"The green lights don't last long enough for older people. My husband is 88, and so I always pay extra attention to the traffic when we go shopping at the supermarket on the other side of the road from our community.

It's a four-lane road and not very wide, but we still need to wait for the light to change to green so we don't waste a single second crossing the road. In the morning and evening, one traffic police officer stands on duty - that's less than adequate.

Usually, we link arms; my husband looks right and I look left. We warn each other of cars coming from apparently nowhere. We are always very nervous when crossing the road. Sometimes we need to run a little to finish crossing before the light turns yellow. It's risky.

We deliberately avoid going out during the rush hours, because a huge crowd of school students floods into the road.

Cars, electric bicycles and flocks of students with their parents; I know I shouldn't complain, but living in the city as a senior citizen means being more careful on the street."

Yang Yukun, 80, from the Dongcheng district of Beijing

"I always think the traffic in Beijing is lethal for pedestrians. In the US, when you have a green light, cars in your direction can't make a right or left turn. Only pedestrians can cross the street.

But in China, you have cars coming in both directions and they can make either a left or a right turn into the intersection. People already crossing have to stop in the middle of the road. Sometimes there's not enough time. Drivers will honk their horns and force you out of the way.

It's probably only in the Sanlitun district that you don't need to stop and wait for cars to pass - and that's only because there are so many pedestrians. Taxi drivers hate the place.

The problem is caused by poor traffic administration. In years past, there were not so many cars on the street and it was possible to use the lights this way. But these days, with so many cars, it's unfair that pedestrians have to face danger while crossing the street."

David Moser, a US citizen who has lived in China for more than 20 years.