[lbo-talk] Europe Stifles Drivers in Favor of Mass Transit and Walking

[duh-roo]

It's a matter of culture. In the states, people expect drivers and
pedestrians to regulate their movement by formal significations, so many
people don't actually pay much attention to their neighbors in the streets,
relying instead on traffic lights, lanes etc to keep them safe. In China
(and most of Asia) both drivers and pedestrians go where they like, when
they like, and rely on themselves and each other to keep aware and not
collide. As a consequence, people move slower, keep their heads on a swivel,
and traffic flows smoothly without stopping, though it may appear chaotic or
"anarchic" simply by looking at it--the way a flock of birds navigating
common air space might. This is shocking and uncomfortable to a westerner
not used to the practice, but it really isn't that difficult. I can't speak
for Shanghai, but here in Yongzhou, Hunan province, you can safely enter the
street whenever you like, drivers will see you and go around you, or you
will see them and pause to let them pass, everyone honks politely to let you
know they're coming, and no one gets hurt, though I have seen a few people
on the ground having fallen off their motorbike in bigger cities like
Changsha. Quick google on traffic accident stats suggest China's fatal
accidents as percentage of population is a bit lower than America's.

On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 3:35 AM, Bill Quimby <quimbywm at gmail.com> wrote:


> There was an article in the New Yorker a few years back about driving
> in China. Totally anarchic. It was suggested that they find it difficult to
> accept the idea of turning on headlights at night.
>
> - Bill
>
>
> On 10/23/2011 12:15 PM, michael perelman wrote:
>
>> I just returned from Shanghai. Walking there is dangerous.  Cars have the
>> right of
>> way, no matter what.  I saw a dead pedestrian.
>>
>>
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