06/25/2012 7:00 am

While many of us come from cultures in which police are referred to as “pigs” or worse, there are plenty of people in this “harmonious society” who don’t love the cops either. Physical and verbal attacks on law enforcement people are quite common in China. Earlier this year, one policeman was killed and 15 were injured in a riot in Yunnan Province when villagers were protesting the environmental damage caused by a nearby coal mine. In 2009, female Chengguan Liu Ping had a bucket of manure poured over her by a woman who was resisting arrest. Netizens overwhelmingly supported the criminal, with one saying “what she poured was not manure, but justice.”

Now, Shenzhen’s traffic police department is facing a major controversy, after responding disproportionately to an attack. A man is recovering in Longhua People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, after being held down and beaten by traffic police, according to local television. The man, Wang Hongguang, was held down and kicked in the chest and head after making a drunken, foul-mouthed rant at traffic policemen. The policeman who allegedly beat Wang has been identified as Zhang Wenbin. The Longhua branch of the city’s Public Security Bureau has already released footage, that clearly shows Wang being beaten by the traffic policeman.

Wang was visited by journalists at Longhua People’s Hospital where he is in the third ward on bed 30. He was attached to breathing apparatus, and his face was covered in scars from the beating. A witnessed surnamed Xu told reporters that at 2 a.m. June 20, a Longhua resident named Mr Yang was stopped by traffic police on Renmin Road while driving under the influence. Fearing arrest, Yang called his wife, urging her to get someone to visit him at the police station. Wang was drinking at home when he heard that Yang was in trouble.

When the drunken Wang arrived at the Traffic Police Station, he began a foul-mouthed rant at traffic policeman Zhang. Zhang proceeded to cuff him, then held him to the ground before kicking and beating him, aided by several colleagues. One policeman even sat on Wang while three or four others kicked him. Around 8 a.m., Wang’s family heard he was in danger, so his brother-in-law Zou went down to the station. After much squabbling, Wang was finally taken to Longhua People’s Hospital around 12 p.m., ten hours after the initial beating. The following morning at 8 a.m., Wang was declared to be in a critical condition.

The suspect Zhang and an assistant traffic policeman brought flowers to visit Wang, but the family refused to allow them to see him. The head of the hospital ward in which Wang is recovering, Guo Donghui, said despite injuries to his head, brain, neck, chest and stomach, Wang’s condition is now stable.

Traffic police have claimed that Yang resisted arrest, and invited four friends to come to the station to defend him, thus police were primarily acting out of self defense. Wang was the most aggressive and was accused of headbutting a policeman.

The Public Security Bureau is conducting an investigation.

Haohao

Shenzhen police smash BMW’s window to make driver take breathalyzer test

Posted: 05/29/2012 1:05 pm

Drunk driving is a hot issue in Shenzhen after Sunday’s accident which killed three. However, that fiery crash in Shenzhen’s Baoan District has not deterred other Shenzheners from getting behind the wheel after one too many.

Shenzhen traffic police had set up 38 alcohol road blocks early Monday morning to catch drunk drivers.  Around 3am, a dark BMW X5 was stopped on East Shennan Road, near many KTV and other leisure spots.

The male driver of the vehicle, Huang, refused to open the window when police asked him to submit to a breathalyzer test. After a 30-minute stand off, the officer broke the window of the BMW to force the test upon the driver.  The results indeed showed the driver was under the influence of alcohol, although he wasn’t “highly intoxicated”, according to a press report.

“The man in the car just looked at us, wouldn’t open the window and wouldn’t talk,” said Liu, one of the police officers. “After half an hour, he started to make calls with his cell phone.”

According to Liu, as the road was blocked and cars were lining up behind the BMW, the police finally decided to smash the window after asking for consent from the operation command center.

Huang, the driver, finally agreed to the test and had his driver’s license temporarily seized after he paid a fine.  Despite his intoxication, Huang drove his vehicle home with police trailing him.

The tough measure was largely praised by many netizens, while some questioned who would pay for a window replacement.

The Shenzhen Traffic Police Bureau explained that it will compensate the driver for any loss caused by the smashing of the window.

 

Haohao