"These roads are insane"...

...we thought, as we speeded in our taxi from Beijing airport to our hostel... weaving in and out, moving into gaps that weren't there, overtaking in a hands-in-front-of-the-eyes kind of way, horns beeping constantly... The last bit was best of all as we drove down a narrow pedestrianised street at about 40mph, just beeping the horn to let people know they should leap out of the way. We never worked out if the Chinese are the worst or the best drivers in the world because despite all of this, we saw little evidence of bumps and scrapes.


Our observations:
1) Rules mean nothing.
2) Lanes and lights are for decorative purposes only.
3) Always look directly ahead, even when pulling into traffic across several lanes.
4) Before you turn, pull out, etc, just beep your horn, this removes the need to actually look or wait for a gap.

As such, crossing the road can be a terrifying experience. Even when there are 'red and green man' lights, it is purely to lull you into a false sense of security. There will never be a clear gap and no one will ever stop for you, so the only way to cross the road in China is just to slowly start walking out, even when it is a 6 lane plus road with traffic coming from all directions. Mental. We usually try to position some locals between us and the traffic as a kind of shield :-) You then have to weave between the traffic and the drivers have to weave between you. Just don't make any sudden movements or you're dead.

Pete and Rach x