What's in a list?
You really don’t need to know this.
When Bruce came round this afternoon compiling a list of those of us who ride bikes, I got a sinking feeling that someone has decided we need a lecture on road safety. Road safety in China? What the hell are the road rules here? Cars at least obey the traffic lights (unless they’re turning right), and valiant men and women armed with flags make others stop at intersections because the electric bike people and cyclists think the pretty lights are optional. In fact, to them, all the rules are optional.
There’s a hierarchy of size, but that’s a custom not a law. Riding the wrong way and riding on the pavement are also popular customs. It’s also a popular custom among the police to turn a blind eye to such indiscretions.
Pedestrian crossings are a joke because the people crossing pay little attention to the cars and the cars pay little attention to the pedestrians.
I’ve been riding a bike here for about five years now and have three basic rules:
- Go when it’s safe.
- Expect traffic to come from the other direction.
- Pay attention because no one else is.
My custom is to go like a bat out of hell so long as it doesn’t conflict with the Mr Bamboo’s Three Laws of Cycling.
Quite a few more of us are riding bikes than I realised. For the past two years it’s mainly been me (oh, and there was Mr Blather-On last year), but suddenly most of us seem to have them. Possibly my run-in with Ben the other day was a coincidence, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that has spurred the school to want to interfere in our existence.
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