Be warned!

Noticed that there has been less traffic these past 3wks or so? that is besides the highways being blown up which has led to a lot of traffic being diverted to other roads causing more congestion. Nanjing now quickly tows cars parked illegally and this means no more parking in the middle of the road when I want to run errands but despite this slight loss of convenience to me, it is a good thing as it means less congestion caused by cars parked along the side of the road blocking traffic. Get caught 3 times and you have to sit the licence test over again!

Also, this past week you might have noticed police at most intersections mostly after 9am including in the suburbs. This was supposed to be a 6 day operation to target those breaking rules at intersections but to be honest, I still go straight through the left or right turn lanes when the chance arrises as they are not going to catch me and my horse whilst they are on foot! However, as is the case in China, there is a big chance they will still catch you up ahead as they often have over the years pulled many a driver over after observing them on camera breaking rules whilst heading their direction. You certainly don't want to be caught tooting your horn as you pull up to an intersection cause they will surely pounce!

What does all this mean? For me, I am glad! I have been calling for this since I came to China 10yrs ago but as a driver, I had hoped they would tighten more on the pedestrians and moto/cyclists breaking the rules but in the end, this is a step in the right direction and will only lead to a more pleasant journey albeit with the added time of having to find a "Real" parking spot. Still wish I wouldn't get arrested for knocking down (or beating up, shooting etc) all the pedestrians and motos etc that wander in front of me like imbeciles without even the slightest glance left or right despite prolonged toots of the horn... idiots!