The Ministry of Public Security yesterday announced that education would be the main method for dealing with motorists who run yellow lights and the use of penalty points as a punishment will be suspended.

This again drew public attention, after a storm of controversy was unleashed when the new traffic regulations took effect on January 1.

Some called the change a victory for public opinion, however this argument is a bit simple. It is more like a result of successful interaction between China's officials and the public.

No one can deny that cars are now better-behaved at traffic junctions than they were previously. Yellow lights cannot be viewed as merely a green light, this lesson has been impressed upon all drivers' minds. 

The new clause about yellow lights sparked intense controversy. The Ministry of Public Security continuously interacted with level-headed critical voices and accepted the fact that the implementation of this clause requires a transition period. This represents progress in China's democratic interactions. It has brought lessons as well as experiences.

The incident once again demonstrates that China is in a period when it is stumbling forward at high speed. It is quite difficult to manage current problems easily.

China is large and diverse. Goals we want to achieve are intertwined with things we have to manage. We will encounter resistance when we attempt to make breakthroughs.

Democratic methods of sharing public opinions are developing quite fast, but local governments lack experiences of this new environment. As a fairly new force in China, public opinion hasn't matured.

In addition, all levels of government are still driving the country's development, while ideas from the West say that the government controls too many areas of society. In reality, this idea conflicts with China's demands, but there really are problems in the government's work. These problems always become the focus of public opinion.

China's road traffic governance has made a lot of progress in recent years. However, this progress has been dwarfed by traffic jams in major cities. The people driving on the roads are the ones whose voices are the loudest, but they suddenly found themselves unable to run yellow lights.

New traffic regulations will no doubt promote the civilization of China's traffic situation. Interaction between officials and the public offers relief for China's various difficulties.

Communication between authorities and public airs all public views and provides us with a process by which we can reexamine the new regulation.

The new traffic regulation is a brave regulation. Although the clause about yellow lights has sparked controversy, our support and respect for this regulation should go beyond these controversies.

Even though the clause that gives drivers penalties for running yellow lights has been suspended, we should keep it in our hearts when driving. If we do so, all of us can benefit from this yellow light dispute.

Read more in Daily Specials: Yellow light law revs debate over traffic regs online