Driving insanity in China

[adrianlondon]

As I've pointed out before (probably on a cycling related thread) I found Beijing to be fine.

Drivers hoot to say they want to push in, change lanes, drive the wrong way down a one-way street or through a shopping centre (ok, not the last one, this isn't the Blues Brothers). The inconvenienced drivers simply let the cars in.

In London, cars push in silently, and all the other cars hoot.

I didn't have any problems in Beijing despite cycling almost every day, often from one side of town to the other. Priority goes to whoever doesn't look (or pretends not to look). Crazy rules, but rules nonetheless.

[optical]

Having been nearly killed as a pedestrian a multitude of times in Suzhou, all I can say is I understand how you all feel. Now if the government would implement a "free bicycle and motorcycle brakes replacement" program, I (and my ears) would feel a lot better about the sheer terror of the streets.

[nitropuppy]

Yeah "Optical" I know what you mean about the brakes. I've seen those three wheeled rickshaw type vehicles (usually electric or pedal power combo) trying to stop for emergency's. Usually it's a gringing noise of bald brake shoes followed by a "Fred Flintstone" emergency braking with the feet. And the obligatory Chinese cursing. For some cruel reason it makes me chuckle every time.

[Rincewind]

Actually the trikes don't usually use brake pads as you'd be familiar with. The break operates against the teeth of the cogs in the pedals rather than against the wheel. That is what gives you the characteristic crunching noise.

Today it snowed for the first time this year. The traffic instantly became madness. They were slipping and skidding everywhere at about 5 km/h. There's too many novice drivers who are driving on ice for the first time and don't know how to do it. You can see the wheels skid when the break but they don't lift off to control the skid. You also see them gunning the accelerator, spinning the wheels to start off rather than put the car in second and pull off gently. The more experienced taxi drivers just run rings around the rest of them.

[md1101]

You also see them gunning the accelerator, spinning the wheels to start off rather than put the car in second and pull off gently.

ooh thanks for the tip! i'll remember that if i'm ever driving on ice.

[magores]

Drive in China?

No. Thank you. But, no.

[fireball9261]

Drive in China?

No. Thank you. But, no.

I agree with you. I refuse to touch a car outside of U.S. and Canada.

[owshawng]

Taiwan's pretty bad too. I've spent about 3 months in Taiwan over the last 8 years and at least once a week I would see a pedestrian or motorcyclist laid out or a serious car accident. I think the driving rules are more like suggestions and the further you get from Taipei, the more anything goes. My personal favorites are the clowns on scooters who drive between the stopped bus and curb when people are trying to get on and off the bus. WTF? Those clowns should be fined and for a 2nd or 3rd offense stripped of their license and thrown in jail. My last trip to Taipei I stuck to the subway.

I worked in New York for over 5 years, gone there a few hundred times on weekends and can only remember coming across 2 or 3 pedestrian or serious car accidents. The serious car accidents in New York City seen to be mainly on the bridges and and the highways that feed into Manhattan (Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey) I also lived in Sydney, Australia for over 3 years and saw maybe 2 or 3 accidents a year.

[fireball9261]

One time in Taipei, I saw a most rediculous car accident. A motorcyclist refused to move away for a bus. Both drivers saw each other, and both were driving like < 1 mile per hour - basically in a speed slower than a baby's crawling speed. The whole of 2 minutes time between their seeing each other to the actual contact, both of them were staring at each other and refusing to move out of the way. Eventually, the bus hit the motorcyclist, and the motorcyclist fell on the ground. Outside of that, the motorcyclist was not hurt at all except for his pride and stupidity!!!