Chengdu traffic: Organized chaos or just chaos?
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A lot can be said about the traffic in China. Of course it produces deafening noise and causes unsolvable pollution, but there is more to be said about the way Chinese people drive. In particular, the inhabitants of a city called Chengdu in the Sichuan Province.
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A crossroad in Chengdu |
Something a European will undoubtedly notice when setting foot on Chinese soil for the very first time in their life, is the flow of the traffic – or in many cases the lack there of. Of course problems are to be expected when thousands of cars and mopeds are forced through the same bottlenecks every day. While traffic is more organized and civilized in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, Chengdu's drivers can surely be categorized as drivers from hell!
Traffic rules? There aren't any!
It was 1955 when China's Ministry of Public Security issued the first traffic regulations. The regulations were vague and upon violation, punishments were not heavy. In 1988 the rules were revised, but it was only done on paper. There wasn't a real law when it came to controlling traffic.
Regulations for driving on expressways were eventually added in 1990, but the real breakthrough came when the Road Traffic Safety Law was issued. Surprisingly, the bill was passed only "recently" in late 2003 – taken into effect in 2004, but at least it included a compulsory vehicle insurance and a point system for violations.
However, when observing one of the many busy intersections in Chengdu, it seems like traffic regulations are not to be found. Overall, Chinese people are warm, friendly and will do just about anything to please you. But as soon as they get behind the wheel of their car or climb onto their moped, all good intentions fly out the window. By definition, individuality ranks highest and it becomes a racing game, where the basic rule is "I have to get from A to B, and you better not get in my way.".
Concert of car horns
When giving way, Gandalf's "You shall not pass!" comes into effect, simply because Chinese drivers live the motto "I will go first and I'll honk my horn repeatedly to make sure you understand that".
Letting people cross the street is another fine example of Chinese impatience. Even when walking at a green light, unknowing tourists risk being run over by mopeds with engines so quiet you don't even hear them coming. Silent killers they call them, a justified nickname. And you better jump aside, because they won't stop!
And just when you think you've survived the moped lane, you will find a bumper of a taxi so close to your calf, you think he gets paid for running you over. What happened to having the right to walk at the green light?
Grand Theft Auto, Chengdu Edition
Driving on the highway is just as fun. As well as within city limits, indicators are rarely used and apparently it is okay to overtake someone both on the left as well as on the right. This happens mainly because on a three-lane road, people just pick whichever lane they please. Even though – according to the signs, the right lane is meant for trucks driving a maximum of 80 km/h, the middle lane for lorries going 100 km/h and the faster left lane for cars going up to 120 km/h.
Indicators do finally get used when heavy rain or fog limits visibility. You would think a driver will turn on his headlights, perhaps even use the high beam in cases of very thick fog. But no, the Chinese will drive with their double indicators flashing! "It makes the car more visible to other road users," said Sichuan native Yang Yang. "In addition, when I overtake a car in bad weather, I honk my horn to make sure the other car notices me."
Perhaps you're wondering what the reason is behind this crazy driving. Partly, Chengdu's taxi drivers are to blame for this. Taxi drivers have to pay a daily fee to the taxi company in order to use the vehicle – sometimes up to 100 yuan. So, the first five or six rides of the day are needed to break even. Understandably, they also want to make some money, so their first priority is to deliver the customer at their destination as fast as possible. Breaking some of the traffic rules is their last concern. The other road users else just adapted to this driving style, making Chengdu's traffic chaotic and dangerous.
When getting into a Chengdu taxi, one can only hope it's an organized chaos and the drivers of the almost 13.000 taxis know what they're doing. Better hold on tight to the handle, because seat belts are another thing that are generally not used …
The author is an editor with radio86.com, a Finnish media that provides news about China.
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