The gridlocked roads of the mainland's cities are no place for the faint-hearted. No nation is buying as many vehicles as quickly as China and many of those behind the wheels are new drivers. Rules are often ignored, traffic signals and lane markings go unnoticed and street-side pollution levels are skyrocketing. As road rage becomes ever-more prevalent, national No Driving Day today provides an opportunity to put on the brake and give some thought to how the transport sector should evolve.
As the middle class expands, cars are changing from being status symbols to necessities. Cities are growing and people are being forced to live in ever-farther districts that require a vehicle to get to work. Demand is growing so fast that governments are not able to keep up with the need for more and wider roads. City living is stressful and conditions are such that even the meek and gentle can be driven to curse, seethe and rage when stuck in congested traffic.
The consequences are generally just a glare or mouthed obscenities, but on occasion turn to violent driving that results in injury or death. There have been cases of drivers being followed to their homes and attacked by angry fellow road users. But roads are no place to take out stress and frustration. Government road safety campaigns have to be broadened to teach tolerance, warning people not to take traffic problems personally, avoiding eye contact with aggressive drivers and using the car's horn sparingly.
But when it comes to roads, that is only the beginning. Petrol-driven vehicles are environmentally unfriendly - greater government priority must be given to encouraging people to buy cars with cleaner engines, or using other means of transport.
More resources have to be put into policing roads. But perhaps most importantly, public transport systems have to be improved so that people leave their cars at home more often than just on special no-driving days.