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A laid-off worker from east China's Fujian Province has patented two inventions which are expected to make cloverleaf junctions more cost-effective and to relieve rush hour congestion at major intersections.
Liu Keqin, a high school graduate, presented his cloverleaf junction design in the Chinese capital Beijing at a forum where discussions are being held on how to improve the city's traffic conditions for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Liu's design, which incorporates his patented technology and features a less complicated structure and smaller angles for left and right turns, can hopefully reduce construction costs by at least one third. The design is praised by architects as a "state-of-the-art invention in keeping with today's world".
The idea to invent a simpler and faster cloverleaf junction occurred to Liu during a car ride to north China in 1993, when, confused by the complex flyovers and bridges, he and his colleague frequently lost their way.
Liu has devoted himself to improving cloverleaf junctions ever since, and in 1998, he completed the preliminary design for one that allows more direct turns and faster traffic flow.
Several road construction companies from the United States and Britain have shown interest in Liu's ideas and expressed willingness to carry out joint stock cooperation or to purchase his design and technology.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2002)
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