Rules of the road in China
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 appear to be 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 green crosswalk signs. You should not assume that you can cross the street just because it has a green light for the crosswalk. 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 via an elevated (elevated) pedestrian bridge, but if there are none nearby and you have to cross a street, you should wait until a group of other pedestrians are crossing the street and stay in the middle. group and you’ll be pretty 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 not regulated. Running red lights is also common, and when a driver runs a red light, he often honks his horn to warn other drivers that he is not stopping at the 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 blocked and unable to move, drivers still honk excessively. Fortunately, this doesn’t appear to incite road rage in China.
When you go do what you see. Don’t get any fanciful 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, it will cause more trouble and you will 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, the traffic is chaotic but there is some order in the chaos.
Let me explain. At first he rode dangerously because he was cautious and considerate of other bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicle traffic. But then I started noticing 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 I was actually 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 travels 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 a crosswalk, you will be rear-ended because no one would expect you to stop for a pedestrian. Pedestrians may jump out of the way when you honk. It’s much safer to bike and drive like everyone else.
The key points are worth reiterating:
Never show any consideration for anyone else, whether on foot, on a bicycle, or in a motor vehicle. Never give the other guy a break. At each and every opportunity, you need to root the nose of your vehicle and cut others off and never feel the least bit bad about cutting someone off, or making them slam on the brakes to avoid hitting you. Drive, walk, drive aggressively at all times. Everyone else reacts as if they know that you too will be driving, biking, or walking like the average person in China does. Any deviation from completely selfish driving, walking, or bicycling is likely to cause an accident because others will misinterpret your intention. Now that I’ve started riding a Chinese-style bike, I get to places much faster and it’s also much safer.
The only laws that are consistently enforced on China’s roads are the immutable laws of physics. A vehicle moving at a uniform velocity 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 way in China. Newton’s third law applied to traffic rules means that the largest and heaviest vehicle has the right of way. If you are on foot and someone on a bicycle is heading directly towards you, the combination of the weight of the bicycle and the bicyclist plus the speed of the vehicle = you had better jump out of the way. Conversely, if you are bicycling and you believe you have the right-of-way because you have a green light, but a faster, heavier vehicle challenges your right-of-way, then you must yield.
You shouldn’t think you’ll hit the China lottery jackpot if you get hit by a car. If you’re 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 the traffic jams.
The fastest and most comfortable way to get around is by electric bike. Almost all roads in and around Beijing have bicycle paths (bicycle lanes).
Legal Traffic Regulations for Bicycling in China
1. Pedestrians have the right-of-way over all vehicular traffic when pedestrians are in a designated crosswalk or within a crosswalk with a green light for crossing the street. Most of the roads have sidewalks on both sides that are prohibited for 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 may cross bike lanes when exiting or entering 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 walking on bike paths, often two or three deep, which generally impedes bike traffic. About 20% of people seem to be walking the bike paths, while about 80% seem to be obeying the law. The 20% who do walk on the bike paths manage to considerably slow down bicycle traffic.
2. When there is a traffic jam, which is practically 24/7, occasionally some daring car drivers run long distances in the bicycle lanes. The police often stop the 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 vehicles clearly marked handicapped, are prohibited from riding in the bike lanes. But most of the time, motorcyclists and scooter riders will race on the highway when the traffic is faster there, but they will often jump into the bike lanes when the traffic on the highway is slower than the traffic in the lane. for bicycles. Motorcyclists also seem to get away with getting through most traffic lights.
These motor vehicle drivers throw their heads back and act like they are the kings of the road on the bike lanes. They continually honk their horns and act like they own the bike paths. Their attitudes seem to be: “How dare mere bicycles get in my way! I’m a rich man who can afford a motorcycle and you poor peasants on cheap little bikes are getting in my way! You’d better disperse like 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 cyclists want to go in the opposite direction, they must cross the street and take the bike path in the desired direction. In practice, most people are on the right path on one-way cycle lanes. However, about 1% of all cyclists ride against the flow of traffic, going in the opposite direction to the other 99%. There are so many bikes in China that about 1% of cyclists riding the wrong way on one-way bike lanes equals a lot of bikes. The bottom line is that you’re unlikely to make it through even one city block without running into 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 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 changed for size and power. I got the electric bike which was the biggest, strongest, heaviest and had the most powerful motor. My new bike is built like an M1A1 Abrams battle tank. Now I only honk my horn and shoot when I see someone going the wrong direction and heading straight for me. They will get out of the way.
With all that said, the electric bike is still the fastest legal way to get around in Beijing. If you come for the Olympic Games or for any reason, I welcome you to Beijing.