Trial system sprays water to deter jaywalkers in Hubei

An intelligent system that punishes jaywalkers by spraying water at them is being trialed at a crossing in the city of Daye in central China's Hubei Province, reports Beijing News.

The trial system monitors traffic in real time, and squirts water at pedestrians who attempts to run a red light. Warnings in the form of sounds and flashing lights will also be used to remind pedestrians not to cross the street against a red light.

As well as getting a little spray of water, jaywalkers will be photographed and their picture displayed on nearby screens. Their picture will also be uploaded into a government database, and repeat offenders might find that they've lost points in China's developing social credit system.

An intelligent system that punishes jaywalkers by spraying water at them is being trialed at a crossing in the city of Daye in Hubei Province. [File Photo: bjnews.com.cn]

It took two months for public security authorities in Daye and a local company to develop the system, which comes at a cost of over 1.3 million yuan.

Some netizens have expressed concerns that spraying people with water might give them a bad cold or damage their clothes. But local police have dismissed these concerns, saying "The device sprays clean running water with a constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. The amount of water used has been tested; it doesn't cause problems by wetting clothes," said a local police officer.

According to Chang Sha, a lawyer in Beijing, the trial is an innovation in traffic management, but might be an inconvenience for pedestrians. 

"Fighting against red light running is about good public behavior, rather than a road safety problem. Using a water spray is not enough to solve it; a long time is required for an improvement," the lawyer told Beijing News.