Difficult to understand public signs are the worst problem in Shanghai, according to a poll of expatriates in the city.

The poll, which the Customer Evaluation Centre of the Shanghai Quality Association conducted last year among 503 expatriates and foreign tourists, showed that many think Shanghai should make its signs clearer and more prominent.

Canadian Iain Marlow often gets lost on the subway. "I often find myself circling around when changing lines because there are no clear signs," he said.

Wanda Fox, of the United States, thinks the English translations do not give as much information as their Chinese equivalents.

Many of those surveyed agreed that the number, location, design and language used in public signs should all meet international standards.

Air pollution and insufficient public facilities were also listed as needing attention.

Despite the negativity, the poll indicated that expatriates' view of the city's living environment has improved.

"This shows that Shanghai's efforts to improve its services and environment are bearing fruit," said Jiang Shudong, director of the evaluation centre.

The survey covered five aspects of Shanghai's urban development - urban facilities, service capacity, speed of service, quality of service staff and etiquette.

Catering quality, manners and fast currency conversion were said to be the most satisfactory areas.

Most of the people polled thought Shanghai could compete with other international cities, such as New York, London, Sydney and Singapore, in terms of living environment.

The official said the survey is part of the city's efforts to improve leading up to the 2010 World Expo. About half of those surveyed were from developed countries.

"We want to hear their voices to close the quality gap with developed countries," Jiang said.

(China Daily June 2, 2005)