Comment

Beijing traffic 'not that bad'

By Benjamin Quintens (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-13 09:34

As a Belgian expat who has lived in Beijing for more than four years, I have to comment on the article Why I'm afraid of driving, which was published on Dec 17, 2009.

I disagree with many points made by the writer about Beijing traffic.

During the first months of my stay in Beijing, I found Beijing traffic to be chaotic and dangerous but I adapted quickly. With a little guts, I soon found out that Beijing traffic was not that bad. You only have to understand some differences.

During my stay, traffic became better organized and it seems that drivers have a better knowledge and understanding of rules and behavior.

There are still some points to work on, like the right turn. Drivers should yield to pedestrians and bicycle riders when turning right.

But there has been progress.

I agree that most of the drivers have a lack of experience but at least they drive slowly.

Driving too fast is often the biggest cause of accidents and not "corruption nor GDP".

Also, the number of cars is not a real problem. There are many other areas in the world where there are more cars for fewer people and they cause fewer problems than here.

The lack of experience and the sometimes-complicated infrastructure are for sure some of the major reasons for the problems in Beijing.

Expats should have at least more understanding about the history and the difficulties Beijingers are facing.

The remarks made by the author are not based on any research in my opinion. Neither was the statement that Belgium is more corrupt than the Netherlands.

The countries have a completely different town and country planning system, most often, because of history or situation. Belgium is, more than the Netherlands, a transit country where many foreigners drive through.

I guess that the author would be equally offended if some stranger would state that his country was more corrupt than another.

So, please, become professional and stick to the facts and not to fantasies or some hearsay.