If Patches O’Houlihan is to believed, ESPN8 “the ocho” ought to start filming dodgeball games in Southeast Asia. No crosswalks, no traffic lights or signs, and sidewalks that exist solely for parking; as of this writing, I have not seen an accident or near miss. The difference seems to come from a recognition by drivers that the road is not personal property. It is a space shared by cars, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians, vendors, and animals. My observation is that the maximum speed for any given vehicle on a stretch of road is much lower than what an American driver would hit; the difference between the minimum and maximum speeds for the American would be much larger. Drivers here don’t stop but they seem to be aware of their surroundings so it is safe for a pedestrian to cross eight lanes of traffic while no driver is inconvenienced. Traffic moves much more fluidly. There are many motorbikes on the roads and they are able to dodge pedestrians much more effectively than cars and trucks. It seems to terrify most of the people that I have tried to cross the road with, but I am continually amazed at just how fluid it is.
Although I can handle the traffic, it does make it much more difficult for those who are not as agile. Near my hostel in Chiang Mai there was one pedestrian light. You had to call it yourself and it would give you a 15 second red light to cross four lanes of one way traffic. Usually, once the drivers didn’t see anyone else crossing the street, they continued on, regardless of the light. One night I saw a three legged dog trying to cross the road. The curbs are over a foot high and there is no shoulder on the road so it was difficult for him to cross one lane at a time which is what I often did. Instead, he patiently sat by the crossing button until someone came along and pressed it, allowing him to cross. Although it took him longer than the allotted fifteen seconds to cross, drivers still waited for him.
Being in Singapore for the last few days has made me realize just how much I missed orderly traffic. As much as I got used to dealing with dodging traffic, it is so much less stressful when you are reasonably certain that someone won’t run a red light and kill you.
