Weigh the pros and cons of new things

URBAN PATROL OFFICERS IN NANCHANG, East China's Jiangxi province, have impounded a total of 26,000 short-time hire bikes illegally parked on the city's streets. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Monday:

The provincial capital's tough response to the illegally parked bikes has reignited the debate over how to manage the station-less, GPS-enabled hire bikes that have become a common sight in Chinese cities. Some argue that the authorities should adopt an open attitude toward the bikes as they are part of the sharing economy, and the Nanchang urban patrol officers risk a serious waste of resources by withholding that many bikes. Others argue the bikes are a nuisance and are just a new business model for hiring bikes rather than part of a sharing economy.

While the authorities should keep an open mind to new things, they should not turn a blind eye to their downsides either.