Zhang Jun/Shanghai Daily news
Delegates to the Shanghai People's Congress are calling on the government to
draft new laws to combat traffic noise and improper road construction, and make
Children's Day an official holiday.
Those suggestions were among 58
proposals SPC delegates have submitted to the government during its ongoing
annual session.
"Most of the bills this year are closely related to
residents' interests," Wang Zongyan, a spokesperson for the SPC's Standing
Committee, said yesterday. He said his committee will examine the feasibility of
all those proposals and then pass them to different government departments for
implementation.
Wang Xincai, an SPC delegate, suggested the city enact
laws to control noise pollution from elevated roads.
"The noise from
elevated roads exists 24 hours a day all year long, severely disturbing the
lives of people living nearby," he said in his proposal.
He said the new
legislation should regulate the speed of vehicles on elevated roads,
particularly at night, and require road contractors to build noise-insulation
screens alongside the street.
He said as more and more highrises are
built near elevated roads, noise pollution has become a severe environmental
problem.
Chen Jingying, another SPC delegate, suggested the city ban
improper renovations of underground infrastructure facilities, which affect
traffic and disturb pedestrians.
She said some maintenance organizations
don't have a long-term plan, so they repeatedly dig up road surfaces to renovate
gas pipes, cables or water pipes.
She suggested the new law to include
concrete penalties for those unreasonable project managers. Currently, the city
has no clear regulations on improper road construction.
SPC delegate
Meng Yankun suggested the city endorse a day-off on June 1, to mark the
International Children's Day.
She said it's awkward that kids have a
day-off on June 1, but parents cannot spend the festival with their children.
Most of the other proposals are related to traffic alleviation, housing
and environmental protection.
