Nanjing authorities have come under fire for the third time in recent months, this time because they have splashed out one million yuan (HK$1.2 million) to replace road signs, a 'face project' planned by the eastern city before it hosts the Youth Olympics Games in three years' time.
An official from the Nanjing Urban Management Bureau said it was necessary to standardise signs that came in different forms and colours.
But the internet was abuzz with objections to the project and the government's decision-making process, which failed to include any public consultation.
One internet user said the authorities should have spent the money on more urgent and essential infrastructure, such as fixing the drainage system.
The official told the China News Service on Saturday that 326 road signs had been changed so far, costing 980,000 yuan. He said they expected to change all the 30,792 road signs, located along the city's 7,265 streets, to a unified format over the next three years.
Since the start of this year, the bureau has been preparing guidelines for new road signs. Signs directing north-south roads will be green with white characters, while east-west road signs will be blue with white characters. No English words will appear on the plates.
One web user on Xici.net asked: 'Have you done a flexibility study on this 100 million yuan project? Have you ever held an open tender? Which companies won the project? And for what reasons did they win? I beg [the relevant] government leaders to reply to us directly.'