Unlicensed, unlicensed, wrong-way driving, occupying the road, parking indiscriminately, where should the "old era walking car" go?

Problems such as unlicensed and unlicensed retrograde roading, occupying the road, parking indiscriminately, and other problems are prominent

Where should the "old age walker" go?

□ Wen Yuanhao, reporter of this newspaper

At 6:5 a.m. on June 7, the morning peak of sending children was ushered in at the entrance of a primary school in Chaoyang District, Beijing. On the road near the school gate, many private cars jammed the road and moved slowly forward, while three or four "old-time walking cars" quickly arrived at the school gate by relying on the advantage of small body "seeing sewing needles".

An old man slowly walked down from the "old era walking car", then took the child sitting in it down, carried his school bag for him, reminded him where to put his homework book, and constantly told him to "don't make trouble at school today"...

Recently, an investigation by a reporter from the "Rule of Law Daily" found that there are many "old-time walking cars" in front of schools and vegetable markets during school hours. Because the elderly move relatively slowly, and such vehicles generally drive without a license and license, it is not only easy to cause traffic jams, but also brings certain safety hazards.

Experts interviewed believe that the "old-fashioned walking car" is actually an illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicle, and in practice there are many problems such as illegal retro-driving, occupying lanes, and parking indiscriminately, which not only disrupt road order but also endanger public safety, and need to be rectified. At the same time, the urban transportation network should fully consider the travel needs of the elderly and make up for the shortcomings of the "last mile".

It is actually a violation of three or four wheelers

On the evening of June 6, the road near Madian Bridge on Beijing's North Third Ring Road ushered in another evening rush hour, and just as a long line of cars was stuck in the road and could not move, several "old-time walking cars" twisted and twisted through the gaps in the traffic.

Not far away, on the side of the road, a red propaganda banner prominently reads: From January 2024, 1, illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles are not allowed to drive on the road.

According to the Notice on Strengthening the Management of Illegal Electric Three- and Four-wheeled Vehicles jointly issued by the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission and other five departments in July 2021, the transition period for illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles ends on December 7, 2023, after which they are not allowed to drive on the road, and are not allowed to park in public places such as roads, squares, parking lots, etc.

According to the traffic management department, illegal electric four-wheeled vehicles lack vehicle safety technical standards, and only new energy pure electric vehicles are compliant. Compliant electric tricycles should be vehicles listed in the product directory of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and after completing the inspection procedures at the motor vehicle testing site as soon as possible, go to the vehicle management stations of some traffic detachments in Beijing to register motor vehicles, and obtain the Beijing B motorcycle number plate if they meet the application conditions and relevant regulations, and the driver must hold the corresponding quasi-driving driving license when driving.

Therefore, the traffic management department prompts that the so-called "old era walking car", because of the characteristics of driving without a license and license, is actually an illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicle.

The reporter's recent on-site visit found that not only a large number of "old-time walking cars" often appear around schools and vegetable markets, but even sometimes see illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles on public roads with large traffic volumes. These vehicles often cross at will regardless of the boundaries of motorized lanes, non-motorized lanes, and even sidewalks.

Asked by a driver of an "old-fashioned walking car" parked in front of a primary school in Beijing, the gray-haired, septuagenarian said he mainly drove his grandson to and from school, and was not aware of the rules that vehicles would be banned from the road from next year.

After learning that the "old era walking car" was about to be banned, Ms. Xu, who lives in Beijing's Xicheng, expressed great support. "These 'old men' often park indiscriminately, crowd charging piles, and block the roads in the community. There are also people who pull wires from their homes to charge, causing a fire hazard. Now finally someone cares! ”

Causing all kinds of traffic accidents

The reporter inquired about public information and found that traffic accidents caused by driving "old-time walking cars" occur from time to time, some of which are caused by the driver's lack of awareness of safe driving, wantonly running red lights, changing lanes, adding plugs, etc. According to data from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Traffic Management Bureau, in 2022, there were 131 illegal electric three- and four-wheeler traffic accidents in Beijing alone, with more than 2020 deaths. Since 34, Beijing police have investigated and dealt with 5,<> cases of various traffic violations such as driving in the wrong direction, running red lights, and jaywalking by electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles.

In addition to the causes of accidents caused by the driver's own random driving, some "old era walking cars" themselves are of worrying quality and have many potential safety hazards.

