Two Driving Schools in Qingdao Circumvent Regulations for Practice Areas, Transport Management Bureau: Requires Provincial Expert Group Approval
March 1st marked the first day of implementation of the "Qingdao Motor Vehicle Driver Training Management Regulations." I visited three sites reported by citizens near Huishui Road and Zhengzhuang in Licang District, as well as near Qingjiang Road in Sifang District. It was found that some driving school vehicles were practicing on public roads, while others had simply cordoned off a piece of land to conduct training...
On Huishui Road: Two driving schools practicing subject three
Around 1 PM on March 1st, I arrived at Huishui Road in Licang District where I saw two yellow driving school cars practicing. One belonged to Qingdao Keda Jeteng Motor Vehicle Driver Training Co., Ltd., and the other to Qingdao Rongchen Haiquanda Driving Training School.
I subsequently stopped a vehicle from Qingdao Rongchen Haiquanda Driving Training School and observed a coach sitting in the passenger seat without carrying a coach certificate. He told me, "The coaching certificate is only used during exams. We use cards now, don't I have a coach card here?" When asked why they were practicing on Huishui Road, the coach replied, "There are many students learning to drive and limited resources at the driving school. There's no other way. In order to train the students well, we come here under the premise of ensuring student safety."
Practice area near Zhengzhuang: Five training vehicles from Tengfei Driving School
At around 3:30 PM, behind the Zhengzhuang Industrial Building in Licang District, I saw a practice area. Some parts of the ground were paved with asphalt, while most of it was a gravel road. On the practice field, there were five yellow driving school cars and one white sedan. Several students stood inside the field watching the learners practice.
In a simple shed at the edge of the field, I met a coach from Tengfei Driving School who introduced himself, saying, "Our driving school is on Chongqing Road. The school has four fields in total, but I don't know if this field has usage certification."
At the practice site, I saw two rudimentary small sheds. For the reverse parking position, there were several poles set up. The field also had facilities for practicing single-edge bridges and hill starts. There were about a dozen people standing in the field, but since the coaches weren't wearing identification, I couldn't tell who was a coach and who was a student.
Practice area near Huai'an Road: A section of land with nothing but practice equipment
At around 4 PM, I came to the Hongshijiaju residential area near Huai'an Road. Beside a row of bungalows, there was an empty lot where white lines were painted on the ground. However, there were no fences or other equipment, just facilities for practicing single-edge bridges and a small dirt slope. On one side of the field, there was a white shack containing some drinks and food.
Although I didn't see any driving school vehicles practicing on-site, Mr. Wang, who lived nearby, told me, "There were driving school vehicles practicing here at noon today. It's already past 4 PM, and it's raining, so the practice vehicles must have left."
Qingdao Transportation Management Bureau: The practice area requires provincial expert group approval
Based on the investigation, I contacted the Qingdao Road Transport Administration. Mr. Liu from the Driver Training Department introduced the situation, saying, "Practicing subject three on public roads isn't a problem if it's in a designated area by the police department. The practice area near Zhengzhuang belongs to Tengfei Driving School, and temporarily practicing there isn't a problem, but they will eventually need to return to their original practice area. As for the practice area on Huai'an Road, it lacks any facilities and is clearly not a legal practice area."
"The requirements for driving school practice areas are very strict and must be approved by a provincial expert group. Only after the expert group's approval can it be registered with our local transportation management department," Mr. Liu informed me.
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