A cyclist aged in his 50s who was injured in an accident Friday evening between the West Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads died on his way to hospital after vehicles in rush-hour traffic refused to give way to the ambulance carrying him. The ambulance took 40 minutes to travel less than 3 kilometers to the hospital. Many motorists refused to let the ambulance reenter traffic after the driver tried to take a bicycle lane, only to discover it was blocked by an illegally parked car. The cyclist's death follows recent findings from a survey of Beijing motorists that found half of respondents regularly refuse to give way to ambulances. The Municipal Health Bureau said on Saturday that it has started to draft a regulation giving ambulances priority on the road that could take effect next year. Those who block the way of ambulances on duty might be punished by law in the future.

@Daniel maidoudou: December 7 was a Friday, and traffic is terribly jammed at 6 pm on Fridays! There must be room for other motorists to move before they can give way to ambulances. The congestion was so terrible. Relevant traffic departments were not held accountable, but rather the morality issue was emphasized. Why don't the media just say the life was lost due to the poor equipment of the ambulance and its inability to fly?

@Fengzhizi: Who is responsible for Beijing's congestion? Who is managing the traffic? Who is responsible for emergency vehicle lanes being used by motorists? The public now is taking the blame for the inaction of the government. How shameful is that?

@Caijing (magazine): The main issue is not that other cars didn't give way to the ambulance, but rather that there was no room for them to do so because the road was too congested. Condemning the morality of motorists over a traffic management issue does not help address the root cause of the problem.

@Xuzhixiang: People should give way to ambulances even if they risk violating traffic rules because someday motorists might find they are the ones lying in an ambulance depending on motorists to give way.

@Yuedushangqiuzhi: People are becoming colder to each other and warmth between people can no longer be felt. If this situation continues, how will society turn out? Beijing has long suffered traffic jams. Instead of abiding by the rules and waiting, some motorists take shortcuts by using emergency vehicle lanes. They manage to save time by doing this, but others who abide by the rules are inconvenienced.

@Linfengpeixun: Don't even think about counting on motorists' morality! City buses have a special lane, so why don't ambulances that save lives have one, too?

@Liyaningyihoubudeliaole: Nowadays, some ambulances drive with sirens blaring even when they are not on duty or carrying patients.