Peking University, Mar. 26, 2011: Unknown motor vehicles and reckless electric vehicles are familiar to PKU students. A recent traffic accident turned a discussion back to the subject of motor vehicles on campus.

It is by no means accidental. 

Two weeks ago, a teacher from the Guanghua School of Management driving a car ran into an international student from Korea driving a Hybrid-Electric Vehicle at the crossroad between the library and the Old Building of the Guanghua School of Management. Although the accident resulted in no serious consequences, it sparked a heated discussion about the campus motor vehicle management on BBS among the students.

Just in the afternoon of the accident, the Security Department sent a placard on BBS to make explanations and give some solutions in a soothing way. However, the response was criticized by the students. Some said that they behaved in a bureaucratic way with a just general suggestion but no actual schedule. A PKU student with an ID of Ijclsy sent an email directly to the Principal mailbox on the BBS. He pointed out the disadvantages in PKU motor vehicle management system and gave some suggestions for improvement. His remarks aroused the PKUers' attentions on the campus motor vehicle management.

 
At that night, the Security Department released an announcement to response to the event with a specific and practical plan, calming down this discussion on BBS finally.

It's time for students to safeguard their rights.

In order to know about the event in safeguarding rights specifically, the reporters had an interview with the student with the nickname of "Ijclsy."

Ljclsy said that it was really a great problem in PKU management on motor vehicles which urged him to do so. As a teaching institution, the university should secure the utility by teachers and students and a good teaching order prior to anything else. Meanwhile, he stressed that the motor vehicles were allowed in campus only when the drivers obeyed the rules of yielding to pedestrians, blowing no whistle, and slowing down to ensure the security of teachers and students.

Everybody knows the complicated road traffic at PKU. However, under such conditions, speeding or even driving in the no-car zone still exists in motor vehicles without good management. "Mail cars, Express Mail Service cars, and securicars often drive in a high speed on campus with no management. Besides, motor vehicles also cut in the pavements in front of the teaching buildings and blow horns during school hours." All of the problems pose a threat to the security of PKU teachers and students.

In talking about how to change the current situation, Ijclsy thought PKU needed to change the management method and took effective measures to improve the campus environment. He listed several solutions on BBS, such as building no-car zone for certain hours or the whole day, limiting the speeds of motor vehicles and electric vehicles, limiting the entrance of non-PKU cars, making periodic inspections, punishing the disobedient vehicles severely, etc.. Some of the solutions are practical while some are too strict. Anyway, they show the consideration of a PKU student on the campus management.

The university has its own difficulties.

In the campus rights safeguard action, the Security Department became the target of public criticism. However, a senior staff member with the department surnamed Yang told the reporter, "In fact, we also face many difficulties."

At present, many vehicles exceed the limited speed at 20 km/h on campus. According to Yang, after the accident, the university added segregation obstacles and deceleration zones in crowded areas as quickly as possible. They will also draw up a blacklist of campus vehicles by technical means of electronic speed measuring. The vehicle will be banned to enter the campus if violating for certain times. 

 
Facing the increasingly traffic problems on campus, the Security Department expressed its own difficulties: "As there're many lanes and branch roads at PKU, it's especially hard to manage. If we set too many segregation obstacles and deceleration zones, it will create barriers for the vehicles of canteens and banks, and increase the fire-hazard as well."

The reporters also interviewed an undergraduate Huang Junxiao ('13), head of the Department of Rights and Interests at the PKU Student Union. Huang briefed the history of PKU's management on vehicles: "In the past, since there were fewer motor vehicles on campus, the problem seemed less serious and led to few right safeguard actions." However, more and more motor vehicles with higher speed on campus in recent years finally led to the accident.

With the information from the Security Department and his own observation at work, Huang pointed out that there were mainly two kinds of motor vehicles on campus. One is motor vehicles with PKU pass cards, totaling 3000; the other is motor vehicles with PKU reservation, about 700 a day. "As far as we know, most of the motor vehicles with PKU reservation are owned by PKU students themselves. Some students even ask friends in Youth League Committee to make excuses for the successful PKU reservation."

When talking about how to effectively manage the nearly 4000 motor vehicles, Huang shrugged his shoulders. The only thing he can do as the minister of the Department of Rights and Interest is to direct the students' voice to the Security Department.

Meanwhile, Huang said students shouldn't blindly complain about the inaction of the Security Department for they did have many difficulties. For example, they can't afford to the big expense of 20 camera heads with velocity-measuring function in 13 sites on campus, which will cost over 1.4 million. Moreover, it will waste a lot of time If they send up the plan to the higher level for approval.

Although facing many difficulties at work, Huang was optimistic in solving the problem. "I hope PKU could truly draw up a blacklist system. Deter the violation by giving penalties to the disobedient vehicles, especially penalties attached to the issuing or booking units. Only by doing so may the problem truly be solved."

Translated by: Zhang Hao
Edited by: Su Juan
Source: PKU Youth