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Ní hăo!
I felt that I had to write a short post about the roads and traffic here in China, as it is just so different from the roads at home. I'll start with the different modes of transport:
The most popular vehicle here in China is definitely the e-bike (see pic). They look like mopeds but are run purely on electricity, and can be recharged by plugging them into the nearest available socket. They are reasonably prices at £200+ depending on model, colour, accessories etc. Most e-bikes have an umbrella/sunshade attachment (as can be seen) and these also come in a wide array of colours and styles. Lucie and I got to ride with our waibans on their e-bikes when they took us to the police department to register in the area.
Next popular would be bikes. There are hundreds of these on the roads and seem to have their own set of rules. In Beijing, bike lanes were the same size as a normal lane to cope with the amount of bikes (plus e-bikes and tuc-tucs use them). In some places, the bike lanes were spearated from the rest of the traffic by a small barrier, or islands of earth. Here in Yihuang there are only bike lanes on some of the roads, but the other traffic just uses them as well - often to park in, which makes life interesting. Lucie and I were lucky enough to be gifted bikes from the school, but sometimes cycling is an...interesting...experience.
Other vehicles such as cars and lorries were much more popular in Beijing than they are here. There still are plenty of each, trust me. There's the tuc-tucs - like taxis, for within the area - these are basically bikes with a box built over it with seats in the back :P And then a whole array of other vehicles which I just can't describe. I will try to get some photos and make a Vehicle Album.
Okay, so the rules of the road? Suggestions. That's how it seems anyway.
First off, in China, you drive on the right side of the road. In the big cities, where this is enforced by barriers etc on the road, that's fine. Not here in Yihuang. You drive on the right hand side of the road, unless it suits you to drive on the left. I have seen e-bikes on the left hand side of the road, just swerving to avoid all the oncoming traffic and not being phased by it in the slightest.
Secondly, lane markings are just...I don't know why they have lane markings here. Most roads have at least 2 lanes on either side. But some vehicles just drive slap bang in the middle, perfectly half on either side of the line. This is more noticable in the bigger vehicles, which I could understand, but plenty of cars do it too.
Third, traffic lights. Here in Yihuang, the roads are set out in a sort of grid patter, so every junction is a cross-junction (+). The inside lane is for going to the left or straight ahead, and the right hand lane is for turning right. Sounds perfectly fine. Right?...Wrong. The traffic lights have a countdown so you know how long you'll be sitting there if it's red, or how long you can still go for if you are approaching. But if the lights are red and you want to go, you just do. Right hand lanes always have a green light from what I have seen, so you have to be aware for traffic coming from the other lanes which have green lights on both lanes. You just have to watch out for traffic full stop. 100% of the time. I have seen vehicles go from all 4 junction entrances at once, vehicles in the left hand lane turning right, vehicles in the right hand lane turning left. Bikes sweeping through the rest - as I said, bikes seem to have their own rules.
And finally, the use of horns is a little bit odd. In the UK, horns are used to alert others to your presence. Here in China? They seem to use them however they please. Some drivers beep the horns almost constantly as they drive, others seem to randomly beep for no reason. I have seen vehicles beep their horns at an empty road, and then not use them as another vehicle crosses their path pretty close in front of them. Cars often beep their horns at the e-bikes and bicycles, wanting them to move further over towards the pavement.
A few other things I have noticed whilst out and about - there are speed humps in random places on the road, but only ever on one side at a time, so instead of going over them, vehicles just drive around them! (I will admit, Lucie and I have started to do this on our bikes, as they are not pleasant to ride over). Vehicles expect to have to stop rather suddenly - bikes, e-bikes and people just cut across all paths, and junctions with no lights are even more hazardous than the ones with lights. So, though it has come close a few times, we have never been touched by another vehicle.
Another thing I spotted today was a woman on her e-bike in front of me just stopped rather suddenly, so I had to swerve around her. Looking over my shoulder at her, I saw her pull her phone from her bag and answer it. At least she had stopped...but in the middle of the lane on the road!
Okay, this blog turned out slightly longer than I originally planned, but there is just so much which happens all the times on the roads here. I have begun to get used to the differences, but some things I will just never be able to fully understand the reasons behind.
Oh well, I wanted to experience a different culture, and that's exactly what I am doing!
Until next time,
Zàijiàn x
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