Correspondent of Gazeta.ru spent several days traveling on the roads of Chongqing and Beijing, and is ready to assert: China is one of the most dangerous countries for pedestrians and motorists without nerves of steel.
How many cars in China
The journey through China begins in Chongqing – one of the largest cities in the world, whose population including suburbs exceeds 30 million people. As soon as you step outside the hotel, your eyes start to wander from the huge number of unknown car logos. On one hand, each tries to look as bright and unusual as possible, and on the other, many suspiciously resemble emblems of world-famous brands.
Here is a golden bull on a red background referencing Lamborghini, here are black-and-red squares reminiscent of Cadillac, and nearby a sedan with gothic lions and a letter R with squiggles – clearly Chinese dreams of Rolls-Royce.
In our country, only a small fraction of Chinese car brands are known. Exactly how many there are, even market participants cannot say, citing around 150 brands. And collectively they produce a huge number of cars. According to Bloomberg, over the past two years, China assembled the most cars of any country: 22.1 million in 2013 and 23.7 million in 2014.
According to expert forecasts, this year will again be a record, with the figure rising above 25 million units. The vast majority of cars are sold on the local market, but due to 1.37 billion residents, most of whom will never be able to afford even the most basic car, the percentage of personal vehicle ownership is many times lower than in Europe, let alone the US. Nevertheless, the size of China's vehicle fleet is still impressive: at the end of 2014, 154 million cars were registered in the country.
On the road – only on your designated days
The Chinese side immediately warned that both in Chongqing and Beijing we would encounter huge traffic jams. That is not surprising: in Beijing, the car fleet exceeds 2 million vehicles, and the same situation is observed in at least ten other cities, including Shanghai. Another 35 cities in China have a million cars each. However, as it turned out, driving through the center of Chongqing on a weekday morning was not that difficult, and later, to reach the destination outside the city, it was enough to get onto the expressway, where you could race at 90 km/h.
Perhaps it's because many have already gotten used to capital traffic jams. But also, several special programs are in place for this purpose. One of them restricts vehicle registration for environmental reasons. The second program is even more interesting: it allows only a certain number of cars on the road each day. It works simply: a calendar is compiled with digits from license plates that are allowed to enter the city on specific days. Drivers must track themselves whether they have the right to use the car that day or not.
Theoretically, you can drive on the street even if the numbers do not match. But a hefty fine will be issued each time you pass under photo and video cameras. To avoid drivers willing to pay the fine but still drive, a point system was also introduced. Several violations – and you lose your driver's license. Thus, the Chinese manage to control traffic.
Running over pedestrians and being a Buddhist
To somehow cope with the situation and move along streets completely unsuitable for pedestrians, all Chinese have taken to electric mopeds, electric bikes, and electric bicycles. We were offered to buy such a moped for about $290, with a promise that they practically do not break down for 3-5 years. Judging by the condition of some specimens, such vehicles are indeed used for many years. Like ants, they boldly dart between cars and do not hesitate to ride on the pedestrian sidewalk.
Often you can see a scene where the father of a family carries his wife, small child, luggage on such a simple device, and recklessly changes lanes under a speeding bus. The bus slows down, seemingly almost touching the brave madman, and everyone calmly drives on. As for turn signals, Chinese automakers could save a lot by not equipping domestic market cars with them. Chinese simply do not know what that is, and change lanes by honking at each other. Didn't hear – your own fault, get hit in the side. Yet they amazingly manage to understand each other, and accidents are rare.
But pedestrians cannot count on such courtesy from drivers: all those who lack any kind of transport and move around the city on foot do not earn any respect. Motorists boldly drive at pedestrians crossing the intersection on a green light. And they have no way out, because those following behind cannot even imagine that pedestrians should be yielded to. Then it becomes truly scary – because behind you, a crowd pushes forward, under the wheels. Several times colleagues could not stand it and started pounding on cars to attract attention – judging by the look of the Chinese, they were surprised by this circumstance.
How do pedestrians cross the road? It's simple: when a critical mass of people accumulates on the sidewalk, it simply spills onto the road – and then drivers can do nothing. The same rudeness we experienced several times when encountering tourist buses, whose drivers presumably should show a bit more respect for foreigners. But no, they don't even think of slowing down before a pedestrian, confidently stepping on the gas to get through on their green arrow. And if you perish under such a monster, you can be sure you will be found guilty: they are big, always in a hurry, and you should watch where you're going.
After a flight from Chongqing to Beijing, the picture on the roads remained the same, except that there were more expensive cars that fly along the roads even more arrogantly.
Without slowing down through a solid line
If you suddenly have to get behind the wheel in China, relax and imagine yourself at the controls of a fighter jet. A Chinese driver may accidentally drive onto a lane for two-wheeled vehicles and then reverse at a red light into a crowd of pedestrians crossing the road: what to do, he's lost! When exiting from a side road onto the main road, they simply do not look left.
Also, it is not customary to let those who accidentally ended up in the wrong lane pass: you can smile and ask to be let in until nightfall. There is only one way out – close your eyes and step on the gas. The most surprising thing is that nothing will happen to you: the Chinese are prepared for exactly this kind of behavior, not for polite attempts to make contact. U-turns across a double solid line in the city, on a bridge, or in a tunnel – be prepared for this and accept it as a given.
They also do not like to brake in front of obstacles, because it is much more interesting to just sharply jump into another lane. Also, for a Chinese person, there is nothing strange about turning into the far left lane from the far right. This should be taken as a given and be prepared for anything on the road. Just absolutely anything. And then everything will work out.