China subway riders feel like sardines!
An advertisement on Beijing’s subway proclaiming
“Squeezed in?! Go and buy a car then!” has angered
passengers who said it only encourages traffic jams,
REUTERS Beijing is reporting Feb. 16th.
The advertisement, written in large white letters on a red background,
is also contrary to the Beijing city government’s aim of getting more
people to take public transport, the official Beijing Daily said.
“The company sees subway passengers as potential customers,
but the scornful tone of the advertising language exposes a lack
of interest in human feelings behind a meticulous design,”
a female passenger surnamed Liu was quoted as saying.
“Isn’t this out of tune with environmental protection?”
it quoted a subway passenger surnamed Yang.
Some Internet users have come up with their own versions
of the advertisement’s slogan, the newspaper said, proposing:
“Stuck in a traffic jam? Then take the subway!.”
But the storm of criticism against the advert,
which does not identify the company or organization behind it,
may have just the effect the advertisers were looking for,
the report added.
“If they only cared about getting eyeballs rather than the impact
it would have on people and society, has it not been effective?”
the newspaper quoted unnamed experts as saying.
Beijing is spending billions of dollars expanding and upgrading
its subway network ahead of this year’s Olympic Games,
and wants to encourage more people to take trains and buses
to help deal with worsening crowds.
Better yet, everyone in China, go buy a car!
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