Inspired!

I'm inspired by Troy's daily notes on life in Beijing (he's a trainee from Australia).  So inspired, in fact, that I have decided to attempt keep my own nearly daily updates on observations of life, living, & experiences in Beijing and the greater China area (and by daily, I mean weekdays).  We'll see how this goes.  But on to the first topic!

 

Topic of the day: Beijing Traffic

 

Beijing traffic has a notorious reputation all around China.  The city is probably one of the most congested traffic in all of China.  I've recently heard a statistic of something like everyday, there are 2,000 new cars on the streets of Beijing.

 

You can basically guesstimate when & where there will be heavy congestion everyday: 7am - 10pm, anywhere within the 4th Ring Road, sometimes the 5th Ring Road (to give a scope, most of the city functions within the 3rd Ring).  You can also bet that traffic will be exceptionally bad on Monday mornings & Friday afternoons.  And if there is a fender-bender anywhere, don't plan on budging. 

 

When living in a city with such bad traffic, it isn't surprising hear traffic stories from hell.  For example, last night, I was stuck in traffic in a cab, listening to a popular radio program (ironically called, "A Clear & Un-congested Way") & the topic of the day was "waiting in line."  The show offers frequent traffic updates & listeners can SMS their own responses & personal experiences to the daily topics.  One driver text in & said that he's been stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours - and have not moved more than 500 meters!!!  Another story that hits closer to home was when I went from my office to the MC apartment for dinner.  It usually should not be more than 15 minutes drive.  I was stuck in traffic for close to 50 minutes.  And that's not including the 30 minutes I spent trying to find a cab.  The same program that day had a driver on our same road text in with a message saying something to the effects of: "If you want to see a grand car exhibition, there's a free one today on the 3rd Ring Road"

 

With all this traffic & the ever increasing popularity of personal cars, there seems to be no traffic solutions in sight.  So what should one do to keep sane while stuck in traffic in Beijing?  Start thinking about investing in a bicycle!!!