the traffic

The greatest danger to me here in China is not a healthy diet as I had worried, but staying alive outside the house.

My experience with traffic here in Quanzhou could be the worst I have seen but if not, it's high on the list.
There is a lot of it. There are a lot of people. Some say with a population of only 1 million, I ain't seen nothing yet.

The traffic rules are, um, kinda, you could say... more relaxed than you would find in Canada.
For example, imagine traveling on a bus, albeit early saturday morning, rocketing along the four lane road that runs straight through the smaller communities, the driver constantly on the horn. Now I don't mean a beep beep here, a beep beep there, I'm talking BEEEEPP,BEEEEPPP, non stop for the duration of the ride. He only stops beeping occasionally to massage his overworked horn wrist. You can get a size twelve headache in short order.
When coming up to traffic in the two lanes ahead, and the horn can't move it (as there is nowhere else to be besides where they are) he skirts out into the two left oncoming traffic lanes!!! It's here I have my eyes closed and have stepped up the prayers. The horn doesn't stop but as I steel for the impact, I squint ahead to see a couple of motorcycles passing us on the left?? It is a wonder to me how the population got to be so large, I think the traffic here aught to be working to control that. I must admit there are few accidents that I have seen. A mystery to me.

The main streets here are often four lane with two extra fenced off lanes for bikes and motorcycles (I thought) Then the sidewalks are huge wide tiled affairs so it looks like there is room for safe passage for all. Mistake. The bikes, cars, motorcycles, busses... everything really, go everywhere and anything with wheels always has the right-of-way. The walk lights at the intersections include the bikes and motorcycles and push carts, and anything short of a car can cross in the cross walk with the walk light. Very hairy, and terribly dangerous. I didn't mention that the turn lanes are still operating with the right-of-way to the traffic as the other hundred or so (people, bikes, motorcycles etc) attempt to make it safely to the other side alive of the multi-laned road, on the very short walk light.
Now the very lovely road set up, roadway, bike lane, sidewalk... means nothing. Again everything goes everywhere. There are cars, bikes, motorcycles... are everywhere, even on the sidewalks!! and they have the right-of-way!! So there is much honking, ringing, and leaping for safety as you walk along since the traffic travels in either direction on either sidewalk. Quite unbelievable and not so fun.

When I say motorcycle, it is mostly scooters and the small-engined Suzuki's and the like that we called 'foo-foo' bikes cause they had so little power. But power be damned, they load those little bikes up with everything you can imagine (or could never imagine), boxes, animals, up to 4 or 5 people, furniture, vegetables, sheets of glass... The bikes here often have a sidecar that allows an even greater usage since they can carry more. They use them as people carriers too, equipped with a seat for your comfort, and covered with advertising to gain extra money.
There is a motorcycle helmet law that they are slowly instituting. For now it is just for the drivers, I guess the passengers are more expendable. However, the helmets are few and far between, probably less than 40 percent, and they are never on the kids. But the kids are always on the bikes, often standing on the scooter between someone's knees. And yet they live to grow up.

China is full of mystery.