traffic patterns

I have noticed many times that traffic flows differently in China. It can be different in different parts of a city and I am sure drivers and traffic in different cities have different styles of driving.  But wherever I watch traffic in China I see a continuous flow of movement of all types – walkers, bikers, scooters, riders, driver, boater, everyone going from here to there. For me at least, there is something very beautiful about it.  Something natural, like watching a river flow.   Without trying to compare people to animals, there is a more animated feel to it, a spontaneous, coordinated activity rather than one controlled by authority in the form of signs.  The rational internal choice seems to be first; the sign to be used by people who can not otherwise think what to do at that position.

Yes, I know the difference could be that I am in the traffic here and just watching it as an outsider in China.  You can make the case back to me if you think it is only that.

From my limited time watching traffic in China I see a real difference from the general pattern in the United States. In the US traffic tends to follow the rules, mostly, sometimes cut it close on a yellow light or go a few miles over the speed limit or in the middle of the night slow down and slide through a stop sign.  In China it appears that the traffic lights and signs and indicators of all types are just that – indicators.  If no cars are coming through a green light the cars usually just sneak across through the red with little hesitation, until another car comes for the green side.  And even then, if it has been a while the car with the green light might have to be a little aggressive about getting through.  In general that car with the green light would be driven by a person who gives no indication that they are going to slow down or stop for the green light.  The other drivers sense this, glimpse this, however briefly, and they make way.

So in general, they use every opportunity to move forward in their journey, take advantage of unused space and time, they maximize everything.  Here we spend a lot of time sitting at red lights when no one is coming because we are conditioned and trained to do so.  Which one is better or safer is not really the question here.  I just wonder why it works there and not here.

One of the amazing things to see in China is a near miss between any two conveyances. When I see a near miss I usually think something like “oh that guy in the truck is an asshole” or whatever fits the situation.  Maybe “that bitch just pushed that other guy out of her way” might randomly pop up in my head. I feel the need to attribute blame, identify a victim, theorize about the personality and intentions of the participants. But that is only in my head. There on the street something different happens – nothing. Neither driver/rider/walker seems to be upset or sorry or makes any effort to communicate anything.  No one apologizes.  No one accuses, even with a glance. Everyone moves on as efficiently as possible.  The event disappears as quickly as it appeared.  No energy is left behind.

I don’t have enough data yet on what happens when people actually collide.  After only several months spent in China to date I have only witnessed one collision. This fact alone is of interest to me.  But in the one instance where I did see two motor scooters collide, in the rain, in downtown Shanghai at the end of a food market street, I saw the woman and her scooter go over on its side and the 5 or 6 foot tall mountain of boxes on the back of it scattered all over the street.  The man on the other scooter stopped, got off his scooter, went to the woman and helped her up.  As they talked, people all around also stopped their bikes to help and more came from nearby shops.  They all picked up the scooter and the boxes, re-stacked the boxes on the scooter and tied them down, then helped the woman back on the scooter who looked like she was ready to go — and off everyone went.  No energy was left behind.

So I know it is obvious to everyone from the title, but I will say it anyway. The thing that makes all this work so well in China is that they do not get emotional about it, they don’t feel much about it personally. What might generate a “you fucking cut in front of me and now you are going to drive 5 mph???” from a driver in the USA gets a different reaction in China: no emotion, no feelings, no internal energy, nobody feels wronged, and no one feels driven to somehow communicate to a stranger that they are the dumbest fuck on Earth.

So is this communism?  Is that the difference here?  Seems unlikely.

At least this helps me understand why I am enthralled watching traffic go by on any street in China.  And I am not just watching for a collision!

18-JAN-2019 – Just adding a few new observations.  Here in the USA I notice two areas where we have loosened up the way things work so that people can make their own decisions like they seem to in china.  One is “right turn on red after stop” which gives drivers a little leeway, if they want it.  The other is the latest craze (here in the Atlanta metro area at least) of putting in “roundabouts”.  The roundabout is essentially a structured way to let people come through an intersection without any control other than everyone following the agreed upon rules.  Much like what happens naturally in some other cultures.  Roundabouts seem to be used a lot in China too.

David Geiger, Johns Creek, Georgia, USA