I’ll admit I was a bit scared for my life on the taxi drive from the Xi’an Airport to Starfish. And the more I have observed and participated in the transportation around here, the more I shake my head fondly at the craziness of it all. The highway near the airport is well-kept and Western-looking, but the further out of the city you get, the less developed the roads become. Only the rich drive cars; most people use public transportation. There are several bus lines, a brand, spankin’ new (and very nice) metro, and you can always hail a taxi. Though you may have to wait up to 45 minutes to catch the 403 bus, it can get you into town for just 2 RMB, about 32 cents. Many people own bikes or electric scooters, and, believe me, they make good use of them. We once saw five adults on a scooter not much bigger than this:
Many drivers pile all their goods on their carts, which double as their makeshift market stands on the side of the road. They get pretty creative in the use of space! 
And these are some of our favorite vehicles. Anna calls them Tricycle Trucks!
One day we had a pretty big rain, and walked out to see the road looking like this:
Nope, it didn’t stop anyone, even the bikers, from going on through!
In the event that you become a driver in Xi’an, you will want to know the following very official rules of the road:
1. Marked lanes mean nothing. If you can fit, you can drive there.
2. Never wear a seat belt or you’ll offend your taxi driver. He will think you don’t trust his driving.
3. Pedestrians never have the right of way. Go, go, go!
4. It is encouraged that you stop at red lights, but if you can get where you need to be without getting hit, why wait?
5. Honk frequently, especially when driving at oncoming traffic to pass a slow driver.
6. Left turn yield? Nah, just go for it!
But look at this brilliant idea. All the major intersections in town have continuous countdowns for both red and green lights.
Aka, I’m recommending that you don’t ever become a driver in Xi’an? Yes, indeed, I’m in China.
I'm enjoying reading your blog updates. Your descriptions of the rules of driving reminded me of the driving in Bolivia when we lived there. There might be lanes marked on the road, but they were completely ignored--I particularly remember one road with two lanes marked but there were always three streams of cars--the middle "lane" switched directions sometime during the day so there were two lanes going into the city in the morning and one coming out, but two coming out in the evening. Rather efficient, really...
ReplyDeleteTaxi drivers in Bolivia were offended if you wanted to wear a seat belt as well. Of course, most of the taxis weren't even equipped with them so it was a non-issue.
--Sarah