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Get real on Games bans

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-22 07:42

The special measures taken for the forthcoming Olympic Games will be accepted and welcomed by local residents if their practical needs in daily life are taken into consideration, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

Although some measures taken by the Olympics host cities, such as traffic control, have yielded good results in easing traffic jams and having a cleaner environment, they at the same time also affect people's normal life to some extent.

In fact, the government's urban management ability is undergoing a test that requires it to implement preparatory measures for Olympics effectively and reasonably. Therefore, poorly implemented measures that lack public surveys would become unpopular.

Olympic-season traffic control has become a common practice, Athens, Barcelona as well as Seoul all restricted their traffic when the Olympic Games was held there.

These measures reflect the city's respect for the Games and showcase its people's spirit of sacrifice and sense of pride. In Beijing, great efforts have been made in beautifying and cleaning up the city, which has been welcomed by the people.

But some other measures need further discussions. Some departments, for example, banned barbershops from drying their towels outside and do not allow shop owners to park bicycles at doorways. Such orders will only cause unnecessary inconvenience.

Just imagine, if we go to other countries for the Games, do we care that towels are hung outside and bicycles are parked at doorways? That is the real scene in life. We should not sacrifice the attractions of life for the sake of an unreal over-orderliness.

(China Daily 07/22/2008 page8)