Proposal addresses parking dilemma of armored cash trucks

Armored trucks transporting cash should be allowed to break the law on occasion to ensure security, a member of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference said in a proposal submitted to this year’s session.

Chen Jinlong, a manager for security measures at China Guangfa Bank’s Shanghai branch, proposed armored cash trucks be treated as a special category in regard to local traffic rules.

Traffic police told Shanghai Daily the problem had been identified and measures to address it were being taken.

According to the rules covering the delivery of cash by armored trucks, a truck should be parked at a spot as close to its destination as possible.

“Such trucks are often ticketed by traffic police cameras or police officers in person because they usually have to park at least 10 minutes on the street,” Chen wrote. “Many delivery destinations are in downtown areas where law enforcement against illegal parking has been stepped up in the campaign to crack down on traffic offenses.”

To avoid being ticketed, in some cases trucks park farther away from their destinations and security guards have to walk a longer distance carrying cash. “The trucks’ surveillance system is supposed to be watching the delivery process, and security guards walking a long distance out of sight would be against the rules,” Chen added.

Wang Yi, head of Shanghai traffic police's accident prevention department, said police had been working with cash delivery companies to address the problem and some measures have been implemented.

“We advised companies to reroute trucks if necessary or deliver cash outside rush hours if possible, and disputed tickets for illegal parking will be canceled if they prove to be inevitable,” he said.