Police to shame jaywalkers on TV

[Hum]

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shanghai police will post photos and videos of jaywalkers in newspapers and on TV in a bid to shame them out of breaking traffic rules, local media reported on Thursday.

Offending pedestrians, moped riders and cyclists would be snapped at selected intersections and their images put in regular columns and on special television programs set up by police, the Shanghai Daily said.

The scheme had come under fire from lawyers who said public humiliation was too steep a punishment for jaywalking and warned of defamation lawsuits against police.

"It's a principle of law that a penalty should match the seriousness of the crime," Liu Chunquan, a local lawyer, told the paper.

Jaywalking is a way of life in major Chinese cities, where crossing roads legally can be a hair-raising battle of nerves with oncoming cars disinclined to give way to pedestrians.

Traffic police recorded 7.78 million jaywalking violations at Shanghai intersections in the first eight months of 2008, the paper said.

source

[=NickJ=]

Sweet free exposure :D

I have never understood the compulsion to penalise people over jaywalking, here in Bristol more people jaywalk than use crossings, a lot more in fact.

[bluewind.]

Teach the people good driving ettiquettes first.

[petroid]

Why don't they just put in obvious pedestrian crossings or traffic lights that stop the traffic for pedestrians if there is such a problem with motorists not giving way to people?

[Dc'1]

Ohhh I'm sure that will be a good read ;) watching people cross the road at a bad time :/ kinda reminds me of Harold and Kumar Get The Munchies lol

[ozgeek]

lol hehehe. Another lovely reason to live in a small town. Almost everyone, including police jaywalk from the shops to their cars parked on the roads, when we have crossings all over the main intersection of the town....unless I misunderstand what jaywalking exactly is.

[AudioDope]

i personally wouldnt be 'shamed' if i get showed in the news/tv for jaywalking lol wow im the lucky one from 1000000 who jaywalk to be on tv?

[Dev Null Zen]

Heh, from the sounds of the #'s, it could end up adding a lot of pages to the newspaper

[.tony]

Stupid idea. For walking across the street, who would care? If anything, people might go "ooo look I'm on TV!".

[Dessimat0r]

People from the UK will find this confusing -- in the UK, it's perfectly legal to cross a pedestrian crossing when the walk light is on red (perhaps the road is clear anyway).

[Green_Eye]

Wait! What?! You mean over there they are not allowed to cross the street at any time? I am not following here :s

In East London people will laugh at you if you wait for the green light to walk :huh:

[=NickJ=]

Wait! What?! You mean over there they are not allowed to cross the street at any time? I am not following here :s

In East London people will laugh at you if you wait for the green light to walk :huh:

:yes:

in fact im pretty sure in east london, the faster a car is going before you step out in front of it and make it stop, then the cooler you are :laugh:

[Green_Eye]

:yes:

in fact im pretty sure in east london, the faster a car is going before you step out in front of it and make it stop, then the cooler you are :laugh:

Haha yeah I have seen that stupidity myself and usual ends violently...

[Colin-uk Veteran]

I had to look up the term jaywalking to see what it ment.

thats one of the most silly laws ever created, tbh :p

[Eric Veteran]

I had to look up the term jaywalking to see what it ment.

thats one of the most silly laws ever created, tbh :p

I have seen 3 homeless people near here get hit and killed because they try to cross a busy street in the middle of the road. It's much safer to cross at the crosswalk because it's more likely the cars will stop and stay stopped at a red light than in the middle of the road. :)

[Colin-uk Veteran]

I have seen 3 homeless people near here get hit and killed because they try to cross a busy street in the middle of the road. It's much safer to cross at the crosswalk because it's more likely the cars will stop and stay stopped at a red light than in the middle of the road. :)

true, but thats down to the individual, it is thier safety after all, bit silly that its actually illegal imo :p