From China Net:
Beijing’s media observed on the streets that the lack of urgency when pedestrians crossed streets and roads was a major problem in road crossing etiquette. Experts also pointed out that Chinese take longer to cross streets than people overseas.
According to expert analysis, the phenomena of pedestrians’ “watch cars but not traffic lights” are quite common in China. “The red or green signals of traffic lights are set according to vehicle flow, not pedestrian flow. Too long a red light tests the patience of most pedestrians. Survey shows that Chinese have a patience threshold of 120 seconds. Some will ignore danger and weave in between traffic even if it only makes a difference of two seconds,” said Zhai Zhongmin, a senior engineer with Beijing’s traffic control department. This also reflects that at present, certain traffic setups are not proper and make it difficult for pedestrians to cross streets in one green light.[full text]
