A brisk walking team in Linyi City, east China’s Shandong Province was not hemmed in by a serious car crash which happened last Saturday, leaving one of a 30-people walking team dead.
Instead, this team has fully geared up for a night of brisk-walking on roads.
A video made public by Beijing News, a Beijing-based newspaper on Weibo, showed nearly 100 people walking briskly to a dynamic melody on a road on Thursday night.
All of them were seen wearing a reflective vest, while two in the first row were holding a glowing baton to indicate directions and warn drivers.
On the morning of July 8, a man from a brisk walking team was killed by a taxi which crashed into them from the back.
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A forklift joined and escorted this walking team from the back and members carried a huge flag reading “Hongbusi Walking Team affiliated with the Shanying Outdoor Sports Association”.
The association was the same organizer for the walking group which was involved in the accident.
Having noticed the latest activity, the head of the association, surnamed Xu, failed to dissuade the team members from walking.
“I intended to suspend the activity but they said they needed to work out," Xu told the Beijing News.
Brisk walking never really caught on in China, but has been been thrust into the public eye ever since the accident, triggering a debate over who should shoulder the blame.
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“The driver, of course, takes the blame. Is it reasonable to thrust into people? What’s wrong with the society?” @Zhonghuanvde commented via Weibo.
“You can walk but why take up the vehicle lanes?” @Zhaogewangu wrote.
“The driver, the organizer and the injured all should be liable for the accident. Expected the result but personally I think the organizer should take the most blame,” @Linyimili said.
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Regarding the sharp judgment from the public, Xu earlier explained that the team had no choice but to walk on the road due to the sidewalks being under repair.
The Linyi Traffic Police, which has been handling the case, made a preliminary statement on Weibo a day after the accident, saying one person died, and two others were injured in the accident, and the driver had been detained for reckless driving.
Police investigation is still ongoing.
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