The 2008 Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China. I am an American and a resident of Beijing. I have prepared a small manual to familiarize visitors with the traffic situation in Beijing.
Drivers in China and especially in Beijing drive aggressively. It is common to cut off other vehicles. There is not much courtesy on the roads. Drivers in China seem comfortable with this type of driving. They seem to expect it from others and most engage in this type of aggressive driving.
Beijing drivers tend to pay attention to the green signs at pedestrian crossings. You should not assume that you can cross the street just because it has a green crosswalk light. Most drivers expect pedestrians to move out of their way, even when pedestrians have the legal right of way. The safest way to cross a street is across a pedestrian overpass, but if one isn’t nearby and you have to cross a street, you should wait until a group of other pedestrians are crossing the street and stay on the middle. group and you will be quite safe. You won’t be safe at all if you simply rely on the legal right of way as indicated by the green crosswalk light.
The horns are widely used. Drivers honk when entering an intersection to alert other drivers, especially if the intersection is unregulated. Running red lights is also common, and when a driver runs a red light, he will often honk his horn to warn other drivers that he is not stopping at a red light. Drivers all over China seem to be a bit “happy”. They usually use their horns to try to get other vehicles out of their way. Even when the car or cars in front of them are locked up and unable to move, drivers still honk excessively. Fortunately, this does not seem to incite road rage in China.
When you go, do what you see. Don’t get any fancy ideas that your traffic courtesy will become popular in China. You are not going to change the habits of a nation by trying to set a good example. In fact, you will cause more trouble and be more likely to have an accident trying to use American-style traffic courtesy in China.
It took me a while to get used to how things are here. But now I’m getting more and more into the swing of things. For example, traffic is chaotic but there is some order in the chaos.
Let me explain. At first he rode his bike dangerously because he was cautious and considerate of other bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicle traffic. But then I began to notice that when I was driving using common road courtesy (not extremely aggressive as is the standard way here) that other people didn’t know how to react and in fact I was creating a dangerous condition by being courteous and considerate because I caught others off guard. No one would expect you to let the other guy go first. No one would expect him to give anyone a break of any kind. If someone drives or rides showing common courtesy to others, they will almost certainly cause an accident because no one will expect it and their actions will anticipate that you will not show any courtesy. For example, if you stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk, you will be hit from behind because no one would expect you to stop for a pedestrian. Pedestrians can jump out of the way when you honk. It’s much safer to ride a bike and drive like everyone else.
The key points are worth reiterating:
Never show any consideration for any other person, whether on foot, on a bicycle or in a motorized vehicle. Never give the other guy a break. At each and every opportunity, you should root the nose of your vehicle and cut off others and never feel a little bad about cutting someone off, or having them slam on the brakes to avoid hitting you. Drive, walk, drive aggressively at all times. Everyone else reacts as if they know you too will drive, bike or walk like the average person in China does. Any deviation from completely selfish driving, walking or cycling is likely to cause an accident because others will misunderstand your intention. Now that I’ve started biking the Chinese way, I get places much faster and it’s also much safer.
The only laws that are consistently followed on China’s roads are the immutable laws of physics. A vehicle moving at a uniform speed in a straight line will remain in that state until some force is applied. Newton’s third law is the law that seems to rule the road in China. Newton’s third law applied to traffic rules means that the largest and heaviest vehicle has the right of way. If you’re on foot and someone on a bike is headed straight for you, the combination of the weight of the bike and the rider plus the speed of the vehicle = you’re better off jumping out of the way. Conversely, if you are riding a bicycle and believe you have the right-of-way because you have a green light, but a faster, heavier vehicle is challenging your right-of-way, then you must yield.
You shouldn’t think you’ll win the China lottery jackpot if you get hit by a car. If you are very lucky, your medical bills may be paid by the person at fault, but don’t expect any monetary rewards on top of the actual medical bills and/or repair bills. Medical costs are quite cheap in China. If you are seriously injured, you may be awarded $50 or more in damages, depending on the actual amount of your ambulance and hospital bills. There is no such thing as compensation for pain and suffering.
There have been some recent policy changes and incentives to encourage more people to use the public transportation system in Beijing, but these actions have not remedied traffic jams.
The fastest and most comfortable way to get around is by electric bike. Almost all roads in and around Beijing have bike paths (bike lanes).
Legal traffic rules for riding a bicycle in China
1. Pedestrians have the right of way over all vehicular traffic when the pedestrians are in a designated crosswalk or within a green-lighted crosswalk. Most of the roads have sidewalks on both sides that are off-limits to bicycles and are for the exclusive use of pedestrians.
2. Bike lanes are clearly marked and well defined. Only electric and pedal bikes are allowed on the bike lanes. Mopeds and all other vehicles with internal combustion engines are not allowed in the bike lanes.
3. Cars can cross the bike lanes when entering or exiting the road, but they are prohibited from driving on the bike lanes.
4. Motorcycles may circulate on the same roads as automobiles and other motor vehicles. Motorcycles are prohibited from using the bike lanes.
Reality of the Camino in China, and especially in Beijing
1. Pedestrians have plenty of room to walk on sidewalks, but many seem to prefer to walk on bike paths, and often two or three deep, which generally impedes bicycle traffic. About 20% of the people seem to be walking the bike paths, while about 80% seem to obey the law. The 20% who do walk on the bike lanes manage to considerably slow down bicycle traffic.
2. When there is a traffic jam, which is practically 24/7, some daring car drivers occasionally run long distances in the bike lanes. Police often stop cars and fine the driver if they see this transgression. It’s a different story with motorcycles and scooters. All motorized vehicles, with the exception of clearly marked handicapped vehicles, are prohibited from riding in the bike lanes. But most of the time, motorcyclists and scooter riders will race on the road when the traffic is faster there, but more often than not they will jump into the bike lanes when the traffic on the road is slower than the traffic in the lane. for bicycles. Motorcyclists also seem to get past most traffic lights with impunity.
These motor vehicle drivers throw their heads back and act like kings of the road on bike lanes. They continually honk their horns and act like they own the bike trails. Their attitudes seem to be: “How dare you simple bicycles get in my way! I’m a rich man who can afford a motorcycle and you poor peasants on cheap little bikes get in my way! You’d better scatter like hell!” chickens when the king of the road comes hurtling down this motorcycle lane.” Police rarely enforce laws that prohibit motorcycles and scooters from using bike lanes.
Bike lanes are almost always one way. If bicyclists want to go in the opposite direction, they must cross the street and take the bike lane in the desired direction. In practice, most people go the right way on one-way bike lanes. However, about 1% of all cyclists ride against the flow of traffic, going in the opposite direction from the other 99%. There are so many bikes in China that about 1% of oncoming cyclists on one-way bike lanes equates to a lot of bikes. The bottom line is that it’s unlikely you’ll make it through even a city block without encountering a bicyclist going the wrong way.
My first bike in China had a high-tech, lightweight aluminum alloy frame, with a smart-assist electric motor and a six-speed transmission, disc brakes, and a lightweight lithium battery. It was the best and lightest state-of-the-art electric bike available in Beijing at the time. After two collisions with other cyclists going the wrong way on one-way bike lanes, I traded in my fancy bike for a different kind of bike. I traded for size and power. I got the electric bike that was the biggest, the strongest, the heaviest and had the most powerful motor. My new bike is built like an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. Now I just honk my horn and shoot when I see someone going in the wrong direction and heading straight for me. They will get out of the way.
Having said all that, the electric bike is still the fastest legal way to get around in Beijing. If you are coming for the Olympic Games or for any reason, I welcome you to Beijing.
