Traffic police in Daye, central China's Hubei Province, set up water-spraying equipment earlier this week near a crosswalk to stop people from jaywalking, China Daily reported Friday.
The targeted mists have an obvious effect, local police said. The equipment was set up at an intersection in the city's downtown area. It consists of five pylons arranged along the road. The lower three spray water vapor when sensors indicate someone is walking through a red light.
"The machine has two systems with different functions. One is facial recognition; the other provides reminders and warnings," Wan Xinqiang, deputy head of publicity for the Daye public security bureau, was cited as saying.
Another system gives voice prompts about traffic light status. "If it senses someone running a red light, it will spray water vapor and warn pedestrians by voice and laser," Wan said.
When a passer-by stepped toward the red light, the sprinklers sprayed for a while, accompanied by red and green laser beams.
During the first three days of use, fewer people crossed against the red light, Wan said. "Although there were still some people occasionally running red lights, the equipment truely has had an obvious effect in preventing that."
Some netizens worried that the system's lasers and sprays would frighten pedestrians and create new dangers.
"To avoid the laser hurting children's eyes, we reduced the height from 1.2 meters to 0.8 meters. And because the spray is just water vapor, it will be safe for children and others," the official said, adding that the water in the sprinklers is clean and will be changed every day.
"If the equipment works well, we will utilize it throughout the city," Wan added.
