A lawmaker suggested the government should improve the Shenzhen Railway Station's design in a proposal submitted to the Fourth Municipal People's Congress.

Traffic at the railway station has always been a big concern for commuters, especially expatriates who often travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong via the railway station.

In a recent letter to the Shenzhen Daily, the newspaper’s reader Kurt W. Astor wrote: "The Luohu Station Terminal is a big mess, and I try to avoid it now, whenever I can."  Astor complained about the difficulty of finding taxies and understanding unclear road signs.

In her proposal, Xiao Youmei said the Metro that opened last December did not reduce the traffic chaos at the railway station, where buses are queuing up and cars operating illegally. As the private cars were not allowed to enter, citizens found it quite inconvenient to meet and see off people there, said Xiao.

She also pointed out that the landscaping occupied too much space, leaving too little space for traffic.

Xiao suggested increasing public traffic space and parking spaces for private cars.

"The design of the railway station should be revised to ease the traffic pressure there."

"I will file the suggestion again next year if it is not properly handled this year," she said.

(Shenzhen Daily June 3, 2005)