An industry insider told reporters that the "old era walking car" looks simple in structure, but if it is necessary to ensure safety, the technical requirements and standards for production and manufacturing are not lower than other means of transportation. However, many manufacturers are "hanging sheep's heads to sell dog meat". There are many companies that produce "old era walking cars" that do not have production qualifications at all, but they just cover a shell on the basis of the electric vehicles that were originally to be eliminated, and make them look like "old era walking cars" and sell them to the outside world.

"Some don't even have seat belts, and the body is usually made of very cheap, easily breakable low-strength fiberglass." The above-mentioned industry insiders said that most cars have a high center of gravity and a light chassis, and a quick drift or large turn may roll over.

Chen Yanyan, Dean of the School of Urban Transportation of Beijing University of Technology, introduced that some manufacturers may save costs in key components such as vehicle structure and brake system, resulting in low vehicle safety performance; Some illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles use inferior batteries, and there are also risks such as explosion and fire. At the same time, the common concept is that low-speed electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles do not need a driver's license, and some people driving electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles lack the necessary driving skills and safety awareness, often shuttling between motorized lanes, non-motorized lanes and sidewalks, and illegal behaviors such as running red lights and driving in the wrong direction occur, which is easy to cause traffic accidents.

Remediation while taking into account travel

In recent years, due to the many safety risks of illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles, the supervision of relevant departments has gradually become stricter.

As early as November 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other six ministries and commissions issued the Notice on Strengthening the Management of Low-speed Electric Vehicles, which clearly included "old-age walking cars" into the category of low-speed electric vehicles under supervision.

At the beginning of 2019, all provinces and municipalities across the country successively issued relevant policies to give a transition period of 2 to 5 years for low-speed four-wheelers in the market, and at the same time strictly prohibit new production capacity.

"There are many types of vehicles in this category, with complex brands, they do not have license plates, and only write the words 'old era walking car', 'internal combustion sightseeing car' and 'low-speed electric vehicle'. The ambiguity of identity leads to the same ambiguity in the definition of road management and legal policies. Wu Mengkai, a lawyer at Guangdong Hetuo Law Firm, introduced that according to the Road Traffic Safety Law and relevant national standards and industry standards, electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles are motor vehicles, but most of them are produced without the permission of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, are not listed in the "Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products Announcement", the vehicle performance does not meet the motor vehicle safety technical standards, cannot be registered and applied for a number plate, and cannot be insured with compulsory insurance for motor vehicle traffic accident liability.

"The remediation of these vehicles is for traffic safety reasons." Wu Mengkai said that judging from the centralized destruction situation in many areas, most of the vehicles seized are counterfeit low-quality vehicles, scrapped vehicles whose performance does not meet the standards, assembled vehicles and modified vehicles, which are not only prone to traffic accidents, but even after traffic accidents, they cannot obtain effective compensation for drivers and victims.

In view of the current chaos of "old-age walking cars", Chen Yanyan suggested strengthening the supervision of manufacturers, ensuring vehicle quality and safety performance, and controlling potential safety hazards from the source; Regulate the market, strictly implement relevant laws and regulations, and severely punish illegal production, sales and use; Improve the quality of drivers, strengthen safety education and training, and enhance drivers' safety awareness and driving skills; Improve road facilities, clarify the right of way for electric three- and four-wheelers, and reduce the incidence of traffic accidents.

At present, Beijing has carried out the online sale and recycling of illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles, and citizens can make an appointment through the online mini program of "comprehensive management of electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles". However, the travel needs of the elderly group behind the "old era walking car" cannot be ignored.

"At present, the travel of urban elderly people is still facing pain points, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in urban transportation in terms of aging." Wu Mengkai said that buying vegetables, picking up babies, and walking are the main travel needs of many elderly people, and for the elderly who are diligent and thrifty, taking the bus and subway is not as good as self-driving electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles to save money. More importantly, to a large extent, the bus and subway have not solved the problem of the "last mile" of large cities, and schools, vegetable markets, and parks should be more finely embedded in the urban transportation network to increase the willingness of the elderly to travel through public transportation.

Chen Yanyan suggested that bus routes can be optimized to improve public transport coverage; Provide community minibus services connecting schools, vegetable farms and parks; Strengthen the construction of barrier-free facilities and the construction of a slow travel environment; Adapt the pedals and seats of public transport vehicles to make up for the shortcomings of the "last mile".

"School shuttles can also be added to reduce the need for elderly transportation. At the same time, vigorously promote the development and promotion of safer and more environmentally friendly means of transportation to meet the travel needs of the elderly. Chen Yanyan said.