Don't cycle, or drive, or ride a motorbike...

[CopperBrompton]

I'm beginning to think that nobody reads my posts!

Who said that?

 

[moggsy100]

omg thats seriously shocking footage... especially the very last one where the car does a jump into the building.. thank god they never came into contact with a pedestrian at that speed...

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I'm beginning to think that nobody reads my posts!

I have never actually seen some of those things before such as getting bumped from behind, so that was interesting if a bit worrying to watch.
Had to laugh at the last one though which I think was probably the point.

 

[marzjennings]

I spent a few weeks working in China in 2005, walking to work every day and it was scary watching how the traffic politics more than road markings or signs controlled the traffic. The worst were the executives in their new chauffeur driven Mercedes. They would just pull out into traffic and expect the rest of the traffic to stop and avoid them and, amazingly, it would. No one wanted to ding the exec's car. I saw one Mercedes drive half a mile up the wrong side of the street just because the lane they wanted to use was full. I got a lift one morning and it was one of the most terrible trips ever, the driver spent the entire 3 miles turned around and talking to me. Telling me how fantastic the car was while I could see peds and cyclists diving for cover as we sped through school zones and a quiet neighbourhood. Thankfully we hit no one. I made sure to leave early for work and walk after that.

 

[darkstar]

I spent a few weeks working in China in 2005, walking to work every day and it was scary watching how the traffic politics more than road markings or signs controlled the traffic. The worst were the executives in their new chauffeur driven Mercedes. They would just pull out into traffic and expect the rest of the traffic to stop and avoid them and, amazingly, it would. No one wanted to ding the exec's car. I saw one Mercedes drive half a mile up the wrong side of the street just because the lane they wanted to use was full. I got a lift one morning and it was one of the most terrible trips ever, the driver spent the entire 3 miles turned around and talking to me. Telling me how fantastic the car was while I could see peds and cyclists diving for cover as we sped through school zones and a quiet neighbourhood. Thankfully we hit no one. I made sure to leave early for work and walk after that.

Some of the driving is pretty dangerous, but when I was out there, I never saw a single accident, I even cycled and hitched a lift on a ped.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Jesus - I'm not even sure what side of the road they are supposed to drive on looking at that footage!!

 

[Stephenite]

Some of the driving is pretty dangerous, but when I was out there, I never saw a single accident, I even cycled and hitched a lift on a ped.

I've heard of 'walking taxis' in Thailand, but you have to pay.

You managed to find someone to carry you on their back for free?!

 

[darkstar]

I've heard of 'walking taxis' in Thailand, but you have to pay.

You managed to find someone to carry you on their back for free?!

Yeh i managed to wrangle the odd free lift, I also met a chinese bloke who let me know about the illegal (but very cheap) taxi service, where you hitch a lift on motorbikes around town.

 

[fossyant]

It looked like most of them, cyclists, drivers, moped riders, peds, weren't even looking where they were going or seemed interested....some right comical moments there.....

 

[benb]

Some of those are quite amusing, like the ped at 2m.

 

[HLaB]

Some of those are quite amusing, like the ped at 2m.

I couldn't understand the driver though. Judging from his speed, etc he knew his way was blocked, so what did he do drive into him

 

[swee'pea99]

As Buggi says, the most striking thing to me is the apparent complete absence of any system of road markings to indicate who has to give way to whom - even more basic than road signs/lights in terms of enabling North-South and East-West traffic to negotiate a passage safely, I would have thought. If every crossroads in China is like these, the easily-avoidable costs must be absolutely astronomical. (Ok, so it's funny!)

 

[CopperBrompton]

[quote name='swee'pea99' timestamp='1282732828' post='1374314']
As Buggi says, the most striking thing to me is the apparent complete absence of any system of road markings to indicate who has to give way to whom[/quote]
In theory, such crossings are 4-way stops. In practice, they appear to be 4-way go ...

As an aside, I was in San Francisco recently, where most non-traffic-light junctions are 4-ways stops. Pedestrians have right of way, and after that there appears to be an (unofficial?) system where traffic takes it in turn in an anti-clockwise fashion. It all worked very well.

I enjoyed cycling there, though I have to say enjoyed the waterside paths rather more than cycling some of the roads ...

 

[benb]

San Fran is one of the few places I completely fell in love with and would like to live there. It feels more European than American.

 

[PpPete]

All Chinese cyclists routinely RLJ as matter of course, but I never saw any prangs in 10 days travelling, mind you the traffic (esp in Shanghai) was so congested it was quicker to walk most places.