To be or not to be?

Starting May 1 pedestrians will have to make a choice before crossing the road on a red light.

Is it absurd? If the red light is on, no one is supposed to cross.

But many people ignore the rule and cross whenever they think it is safe to do so. Drivers are forced to wait for pedestrians to move first, even if the green light is on. This has contributed to horrific traffic jams in some cities.

The new Law on Road Traffic Safety, which takes effect on May 1, authorizes heavier fines for transgressors.

While putting more emphasis on the safety of pedestrians, the more vulnerable party in most road accidents, the law stipulates fines of between 5 and 50 yuan (US$0.6-6) for violators.

Hopefully, the fines will make pedestrians think twice before crossing against the light.

The previous fine of 5 yuan (US$0.6) was seldom enforced.

Not many people have a clear awareness of road safety and the necessity to abide by traffic rules - and it's a worldwide problem.

Research by the World Health Organization and the World Bank has revealed the general public is not very aware of the major threat road traffic poses to their daily lives.

In China, the problem is more conspicuous given the large population, that has yet to foster a sound consciousness of road safety.

The great number of pedestrians makes it very difficult to adequately enforce safety rules, and as the number of privately owned cars continues to climb, more new and inexperienced drivers are getting behind the wheel.

All this points to a dangerous situation.

In Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, 26 people died in the first three weeks of 2004 because they tried to cross roads on a red light.

The high death rate makes it urgent to stop people from crossing roads wildly.

But it is doubtful whether the new measure of imposing heavier fines on violators will work.

For one thing, the fine is still not large enough to dissuade many urban residents. For another, the cost of implementing the new law could prove unaffordably high.

In many cases, policemen are already too busy directing traffic flow. They do not have the time or energy to collar pedestrian violators.

If the law is to be implemented to the letter, it means the number of law enforcers must be increased by a large margin.

It would be impossible in the long term.

One solution is to further raise the level of fines to force people to abide by the rules and cultivate safe habits on the road.

Ultimately, the problem can only be solved by improving the awareness of road safety. Education plays a vital role in this respect.

Big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have launched campaigns to gradually enhance people's awareness. Children are also included in the campaigns.

Lectures, video and simulated traffic systems are employed to spread knowledge of road safety.

Such activities should be carried out across the country in a consistent way.

Only when people become willingly accustomed to abiding by the rules can the law be implemented effectively.