Local governments in China are doing everything they can to increase revenue. A highway off-ramp in Foshan, Guangdong Province, used to monitor the monitoring system of illegal vehicles, was recently discovered by drivers that more than 620,000 car owners were fined, the fine amounted to more than 100 million yuan. A professional driver described it as a “pit” that has become a veritable “money printing machine” for the local government.
Dozens of mainland media reported on Tuesday that a Y-shaped intersection was separated by a solid line in the middle of a 43-kilometer turnoff on Guangdong’s Foshan Guangtai Expressway. Because of the change of lane to press the solid line, this place created 620,000 violation tickets, the total fine or more than 120 million yuan. The owner of the fined car questioned that the solid line was drawn too short to react. Many netizens questioned the authorities’ move to set a trap for drivers to get trapped. The netizens jokingly called the place monitoring probe as “money printing machine”.
27 tickets were issued in 3 minutes at a highway intersection in Foshan, Guangdong. (Video screenshot)
Zhang Cheng, a driver who drives a truck in Guangzhou and often goes to Foshan, has been fined many times on this road. He said in an interview with Radio Free Asia this Tuesday (April 13) that the authorities’ way of collecting money is so bad that it is hard to believe: “It is to give a trap for you to drill, you change to come over the solid line so short, the dotted line is not even there. How do you change lanes ah, you want to change lanes to drive in the other direction, that is a Y-shaped intersection, is a complete ‘pit’ (trap). There are too many of these situations on the highway.”
Fines increase revenue traffic police monthly income over other police
Zhang Cheng said traffic police rely on monitoring probes fines, no one knows in China, and traffic police income is also higher than other police: “Why now when the police, traffic police wages than ordinary police station wages, treatment and good, because they fine, pay part of the state, they also back to stay part. The camera is more powerful than the money machine, the money machine will be bad, it this (probe) is not bad. The money machine also has to ink and other costs, it only uses a little electricity.”
A drone video released by a netizen on April 10 showed that in just three minutes, 27 people were photographed at the fork in the road. CCTV news pointed out that in just 3 minutes, 27 people were “hit”, this unheard of off-ramp, because the total amount of fines is amazing, the netizens teased the place as “money printing machine”, which shows that the traffic signs here are set, there are controversial places.
The Guangdong government sent an investigation team after the CCTV report
CCTV news also said that car users reflected that a certain information release platform previously showed: “a total of 624,149 people in this violation”, but after the media exposure, the data has disappeared. In this regard, on April 12, Foshan City, Guangdong Province Transportation Bureau office staff said that the Bureau has paid attention to the public opinion, will work with the relevant departments to understand the situation. In addition, according to Xinhua Viewpoint, for a highway in Foshan, “the amount of” tickets, the relevant departments of Guangdong Province has sent a working group to the scene to investigate.
Mr. Zhang, a driver from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, said in an interview with the station that many drivers have a hard time speaking out against the practice of using surveillance probes to legally enrich themselves. He lamented the current system in China: “This phenomenon can be seen everywhere in China, everywhere. Because every functional department he is not for its function service, he is only for the benefit of greater, the traffic department is to maximize the fine, the hospital is for the most income, not to cure. Analysis from this perspective he will not be able to cure more patients, so the traffic will cause the current results.”
Left: Aerial shot of Guangdong highway Foshan section fines. Middle: The camera “earns” 1800 RMB per minute. Right: Netizens reveal the trap of highway signs, drivers are fined if they don’t pay attention. (Video screenshot)
During the National People’s Congress of China this year, a deputy suggested “cleaning up the electronic capture for the purpose of fines”. This has struck a chord in the community. Many netizens pointed out that the electronic capture of the so-called illegal vehicles, the actual fine is to “generate revenue” to increase the income of traffic, police and other departments.
Both appear 620,000 tickets why not take measures
Guangzhou dissident Wang Aizhong told the station that the above situation is widespread throughout China: “This is obviously a trap for fines. Foshan traffic department intentionally set the trap, because if you say the road design is unreasonable, wait until after the huge number of tickets appear, they should be well aware of the problems that exist at this point. This time it was exposed by public opinion, which is very telling. It’s the trap they intentionally set.”
Wang Aizhong said the incident showed that the officers concerned had abused public power, not only in Foshan, but the same problem existed elsewhere.
Foshan traffic police subsequently responded that the “electronic police” capture equipment was opened on March 18 last year, as of April 1 this year, a total of 184,373 traffic violations captured. Some netizens questioned, 180,000 violations a year, a day is 493 times, what kind of highway is this.
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