Eunice Kang

ANNOYED and frustrated by the worsening traffic congestion in Shenzhen, German Axel Ritsma believes there are ways to reduce, if not solve, traffic problems in the city.

“If only drivers could show more respect for pedestrians and pedestrians could obey the traffic light,” said Ritsma, who teaches English at Shenzhen Yaohua Experimental School.

Ritsma, 49, who claims a car is like “water for a fish” to him, took driving lessons and acquired a driving license just weeks after arriving in Shenzhen in 2003. “For me, a car is a symbol of freedom and independence as I can decide when and where I want to go,” he said

It didn’t take long, however, for Ritsma to realize that things were a bit different in Shenzhen. When he slowed down at an intersection, waving to pedestrians to let them cross the street first, drivers behind him would honk their horns to protest. “I think pedestrians are the weaker ones and should been given the chance to safely cross the road,” said Ritsma. “But drivers here don’t seem to think that way and aggressive driving is prevalent.”

He also witnessed aggressive driving at intersections where no traffic light was installed. Under such circumstances, drivers would fight among themselves for the right of way instead of following a “zipper system,” which Ritsma said would allow drivers on two or more lanes to proceed one by one.

The “zipper system” has been in place in Germany since 1920s and was made into law in 2001, according to Ritsma.

Ritsma had planned to live in Shenzhen for one year when he married his Chinese wife Gao Qing, a physics teacher at Shenzhen Middle School, in January 2004. However, more than four years have passed and he is still in Shenzhen, enjoying the nice weather and satisfied that residents in Shenzhen “know how to treat foreigners.”

Ritsma admitted he wasn’t sure about whether he would go back to Germany next year, but said he was sure to return to his country as a different person. “After I return to Germany, I will observe all traffic codes in place. That’s for sure.”